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

Management Unit 14: Blackie Spit
1.0 Existing Conditions
The spit, Management Unit 14, has four main habitat types, three of which are mapped in
Drawing 11. Those types include a dense forb/shrub community at the base; the sparse short
grass/forb community comprising about half the spit and located on the inner half; a denser forb
community located primarily on the outer and south parts of the spit; and the bare sand beach areas
with an upper intermittent fringe of dunegrass (Elymus mollis) at the tip of the spit and around parts
of the north and south sides (Figure 39).
The dense forb/shrub community at the south east base of the spit, consists of goldenrod, sweet pea
(Lathyrus sp.), reed canarygrass, tansy, two thistle species, American searocket (Cakile edentula),
and woody vegetation such as snowberry and small introduced fruit trees. It also has the invasive,
daphne.
The drier grass/forb community of the inner half of the spit consists of low-growing grasses, plantain,
and yarrow, with American searocket in some areas. Occasional broom plants occur in that area, and
individual small trees (alder or Pacific crabapple) and small blackberry clumps occur (Figure 40).
The denser vegetation community of the outer half of the spit (Figure 41) contains species such as
American searocket (Figure 42), silver burweed (Ambrosia chamissionis) (Figure 43), orache,
yarrow, sweet clover, a species of vetch (Vicia sp.) and other species.
2.0 Goals and Objectives
Species Management Goal
• Migratory open-habitat passerines (e.g. horned larks, snow buntings, Lapland longspurs, pipits,
sparrows, finches).
Habitat Management Objectives
• Maintain existing open nature of spit with herbaceous vegetation:
• Establish islands of low-growing native shrubs and trees in pre-established locations to
provide escape cover for sparrows and finches using the site;
• Control invasive species (non native and all other unwanted woody species);
• To avoid unnecessary disturbance to birds using estuary and spit, and in accordance with the
master plan:
• confine people to 2 trails: a major central trail and a minor south trail. The existing south
trail should be moved 2 m above the high tide line and provide an optional route for people
without dogs;
• Establish destination feature and viewing area at new trail end;
• Move existing north-facing benches to the central trail edge.
Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan – Management Unit 14 67