| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. (Merritt Division) initiated the study, partly in response to the results of the 1997 Merritt Forest District IWAP, and partly to address concerns from the Ministry of Forests. Concerns included peak flows, surface erosion, riparian buffers, and the impact of the five-year forest development plan. The Whipsaw Creek watershed, located southwest of Princeton, consists of Whipsaw Creek Headwaters (#109), Whipsaw Residual (# 107), and Lamont Creek (# 108) for a total area of 185.9 km squared. This report presents results of the Whipsaw Residual and Whipsaw Headwaters, which is an area of 150.1 km squared. The Lamont Creek sub-basin is reported separately. Major tributaries in the Whipsaw Residual are Twelve Mile, Fourteen Mile and Fifteen Mile Creeks. Terrain varies from a canyon located along the lower Whipsaw Creek channel (up to 70% slope gradients) to gentle slopes (15 to 25%) at the height of land to the west (Granite Creek/ Whipsaw Creek boundary). Much of the watershed has moderately steep terrain with slope gradients ranging from 30 to 45%. In Whipsaw Headwaters, the terrain is gentle to moderately steep, with slope gradients up to 35%. Forest harvesting dates back to the late 1950s, but larger scale forest development did not occur until the 1980's. Grazing and recreational uses were also identified in Whipsaw Creek. Paradise Valley Guest Ranch (65 ha) is located at the whipsaw Road/Corral Creek Road junction and offers trail rides to its guests. |
