Tour of Maude-Roxby Wetland Boardwalk Trail

The Maude Roxby Wetland Boardwalk trail is one of the very few wetlands present within the Kelowna valley. It is part of creek delta that includes the aptly named, "Mud Bay". In terms of how the wetland formed, a former creek helped accumulate sediment as well as organic debris to the area. However, due to residential development surrounding Abbott street, the Maude Roxby Wetland water level is now regimented by the Okanagan Lake water level.

The Maude-Roxby Wetland is a beautiful, quiet, yet short trail through one of Kelowna's last remaining wetlands. Although it is hidden amongst heavily developed residential housing, an abundance of wildlife can still be found flourishing. Therefore, the City of Kelowna has designated it as a bird sanctuary.

A walk through the Maude-Roxby Wetland could award visitors to the likes of western-painted turtles, beavers, mallards, bohemian waxwings, ring-billed gulls, cattle egret, and many more bird species. Common aquatic species of plant are also abundant throughout the entirety of the boardwalk trail.

According to the City of Kelowna, this wetland is only only 1.48 hectares in size. Due to this relatively small area, the boardwalk trail can be toured in under five minutes. However, benches and piers are placed along the trail to encourage an increased visitation.

Due to the cut-off of the original creek, this wetland is able to store and intake excess water when the Okanagan Lake rises. Due to this storage, it is one of the only lines of defense against flooding along the shoreline. However, following a particularly heavy period of flooding in 2017, the Maude-Roxby boardwalk itself was destroyed.

As indicated in the bottom-right corner of the image, the lake level rose to the boardwalks supporting structure. Which, over time, had pushed and even dislodged a large portion of the original boardwalk. It was not until 2020, that the boardwalk trail would be rebuilt and open to the public. The Maude-Roxby Wetland was managed extensively, as deposition of debris and sediment heavily lined the wetland. However, through management and rehabilitation of the wetland, the wetland environment has effectively been restored to its former beauty.

According to a report done by the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club (CONC) Conservation Subcommittee, there are options being considered to help maintain the Maude-Roxby Wetland for future generations.

As the wetland no longer receives discharge of turbulent water from a creek, water channels appear to be slowly infilling with cattails. As well as, stagnant water has produced less ideal environments for aquatic life (Jones, Lewis, & Nutter, 2018). It was concluded, by the committee, that, "The creek tributary that historically provided fresh water, siltation and nutrients to the Maude-Roxby Wetland, has been diverted and no longer provides this ecological service" (Jones, Lewis, & Nutter, 2018).

In terms of what options the committee have considered implementing, three main ideas are being discussed:

• A Defined Cooperative Agreement With The City of Kelowna.

A cooperative agreement with the City of Kelowna Parks Department will allow the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club to assist in physically altering the Maude-Roxby Wetland. As the committee only have permission to voice awareness and advocacy towards these wetlands, an agreement could allow a greater discussion and preservation action-plan.

• Shoreline Protection.

Due to the wetland being located along the shoreline of Okanagan Lake, constant erosion of the wetland has taken place. The subcommittee recommends consultation with recognized experts, to assess the most effective means in stabilizing the foreshore.

• Site Inventory And Monitoring.

The committee mentions creating a plan for on-going monitoring of geophysical and wildlife observations. In hopes to measure changes, and the effect it will have on erosion, plant and wildlife. As well as consistent monitoring of water level, water quality, plant growth, insect blooms, aquatic and avian use of the site (Jones, Lewis, & Nutter, 2018). This will aid in a better understanding of the Maude-Roxby Wetland, and will be used to better prescribe preservation treatment.