Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan - City of Surrey

PART 2: DETAILED MANAGEMENT UNIT MANAGEMENT PLANS
Management Unit 1: Intertidal
1.0 Existing Conditions
Management Unit 1 comprises all the intertidal areas of the park, including old dykes and the cannery
spit. It is subdivided into three sections: MU1 north, MU1 central, and MU1 south (Drawing 1).
• MU1-north includes the “outside” areas, including those adjacent to Blackie Spit, the area outside
the breached dykes, and the area east of MU 13;
• MU1-central is the salt marsh behind the old breached dyke, north of MUs 12 and 13;
• MU1-south is the bay, the mouth of which is demarcated by the cannery spit and MU 13.
MU1-north is largely intertidal flats on which species of green algae occur during the growing season
(Drawing 1). Contiguous mudflat areas outside the park are of a similar nature. Toward the head
of this area, west of the central area dyke, brackish estuarine high marsh grasses grade to backshore
grasses, forbs and woody plants. The intertidal vegetation is composed largely of halophylic (saltloving)
species including sea arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimum) with saltgrass (Distichlis spicata)
or American glasswort (Salicornia virginica), and orache (Atriplex patula) (Figure 4). Gumweed
(Grindelia intergrifolia) is common in higher areas. A trail on Blackie Spit occurs along the upper
edge of MU 1 along the border with MU 15.
MU1-central is a salt marsh characterized by saltwort and salt grass. Two tide channels through the
area branch from a breach in the dyke (Figure 5). The vegetation of the lower slopes of the dyke is
a mixture of halophylic species such as glasswort, arrowgrass, saltgrass, and seaside plantain
(Plantago maritima). The dyke top supports grasses, forbs such as hairy cats-ear (Hypochaeris
radicata)), thistles (Cirsium spp.), and yarrow (Achillea millefolium), and woody species including
Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca), domestic apple (Malus sp.), rose (Rosa sp.), broom (Cytisus
scoparius), and daphne. Groves of mature birch (Betula papyrifera) trees grow along the west end
of this MU and on the adjacent dyke.
Two trails occur along the dyke, one on the top and one along the upper intertidal at the dyke toe.
Other trails access the dyke through the backshore and upper intertidal marsh areas west of the dyke.
UM 1-south is a bay containing both mudflat and brackish estuarine marsh vegetation. Patches of
marsh vegetation occur along the south border, but most of the marsh habitat occupies the north half
of the bay (Figure 6). Species in the lower marsh include glasswort, salt grass, and seaside plantain,
either mixed or in patches in which one species predominates. The upper part of the salt marsh
supports grass and mud rush (Juncus geradii), seaside plantain, gumweed, and other species. At
higher elevations, sea-watch (Angelica lucida), goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), yarrow, sweet
clover (Melilotus alba), and some broom and alder (Alnus rubra) occur (Figure 7).
The salt marsh at Cannery Point is characterized by saltwort, salt grass, gumweed, orache, and other
species. Some shrubs, blackberry (Rubus discolor), common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), yarrow,
and upland grasses grow on two higher patches (Figure 8).
Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan – Management Unit 1 24