Last native bird stronghold

Photo: South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program

Lewis's woodpecker, pictured, is a federally-listed endangered species that will benefit from a nature preserve in Summerland.

The final touches have been put on a protected area in Summerland for two bird species.

An area about 2.5 acres in size, now known as the Woodbridge Nature Preserve, serves as a habitat for the Lewis's woodpecker and western screech owl. 

The District of Summerland established the protected area in 2015, and last week had informative signs and fencing put up around the area, with support from the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program.

The area is located at the south end of Nixon Road near Sun-Oka Beach, and is rich with cottonwood trees which are crucial to the two bird species.

"You need to have mature cottonwood forests in order to have these kind of species," Bryn White said, program manager with the SOSCP.

"To have a patch like this of mature cottonwoods that are connected... just gives a little bit more resiliency to the survival of these species."

The two species are native to the Okanagan, and due to their habitats being reduced both are now federally-listed as endangered species, according to White.

She added that less than 1,000 of the Lewis's woodpecker remain, and the small Woodbridge Nature Preserve is the last-known place in Canada where they can be found in the winter.

The public is asked to enjoy the nature preserve from the street.