Grand Forks Grasslands – Wildlife friendly fencing
In 2020, the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) purchased 144 hectares of grassland habitats just east of Grand Forks, in the Dry Interior of British Columbia. The property is within one of the smallest and rarest ecosystems in BC, the Ponderosa Pine very dry hot biogeoclimatic subzone of the Southern Okanogan Highlands ecosection.
You may have seen in some of our recent posts, a mention of “wildlife-friendly fencing”. SILT has been installing this fencing at the Grand Forks Grasslands conservation property, to protect and maintain the valuable ecological features of the property.
The Grand Forks Grasslands is home to at least six federally listed species-at-risk. Since being purchased by SILT, we have faced ongoing challenges with cattle and motor vehicles trespassing, which hinders habitat recovery. Despite our prohibition of these activities on our conservation properties, trespassing remains an issue.
To address this, we have installed 1.3 kilometres of new wildlife-friendly fencing and a cattleguard to help protect the Grand Forks Grasslands for wildlife.
Though the permanent fence constructed is a “wildlife-friendly” design it is still a fence and thus poses a potential obstacle and hazard to wildlife, care was taken during final layout to reduce the amount of fencing wherever practical. In addition to the fencing, drop-down wooden rail sections and seasonal gates were added at wildlife travel ways where identified.
So what exactly is wildlife-friendly fencing? These fence designs can allow animals to effectively pass over or crawl underneath a fence more easily, and also remain visible for both ungulates and birds.
Here are some key features:
- Bottom Wire: A smooth bottom wire is placed 16-18 inches from the ground, providing enough space for wildlife to crawl under
- Top Wire: The top wire is a smooth, barbless wire set at about 40 inches, making it low enough for adult animals to jump. Vinyl markers were added along the top rail, to increase visibility for ungulates and birds.
- Middle Wires: The fence has two middle wires, placed at least 1 foot below the top wire to reduce the chances of catching the legs of animals during a jump.
This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program, other donors, and in-kind support from several individuals and businesses. We would also like to extend a special thanks to the Good Samaritan in Grand Forks who has been picking up garbage at the Grasslands property – your support in keeping the conservation property clean is greatly appreciated!
Click on the image below to view the complete project report.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this project was provided in part by the Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program, the Southern Interior Land Trust with support from the Tom and Jennifer Foss Foundation and other donors, the Nature Trust of BC, and the BC Habitat Conservation Foundation Public Conservation Assistance Fund. SILT appreciates the several volunteers and businesses that donated their time, services, and equipment to this project, notably the Brandow family, Len Mehmal, Andy Kusch, Greg McNeil and the bridge crew from YRB Road & Bridge, and Mike Grosch from D&M Excavating. Granby Guide Outfitters, the Lower Similkameen Indian Band, JR Clifton Contracting, and Robbie Heinrich provided valuable services and expertise to the project, all of which is much appreciated. Thanks also to all those in the Grand Forks community who respect and appreciate wildlife and habitat conservation, for all living things.