Species at Risk

Some of the potential endangered or vulnerable species that reside in the Deadman River watershed include :

· great basin spadefoot toads,
· painted turtles,
· rubber boa,
· gopher snakes, racers,
· American Bittern,
· prairie falcons,
· sharp-tailed grouse,
· long-billed curlew,
· flammulated owl,
· lewis woodpecker,
· spotted bat,
· western small-footed Myotis,
· towsends big-eared bat, and
· badgers
· Western and timber rattlers,
· sandhill crane,
· great blue heron.
· Also porcupine populations have diminished drastically in recent years as noted by local residents.
Although not included in this list, Thompson river coho and steelhead populations are considered severely depressed and there has been no record of bull trout presence in the river since systematic monitoring programs began in the 1980’s.

It should also be noted that there are a variety of riparian eco-system associations specifically those involving cottonwood and other species (e.g. Cottonwood/red osier +/or cottonwood/ prickly rose ) that are at risk throughout the Interior and especially in the Deadman valley. Also there is major concern about the decline of traditionally valued plant species such as spetsum or Indian hemp, Indian potatoes or spring beauty and Indian tobacco as well as others.

Community Perspectives on Ecosystem Health

The current threat to wildlife species native to the valley are recognized by many residents as a symptom of a much larger problem related to over-all ecosystem health. According to the community of Skeetchestn, the depressed health of some species of fish, wildlife, forests and grassland vegetation provides an indicator of broader ecosystem dysfunction. This is evidenced in the bands involvement in activities around fish, wildlife, forest, agriculture, range, and water management.

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