The New B.C. Roadside Naturalist: A Guide to Nature along B.C. Highways

by Richard Cannings, Sydney Cannings

Overview

In this fascinating guide to the roadside ecology of the major highways in B.C., you'll discover a whole new dimension to taking a car trip. This new edition has been updated and expanded to cover northern British Columbia and southern Yukon, giving readers a unique perspective on the northern wildlife and vegetation. Southern travellers "may find that this journey will redefine what 'northern British Columbia' means to them, or even what 'north' means."

Sidebars tell stories about various species, such as the huge, endangered sturgeon and the Great Basin spadefoot toad, which spends most of the year underground. Full-colour photographs and black-and-white drawings illustrate numerous plants and animals that make their homes along the roadsides of British Columbia, and maps show the route of each highway discussed. In addition, the book offers suggestions for where to stop and look for crayfish, enjoy a swim in summer, or have a picnic lunch during your travels. An appendix provides a brief field guide of tree silhouettes and hints for identifying trees and shrubs.

Whether you're taking a day trip or a two-week holiday, your drive along the highways of B.C. will be enriched by the storehouse of information in this facinating and informative guide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771000550
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	02/11/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Richard Cannings works as a consulting biologist assessing endangered species and organizing bird population surveys, among other projects. He is the author of An Enchantment of Birds, The Rockies: A Natural History, and, with Sydney Cannings, and British Columbia: A Natural History. He lives in Penticton, BC.

Sydney Cannings is a zoologist working on endangered species for Environment Canada in Whitehorse, Yukon. He has also worked as an endangered species specialist for the British Columbia government and as the curator of the Spencer Entomological Museum at the University of British Columbia.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Acknowledgements xi

Introduction 7

1 The Trans-Canada Highway: Highway 1

Horseshoe Bay to Hope: The Lower Fraser Valley 11

Hope to Lytton: The Fraser Canyon 18

Lytton to Kamloops: The Dry Grasslands of the Thompson River 21

Kamloops to Salmon Arm: The South Thompson River 31

Shuswap Lake to the Great Divide: Three Mountain Ranges and One River 34

2 The Island Highway: Highways 1 and 19

Victoria to Campbell River: A Rain Shadow amid Rain Forests 49

Campbell River to Port Hardy: The North Island Rain Forests 59

3 The Crowsnest Highway: Highway 3

Hope to Princeton: The Cascades 67

Princeton to Osoyoos: The Lower Similkameen Valley 77

Osoyoos to Christina Lake: Boundary Country 83

Christina Lake to Creston: The West Kootenays 89

Creston to Cranbrook: The Purcells 97

Cranbrook to Crowsnest Pass: The Southern Rockies 99

4 The Coquihalla and Southern Yellowhead Highways: Highways 5

Hope to Kamloops: From Snow Forests to Golden Grasslands 105

Kamloops to Valemount: The North Thompson Valley 109

Valemount to Yellowhead Pass: The Rocky Mountains 118

5 The Yellowhead Highway: Highway 16

Prince Rupert to Smithers: The Waters of the Skeena 123

Smithers to Prince George: The Fraser Plateau 134

Prince George to Tête Jaune Cache: The Rocky Mountain Trench and Its Antique Forests 141

6 The Tsawwassen and Patricia Bay Highways: Highway 17

The Fraser Delta 747

The Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands 150

The Saanich Peninsula 155

7 The Chilcotin Highway: Highway 20

Williams Lake to Anahim Lake: The Chilcotin Plateau 157

Anahim Lake to Bella Coola: A Steep Descent to the Pacific 167

8 The Stewart-Cassiar Highway: Highway 37

Kitwanga (Gitwangak) to Meziadin Junction: The Valleys of the Skeena and the Nass 172

Meziadin Junction to Dease Lake: From the Nass to the Stikine and Beyond 175

Dease Lake to the Alaska Highway: The Cassiar Mountains and Hard Plateau 180

9 The East Kootenay Highway: Highway 93

Roosville to Radium: The Southern Rocky Mountain Trench 187

Radium Hot Springs to the Continental Divide: Kootenay National Park 194

10 The Okanagan and Cariboo Highways: Highway 97

Osoyoos to Monte Creek: The Okanagan 201

Cache Creek to Prince George: The Cariboo Highway 221

Highway 97c: The Coquihalla Connector 233

11 The John Hart Highway: Highway 97

Prince George to the Parsnip River: Crossing the Continental Divide 237

The Parsnip River to Dawson Creek: Crossing the Rocky Mountains and Meeting the Prairies 245

12 The Alaska Highway: Highway 97 and Yukon Highway 1

Dawson Creek to Fort Nelson: The Boreal and Taiga Plains 253

Fort Nelson to Liard River Crossing: Over the Northern Rockies 258

Liard Crossing to the Stewart-Cassiar Junction: Hot Springs and the Land of Fire 267

Stewart-Cassiar Junction to Teslin: The Cassiar Mountains 272

Teslin to Whitehorse: The Southern Lakes 278

Whitehorse to Haines Junction: The Takhiniand Dezadeash Valleys 285

Haines Junction to Burwash Landing: Kluane and the Shakwak Trench 292

Burwash Landing to Alaska: The Northern Shakwak Trench and Beringia 300

13 The Sea to Sky Highway: Highway 99

White Rock to West Vancouver: The Fraser Delta 307

Vancouver to Squamish: Forests and Fiords 311

Squamish to Pemberton: Fire and Ice 316

Pemberton to Lillooet: The Eastern Ranges 320

Appendix: High-Speed Botany 327

Index 333