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Morrison Creek Headwaters Section |
*Note: The text below is only a brief overview. For a much more detailed examination of the Morrison Creek Headwaters, please refer to the Morrison Creek Headwaters SHIM report, prepared by Project Watershed.
1. Brief Overview of the Morrison Creek headwaters
 The Morrison Creek Watershed is a very unique watershed. Besides producing enormous numbers of salmon for such a small (890ha) watershed, it is also home to the Morrison Creek Lamprey - a fish that is found nowhere else in the world! The key to the ecological health and diversity of the Morrison Creek Watershed lies in the area known as the Morrison Creek Headwaters. This area, 543ha in size, is a complex network of over 90ha of wetlands linked by approximately 19km of stream channel. It lies to the west of the new Inland Island Highway and immediately to the south of Lake Trail Rd. The area is shaped like a "big bowl" and lies at the foot of a large escarpment. Because of this large, sudden, drop in elevation, groundwater traveling underground towards the City of Courtenay from Comox Lake "springs" up to the surface and supplies the clean, cool, streamflows that run year-round in Morrison Creek.
The Morrison Creek Headwaters provide terrific habitat for a wide variety of species including fish, birds (waterfowl, raptors, songbirds), amphibians, rodents, beavers, deer, elk, bears, cougars, and a great diversity of plants. Furthermore, because wetlands act like giant "sponges" the huge complex of wetlands in the Morrison Creek Headwaters provide several important ecological functions. They are:
- Reduce high flows during large rainstorms. Wetlands soak up the large volumes of rainwater and release it slowly into the stream. This reduces downstream flooding and streambank erosion, and greatly improves the survival of animals living in the stream at the bottom of the watershed.
- Reduce stream channel drying during periods of drought. Wetlands slowly release all the water they soaked up during the spring rains through the summer. This is a crucial feature for the survival of fish and other animals that depend on the stream water to live through the late summer and early fall.
- Purify water. Wetlands are a lot like natures kidneys - as much as 80-90% of suspended matter is removed from water as it flows through a wetland.
- Wonderful to visit! Check out some of the pictures of the Morrison Creek Headwaters and see for yourself.
Don't forget to visit the Maps Section of this website to see several maps of the Morrison Creek Headwaters.
2. Protection in the Morrison Creek Headwaters
Because the lands in the headwaters of Morrison Creek are privately owned, there is currently very little protection of the ecological attributes in this area. Fortunately, BG Linton Construction manages a woodlot within the headwaters region. This land is located in the northern section of the headwaters. BG Linton is in the process of donating a section of their land to be preserved; this area is to be known as the Beecher Linton Reserve. At present it is in the hands of Ministry of Highways and Transportation, Properties Division, awaiting legal surveys and administration to be completed. It is hoped that once this process is done that the land will be the responsibility of the Nature Trust so that they can monitor and manage the area for preservation purposes.
3. Threats to the Morrison Creek Headwaters:
Like any ecosystem located close to a center of human settlement, the health of the Morrison Creek Headwaters area is under increasing pressure. Here is a brief outline of the most significant threats to the health of the area:
i. Municipal expansion
The Village of Cumberland has recently extended their jurisdiction to include a large portion of the Morrison Creek Headwaters. While the exact plans for the area are not known at this time, there has been some discussion of developing the area at the top of the escarpment into a value-added industrial park. As well, the City of Courtenay has been expanding its jurisdiction towards this area at a very fast rate. Urban and suburban development has had a profound and irreversible effect on water flows in many watersheds. Removing the wide forested buffer along Morrison Creek and replacing it with impervious surfaces (e.g. roofs and pavement) would have serious consequences for all species of fish as well as the terrestrial animals that live there.
ii. Water Contamination
The Pidgeon Lake Landfill - the main waste disposal facility for the Comox Valley -is located on top of the aquifer that supplies water to the Morrison Creek Headwaters (Aquifer 417 IIIA). A hydrogeological study of the Pidgeon Lake Landfill conducted by the Regional District of Comox Strathcona conclude that the headwaters of Morrison and Nellie Creek (a tributary of Morrison) are at the lowest elevation downgrade from Pidgeon Lake Landfill. (CH2M Hill, 2002). Groundwater from immediately below the landfill discharges into Morrison and Nellie Creeks at an average linear groundwater velocity of 47.0 to 136.0 m/y.
 iii .Resource Development
The vast majority of the land in the headwaters is used as a managed forest, or woodlot. However, due to the fact that nearly all of the Morrison Creek Headwaters has been previously logged, it is not considered to be a significant threat at this time.
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