Skaha Bluffs is comprised of over 120 cliffs, about 55 of which have climbs on them, in an area stretching approximately 2.5km north and 1km east of the Braesyde parking lot. The rock is a coarse-grained gneiss (Richardson, 1997).

Habitat/Conservation

The dry shrub-steppe valleys of the South Okanagan are part of one of Canada's most threatened ecosystems, and home to a number of rare and endangered species specially adapted to the grassland habitat. Adjacent ecosystem types include Ponderosa Pine parkland and Douglas Fir forests. Up at Skaha, you will notice the fire-charred tree trunks from the last fire to move through this area (in 1996). While fire is often seen as a hazardous natural occurence, the dry grasslands and Ponderosa Pine parkland that you will see in the area of the bluffs is actually an ecosystem type that relies on periodic cycles of fire for renewal and reinvigoration. Quick moving low-intensity grassland fires help to maintain a healthy grassland, and while some do succumb, many of the pines are not killed, as this species has the natural adapatation to fire in its thick, fire-resistant bark.

Human development has encroached upon local natural systems, and population expansion in this fast growing region has resulted in the emergence of the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program, which includes national and local government partners and conservation organizations, and, as part of its mandate, works to facilitate land use decisions that will reconcile human interests with the health of our local ecosystems. Howie Richardson

Skaha Bluffs - Penticton, BC Click Photo to view larger sample.