Download the full report: Walker_Report_final_15Feb2024

ABSTRACT

The Walker study area, in Lheidli T’enneh territory (Upper Fraser region in east-central British Columbia), corresponds to the entire Walker Creek drainage and adjacent valleys reaching to the shores of the Fraser, McGregor, Morkill, and Torpy Rivers. It is a widlerness area roughly 25 x 40 km in size, almost entirely without roads or prior major industrial development, the largest area in the Upper Fraser drainage that remains free from major economic use. This area was almost entirely unexplored for plant and lichen biodiversity prior to the current study. Our goal was to document all lichen and plant (both bryophyte and vascular plant) species present in the habitats surveyed, using a controlled intuitive wander method. Over 15 days of field effort, a wide array of habitat types were searched, from the lowest to the highest elevations, including various forest and wetland types, cliffs, alpine ridges, and anthropogenic habitats. In total, 1297 species, subspecies, and varieties of lichens and plants were documented in the 2023 surveys, including 433 lichens, 334 bryophytes, and 532 vascular plants. The results from the Walker study area contribute well over 200 species to the flora of the greater Robson Valley area, which has now risen to over 2700 taxa. A great number of noteworthy species are included in this newly documented flora, including some that appear to be new discoveries for science. Numerous special habitats are highlighted for their disproportionate contributions to the overall Walker lichen and plant diversity, and for some of the threats to these habitats resulting from potential and proposed human-caused impacts. Recommendations are made for further research in the Walker landscape and the some of the needs for conservation are discussed.