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

Management Unit 15: Intertidal Bay
1.0 Existing Conditions
Management unit 15 (Drawing 12) is currently a gravel area used for parking (Figure 44).
2.0 Goals and Objectives
This unit will provide a function similar to that of the intertidal gravel beach to which it is connected.
The development of this unit is to enable visitors to view the more visible intertidal life at a
moderately close range without having to go out onto the beach.
Depending on the elevation of the existing intertidal slope, it may be necessary, and desirable, to
create tide pools near the bottom of this unit where it meets the current intertidal grade. Such a
feature may also provide the opportunity to create a board walk to view the tide pools. However,
it is also possible that the intertidal area would resort itself, filling in any pools and creating its own
contours.
Species Management Goal
Intertidal benthos (marine invertebrates).
Habitat Management Objectives
• Remove existing parking lot and create tidal gradient so that highest (south) extent is flooded
by the tide at least once in every lunar month;
• Maintain existing spit access trail along south side.
3.0 Management Prescriptions
3.1 Initial Enhancement Requirements
• Remove gravel from parking lot (estimated 2700 m 3 ). (Use gravel for new parking area in park,
if required, or for MU 16 (below)). Grade the site to allow monthly tidal inundation, as
described above;
• Place 10 or more large rocks (between .3 and 1 m diameter) at various elevations as substrate
for sessile organisms such as barnacles.
3.2 Ongoing Maintenance Requirements
This unit should be self maintaining through tidal inundation. Occasional clearing of trail side
vegetation may be required so that views of the intertidal are not hindered.
Blackie Spit Park: Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Plan – Management Unit 15 70