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Landowners welcome back Lewis’s woodpecker

The Lewis’ woodpecker is back thanks to the effort of the Boundary Habitat Stewards.
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Lewis’ woodpecker is commonly found in cottonwood trees. (Wikimedia)

In the last several weeks the Lewis’ woodpecker has returned to the area to nest and raise their young! Several landowners across the Boundary are welcoming them back and with a few more ideas in mind to conserve their habitat locally thanks to the Boundary Habitat Stewards.

Grand Forks has the highest density of nesting Lewis’s in the province which accounts for approximately 10 per cent of their population in B.C. The Boundary Habitat Stewards are undertaking an outreach project contacting private landowners and providing information about this threatened bird and their habitat needs. The stewards will come to your property and help identify stewardship opportunities that will benefit this woodpecker and other wildlife species. Healthy habitat for this bird is closely tied to healthy riparian areas, which have several benefits including protecting property from erosion and the impacts of flooding.

The Boundary Habitat Stewards are developing and implementing restoration plans for several properties across the Boundary. This includes protecting cottonwood trees from beavers, planting native shrubs and trees with protection from deer, and using bioengineering techniques for erosion control. Much of the land adjacent to the Kettle and Granby Rivers is privately owned, so landowners play a crucial role in the health of riparian and aquatic ecosystems.

The Lewis’ woodpecker is a great ambassador for protecting environments. If we protect their habitat, we protect several other bird, amphibian, and mammal species that depend upon these areas. One of the main threats to the Lewis’ is the loss of nesting trees. They love the dead and decadent cottonwood trees to nest in, and this can conflict with public safety. But with some planning in mind these conflicts can be avoided.

If you have Lewis’s in your neighbourhood and you want to learn more call Jenny Coleshill at 442 7969 or email jenny.coleshill@granbywilderness.ca or on Facebook at Granby Wilderness Society. The Boundary Habitat Stewards send a thank you to funders, the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Patagonia, the Regional District of the Kootenay Boundary Areas D and E, the Phoenix Foundation, and most important, participating landowners!