1.0 Ecosystems and the Deadman River Valley

The Deadman River Watershed is located within the traditional hunting, fishing, gathering and trading areas of the Skeetchestn Indian Band. The band is a community of the Secwepemc People who currently reside in permanent villages throughout the Thompson as well as the Quesnel, mid-Fraser, and upper Columbia watersheds. As such, the community of Skeetchestn have a post glacial history of co-existance within the region’s ecosystem, and they have settled in a permanent village only within the last couple of centuries (Chief Ron Ignace. Pers. com.).

The Deadman river watershed is located northwest of Kamloops Lake and approximately 50 km west of the City of Kamloops. The watershed is primarily located within the Kamloops Forest District, however a significant portion is within the 100 Mile Forest District (Speed and Henderson 1998). The watershed has an area of approximately 1509 km2 , has 12 sub-basins, and is located within the Thompson-Okanagan Plateau.

Sub-basins:

· Joe Ross Creek
· Vidette Lake
· Upper Deadman River
· Upper Criss Creek
· Mow Creek
· Heller Creek
· Upper Residual Creek
· Tobacco creek
· Gorge Creek
· Barricade Creek
· Lower Criss Creek
· Clemes Creek

The Deadman River Watershed is composed of montane forests and grasslands ecosystems.

The Valley’s Forest Ecosystem

Montane forests are transition forests comprised of Interior Douglas-fir and Ponderosa Pine Zones, and grasslands comprised of the Bunchgrass Zone. For the purposes of setting biodiversity objectives, the Ministry of Forests of British Columbia further recognizes five natural disturbance types in B.C. Most of the Deadman Watershed is considered Natural Disturbance type 4 (NDT4) (Phil Holman, pers. com. Ministry of Forests, Kamloops Forest District). This ecosystem includes grassland, shrubland, and forested communities that normally experience frequent low-intensity fires.

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