Nukko Lake Region

(Northwest of Prince George)

The forest in this region is drier with less undergrowth
than are the forests at Summit Lake and along the Fraser River
Valley. From the west side of Chief Lake a burned area extends
westward for some miles. Elsewhere the higher land has a fairly
open forest type of Engelmam spruce, alpine fir and lodgepole
pine; grasses and forbs rather than shrubbery are associated with
it. The same type of forest’ extends close to the shore of the
lakes but on this moister soil are some large Douglas fir and a
mixture of deciduous trees in which western birch, black cotton-
wood and aspen are prominent. Logging is being carried on
extensively and numerous mills are in operation The region also
includes large tracts of muskeg.

Amongst the land birds observed about the clearings, the
burns and in the forest were sparrow hawk, red-shafted flicker,
hairy woodpecker, oliver-sided flycatcher, tree swallow, cliff
swallow, American robin, olive-backed thrush, Tennessee warbler,
magnolia warbler, Audubon warbler, water thrush, Brewer blackbird,
cowbird, western tanager, purple finch, chipping sparrow and Oregon
junco.

Nukko Lake: 2 3/4 miles long, north and south, 1/2 to 1 mile wide,
approximately 16 miles northwest of Prince George. This is a
fairly deep lake with sand and gravel beaches except in the numer-
ous marshy bays. The adjacent forest is that typical of the region
with willow and alder thickets dominating the shore line. There are
several small farms fronting on the lake and some lake shore acreage
occupied in summer by residents of Prince George.

About half a mile from the north end of the lake two peninsulas,
one on the east, the other on the west, divide the waters into two
sections that are connected by a channel some 50 yards wide. The
channel and that part of the lake--its greater part--lying to the
south are not visible to one standing at an opposite point on the
north shore. This configuration is not indicated on the map used
while studying the region, viz.; Map 5A, Pre-emption series, British
Columbia Land Department.

The peninsula on the east side is narrow and extends out like a
long finger from a broad timbered base. Towards the end willows
form thick cover while the terminating 200 yards is a dry sedge flat
(Carex lasiocarpa, C. rostrata) with round-stem bulrush marsh
(Scirpus vallidus) on either side. Directly opposite the end of
this spit across the narrow channel is the apex of the second,

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