Black-tailed deer
These peaceful forest dwellers are our most common visitors. You’ll see them at dawn and dusk, but rarely during the day. They eat Douglas fir, western red cedar, red huckleberry, salal, deer fern, and lichens. Watch for fawns through the summertime. They’re usually twins.
Pacific Tree Frog or Pacific Chorus Frog
If there’s a rainstorm while you’re here, listen closely for the criiiik of this tiny amphibean. Bright green, this indigenous frog will be a favourite playmate if you swim in Powell or Inland Lake.
Western Toad
The adults burrow beside logs in the sand; find tadpoles by the thousands in the spring, swimming in the shallows of nearby lakes. They love to eat bugs of all kinds, and spiders. They hibernate in winter.
Black bear
One quarter of Canada’s black bears live in BC, so don’t be surprised when you see them lumbering around the Outdoor Learning Centre, or on the trails. Babies appear mid-summer. Don’t approach them no matter how adorable they are – they are wild bears.
Bald eagle
You’ll see plenty of raptors here, including turkey vultures, barn owls and gyrfalcons, but none is as spiritually significant as the eagle. Look for their huge nests at the top of Douglas-fir trees. They eat mostly fish, small mammals and other birds.
