Halliday Fen Research Natural Area Colville National Forest , USFS Canadian Rockies Ecoregion Cell(s): Western red cedar/Queen's cup forest Western red cedar/devil's club forest Western hemlock/Queen's cup forest

Access by trail

The 293 ha Halliday Fen RNA is located in the Selkirk Mountains of Northeastern Washington in Pend Oreille County. The natural area encompasses a small tributary drainage basin, which flows into Slate Creek. Elevations range from 900 m to 1212 m, with ridges in the northern and southern portions. The dominant feature of the area is a 4 ha marl fen, which is an alkaline wetland dominated by wetland grasses, sedges and forbs. The wetland's alkalinity is due to leaching of surrounding limestone or marl deposists. Marl is a powdery to fine-grained material composed primarily of calcium bicarbonate that is commonly found in peat deposits. The two most important plant associations in the fen are the bladder sedge (Carex intumescens) Plant Association and the Cusick's sedge (Carex cusickii) Plant Association. Carr areas are dominated by the mountain alder (Alnus viridis ssp. crispa )/ blackberry (Rubus) Association on the east end of the RNA, and the willow (Salix)/ slender sedge (Carex gracilior) Association in the wet central portion of the natural area. The few-flowered spikerush (Eleocharis quinqueflora) Association characterizes the bog in the northeast fringe of the tract. The forest wetland, found along wet, sub-irrigated fringes of Halliday Fen, is of the western red cedar (Thuja plicata)/soft-leaved sedge (Carex disperma) Plant Association. Some areas are dominated by western red cedar and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), while other areas are dominated by seral water birch (Betula occidentalis), with western red cedar and Engelmann spruce subdominant. Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and grand fir (Abies grandis) are dominant tree species in the ridge top upland forests, and western red cedar dominates the side slopes. Draw bottoms and the flat margin around the fen are characterized by western red cedar and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). Thirteen rare species exist in the natural area, including mingan moonwort (Botrychium minganense), Buxbaum's sedge (Carex buxbaumii), Yellow sedge (Carex flava), Crested shield-fern (Dryopteris cristata), and Water (purple) avens (Geum rivale) Endangered animals include the gray wolf and peregrine falcon. Halliday Fen is also within the recovery area for the Federally threatened grizzly bear.