Characteristics

• Taylor Tributary (Unnamed) originates on the east slopes of Mount Seymour above Mount Seymour Road and flows through the forests of Mount Seymour Provincial Park until it reaches the District of North Vancouver at Cascade Court. The tributary is culverted on Indian River Drive and daylights west of Mount Seymour Road. The tributary flows through a forested area on the west side of Mount Seymour Road and then west to join Taylor Creek. This last section of the tributary was relocated to build a condominium complex at Banff Court
• Taylor Tributary (Unnamed) originates on the east slopes of Mount Seymour and flows through the forests of Mount Seymour Provincial Park. The Tributary enters the District of North Vancouver at Cascade Court. and then flows southwest to join Taylor Creek.
• The Tributary is bordered by Taylor Creek Watershed to the west and Gallant and Parkside Creek Watershed to the east
• The water table about 1 foot below ground surface beneath a foot of ablation till (Environment Research Consultants, 1973)
• One storm drain on the tributary

History

• Taylor Creek valley appears to have been created before or during glacial time (Environment Research Consultants, 1975).
• 1900 - Area selectively logged for Douglas-fir and western red cedar. Subsequently burned about 1905 (Environment Research Consultants, 1975)
• Early 1900’s – Accidental introduction of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola leads to loss of most Western white pine on the North Shore
• 1925 - Completion of 2nd Narrows Bridge
• Late 1940’s – Balsam woody aphid (Chermes piceae) introduced which impacts Amabilis firs

Watershed Use

• Fish: Cutthroat Trout
• Cutthroat fry observed spring 2001 (NSSK, 2001)
• Wildlife: estimated that at least 83 bird species and 15 mammal species occur in the area as residents or visitors (Environment Research Consultants, 1975). Species include red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, downy woodpecker, Stellar's jay, common raven, northwestern crow, black-capped chickadee, chestnut-backed chickadee, common bushtit, red-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, winter wren, American robin, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, pine siskin, rufous-sided towhee, dark-eyed junco, song sparrow, sharp-shinned hawk, common nighthawk, cedar waxwing, black-tailed deer, black bear, deermouse, dusky shrew, raccoon, and Douglas squirrel
• Bird species observed during Preliminary Watershed Assessment: swainson's thrush, red-breasted nuthatch, American robin, pileated woodpecker, TWO (feeding young), northwestern crow, pine siskin, golden-crowned kinglet, black-capped chickadee, hairy woodpecker(feeding young), winter wren, cedar waxwing (NSSK, 2001)
• Vegetation: - Coastal Western Hemlock, dry subzone. Secondary forest with various community types with tree species of 65-120 years in the main story. Remaining native trees in watershed include western hemlock, douglas-fir, western red cedar, big leaf maple, and red alder up to about 120 years old.
• Parks: Mount Seymour Provincial Park, trails, dog-walking, mountain biking
• Residential: single and multi-family housing: Banff Court, Cascade Court
• Commercial: Parkgate Shopping Mall and Northlands Course
• District of North Vancouver: Parkgate Library, Parkgate Community Centre and Skateboard Park

Concerns

• Taylor Tributary has been very negatively impacted by being relocated to build a condominium complex at Banff Court. The geotextile appears to have been improperly placed and has impeded the creek from rehabilitating itself. A decade or so later, the geotextile has bunched up in the creekbed and on the banks. There is very little flow in the creek, the bottom is completely silty, and there is no habitat complexity.
• People are dumping yard waste and cutting trees. The worst area for this problem is behind Cascade Court
• The Tributary flows right along the fence behind the condominium complex on Banff Court. The result is that the Tributary has lost its riparian zone on the side of the complex and is also subject to erosion from the complex gardens

Key Interest Groups/Government Bodies

• Municipal Gov’t: District of North Vancouver (DNV); District Parks Department
• Regional Gov’t: GVRD (regional parks, sewers and air quality); GVWD
• Provincial Gov’t: BC Parks (Mount Seymour Provincial Park); Ministry of Transportation and Highways; Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
• Federal Gov’t: Department of Fisheries and Oceans; Environment Canada; Transport Canada
• Tseil Watuth - Burrard Band
• Local NGO’s: North Shore Streamkeepers; Pacific Streamkeepers Federation; Local Community Association
• Northlands, Seymour, and Takaya Golf Courses
• Parkgate Shopping Mall
• BC Hydro
• School District 44
• North Shore Historical Society

Watershed Projects and Good News

• The creek is healthy and complex along Mount Seymour Road and north of Cascade Court

Recommendations and Suggested Actions

• The relocation of the tributary to build the condominium complex at Banff Court left the creek in very poor shape. This situation should be addressed so that the creek can recover to a natural state (NSSK, 2001)
• The forested area through which the tributary flows on the west side of Mount Seymour Road should be protected. The whole area is crisscrossed with small creeks and wetlands which would be destroyed by development (NSSK, 2001)
• "A belt of forested land, 100-120 feet wide, should be left undisturbed along Mt. Seymour Road to reduce noise pollution affecting adjacent residential development" (Environment Research Consultants, 1975)
• Organic debris in the creek has created a barrier to water flow that has caused the creek to leave its streambed in the Mount Seymour Provincial Park area below Mount Seymour Road. This should be evaluated for action as it is causing lower flows to the creek and may be affecting the water levels in the lower reaches

Bibliography and Available Sources of Information