Old Growth Conservancy – Cypress Mountain

Old Growth Conservancy – Cypress Mountain

Snowshoe Walk – Thursday, March 23, 2023

Submitted by Caroline Penn

Nestled inside the elbow of one of the hair-pin turns of the road to Cypress Mountain is the Old Growth Conservancy. It is a 54-hectare forest located at an elevation of 760 metres just south of the Works Yard. The area was saved from development as a golf course in 1990, and is now conserved and protected by municipal bylaw. Like many old growth forests, it is a mix of conifers, many between the ages of 600-900 years old, with an undercover of fallen trees, nurse logs, and shrubs such as red huckleberry. 

Management and stewardship of this area is shared by the Old Growth Conservancy Society and the District of West Vancouver. Access during spring snow cover is a preferred way to view these beautiful old growth forests as it avoids the wear and tear on their fragile forest floor. We were fortunate to have the co-leadership of Anne Leathem and Marshall Bauman, who took seven of us on a snowshoe tour of the Conservancy. There is a self-guided tour that can be taken: check this link for options. https://ogcs.ca/tours/

Our snowshoe tour lasted several hours and took us on a winding route, over many logs and snags, often route finding to avoid the many creeks that drain through the area. We saw many giant red cedars, hemlocks and firs that have huge girths and stretch far up into the forest canopy. They were especially beautiful in a winter forest that encircles their bases with snow that is peppered with conifer needles. The weather was cool but held for our snowshoe trip. Snow began to fall as we headed for the small parking lot at the end. Many thanks to Marshall Bauman and Anne for leading us around this old growth forest.

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