Lulu Island Bog
The Lulu Island Bog is a remant raised bog located in the heart of Lulu Island, the largest island in the City of Richmond. It is comprised of the largest remaining remants of the former, once extensive, Greater Lulu Island Bog, a bog that once covered a significant portion of Lulu Island, extending from north-central Richmond, south to the Fraser River. Most of the bog has been drained and converted to agriculture or used for urban development, however some parcels of boglands were protected, directly or indirectly, through ownership by the City of Richmond or the federal government. The properties that comprise the remnant Lulu Island bog today are the two Richmond Nature Park properties, the Department of National Defence property, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) property--now referred to as the Garden City lands.
The Lulu Island bog, although significantly disturbed by drainage changes, and substantially smaller than its original extent, continues to provide good reprentation of a raised bog ecosystem. This is an ecosystem dominated by heath shrubs, including Labrador tea, bog rosemary, western bog laurel, bog blueberry, and bog cranberry. Because of the disturbance level, and the drying of the bog, however, this bog is also dominated by a few invasive species that have gained a foothold in the site: European birch, highbush blueberry, American cranberry, and Scotch heather.
Open sedge area, Lulu Island Bog
Drainge has dried the bog, which is evident in the predominance of tree cover in some sections. Additionally, the Garden City lands, slated for development, have been continuously mowed. They do, however, retain their species composition (bog species) over much of the site. The Richmond Nature Park west property functions as a nature park, with a series of self-guided trails and an artificial pond excavated on the south end. The Richmond Nature Park east property (a.k.a. The Richmond Nature Study Area) has succeeded to a bog forest, but retains many of the typical bog species in the understorey. The DND property and the north half of the Richmond Nature Park east property provides the wettest and most typical representation of heath bog. All four properties play an extensive role both as wildlife refuges and green space in the city. Several rare or threatened species have been reported for the sites, including the Barn Owl (hunting and roosting), the Great Blue Heron (foraging), Vancouver Island beggarticks, and several rare species of invertebrates. A detailed inventory of the bog was conducted from 2002 to 2007 by the Richmond Nature Park Society.
The Lulu Island Bog as it remains today: four city-block sized properties surrounded by agricultural and urban development. Left to right: The Garden City lands, the Department of National Defence property, the Richmond Nature Park (west), and the Richmond Nature Park (east) (a.k.a. the Richmond Nature Study Area).
Looking east over Lulu Island, showing the former extent of boglands on the island (the darker green patches). The patch on the upper left shows the former extent of what is now called the Northeast Bog Forest , and the middle patch shows the former extent of the Greater Lulu Island Bog, now known as the Lulu Island Bog These bogs once rivaled Burns Bog in size (the green patch on the upper right).