The Morrison Creek lamprey can only be beautiful in the eyes of a biologist. But the jawless fish, with its open, disk-like mouth and silvery eel-like body, has become a preoccupation even among those less susceptible to its fascination because it is found in only one place on earth: an unusual, drought resistant. section of wetlands on Vancouver Island. This species of lamprey has evolved since the last ice age, even surviving dry spells like the one that left many of the island’s rivers dry in recent months. This longevity is the result of a special hydrological feature of its home: the creek is constantly replenished by freshwater springs that emerge from the ground, a gift from glacier-fed Lake Comox. While climate change threatens sensitive ecosystems around the world, this small enclave of forests and wetlands is well protected. But most of the land is zoned for heavy industry and owned by a multinational logging company. “It’s a magical thing, here,” said biologist Tim Ennis, running his fingers through one of the small, eternal drops of water that feed the wetlands. Mr Ennis, the executive director of the Comox Valley Land Trust, has been involved in a 20-year community effort to protect the Morrison Creek lamprey, which faces extinction if development is allowed. Located only on the creek for which it is named, Morrison Creek lamprey has evolved since the last ice age, surviving dry spells thanks to the creek being constantly replenished by springs of fresh water that emerge from the ground, a gift from the glacier. Comox Lake.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Globe and Mail His goal is just weeks away from implementation. Morrison Creek’s fund owner, Manulife Investment, has offered to sell a 289-hectare parcel of land to the trust. The deadline to close the deal is the end of December, and a network of environmentalists has raised most of the $4.75 million purchase price. British Columbia is home to the largest amount of biodiversity in the country, but the provincial government and Ottawa have been unable to reach an agreement to secure new protected areas. Where there is progress, it is being made by First Nations and non-profits, and sometimes both together, while government talks continue. Many of these not-for-profits are plots like the one Mr Ennis runs – organizations whose main business is buying private land and protecting it from development. The 148 that exist today in Canada have collectively amassed more than half a million hectares. They often use money from the government, which is accompanied by private contributions. Their work fills a gap left by stalling government action. Canada, along with the other Group of Seven countries, has committed to conserving or protecting at least 30 percent of its lands, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas by 2030. As an interim step, Ottawa has set target of 25 percent by 2025, but has a long way to go. Less than 14 percent of Canada’s lands and waters are protected, and on average the country is adding 0.8 percent per year. This pace does not put Canada on a path to success. See some of the scenery around Morrison Creek, BC via drone. The Globe and Mail Morrison Creek has long been targeted for protection by local conservationists, and the status of its unique lamp is a rallying point. Officially known as Lampetra richardsoni, the fish has been listed as endangered for two decades. The federal government issued a legal order to protect the lamprey’s critical habitat from destruction in 2019, which created a narrow protected area on both sides of the water where it lives. But the lamprey, which is “extremely susceptible to habitat loss” according to the federal conservation order, is in decline. There is constant development pressure in the surrounding urban area of the Comox Valley. A small portion of the land near the creek has been protected as a park, but the trust’s purchase of the Manulife lands would secure most of the remaining lamprey habitat. Mr Ennis wore tall waterproof boots to tour the land he hopes will soon be preserved. The marshy ground keeps people away for the most part, with their dogs and their loud voices, “so it ends up acting as a wildlife refuge,” he explained as he jogged around the edge of a beaver dam. Development in the Comox Valley has left few remaining large pockets of nature. “So it’s very important as a way to keep the wildlife in our communities close to us,” he said. Conservation biologist Tim Ennis uses GPS to mark the Morrison Creek Headwaters.CHAD HIPOLITO/The Globe and Mail Morrison Creek is thick with wildlife. Including the lamprey, it is home to 14 endangered species. Red alders lining a well-used wildlife trail are scarred by black bear claw marks, and the landscape is shaped by beavers. A mink eyed a visitor from its riverbank shelter before swimming past the carcass of a coho salmon that had finished spawning. The stream’s reliable flow has made this a highly productive salmon habitat. Of all the creatures, Mr Ennis has a soft spot for the lamprey, which is no more than 15cm long. “The lamprey is a particularly old life form, and to see how it can evolve into a completely different species of lamprey in this one place is really a testament to the stability of the hydrology in this ecosystem,” he said. “I think they are very beautiful. It’s a long very elegant silver fish and I think it’s quite elegant when you see them moving in the water.” The local K’ómoks First Nation call the Morrison Creek headwaters qax mot, which means “many medicines” in their traditional language. Mr. Ennis noted that the conservation effort will ensure that the K’ómoks have access to the abundance and variety of medicinal plants in the area that have been effectively blocked off from private land ownership. The Morrison Creek lamprey, which is “extremely susceptible to habitat loss” according to the federal conservation order, is in decline. Morrison Valley Stream Keepers The Comox Valley Land Trust partnered with the BC Parks Foundation to raise the money for the property transaction. The foundation’s chief executive, Andrew Day, said the pandemic had increased the public’s appreciation of nature and that this has helped drive fundraising efforts. “There is a tremendous amount of goodwill and gratitude for the natural areas we live in. And a tremendous desire to give back,” he said. “But also, there’s just a much higher level of global awareness, particularly in BC, about the climate and our loss of diversity. People want to do tangible things about bigger issues, and protecting the land in your area where you live is a very concrete thing that people can do.” Mr Ennis, also executive director of the Comox Valley Land Trust, has a soft spot for the lamp. CHAD HIPOLITO/The Globe and Mail
