Conservation in the Kootenays
Monthly eNews

Thank you to everyone who attended the  2018 KCP Fall Gathering & AGM in Nelson from October 12-13! It was a hugely successful event with registration at full capacity. This year's theme of "Conservation in the Context of Climate Change" produced brilliant and informative presentations. Full coverage of the event is available here. 

And if you're curious to learn what KCP has accomplished over the last year, our 2017-2018 Annual Report is now available on our website on the KCP Resources page under "Resources".
 
Please feel free to submit any photos, news or events you'd like us to share by the third week of each month to communications@kootenayconservation.ca.

Please click here throughout the month to check in on current news and events. You can click here for our KCP Partner list and click here to read more about some of the great organizations that support conservation in the Kootenays. You can also like us on Facebook to hear more news from partners throughout the month.
 
As always, a big thanks goes out to our supporters!
 

 
KCP Conservation Leadership Award
Wilkie and Frew honoured for conservation service 
KCP announced the recipients of its annual Conservation Leadership Award on Friday, October 12 in Nelson as part of the annual KCP Fall Gathering. For the East Kootenay, the 2018 honours went to Regional District of East Kootenay Area G director Gerry Wilkie. For the West Kootenay, the 2018 recipient was lifelong Trail resident and Trail Wildlife Association member Rob Frew.
Click here for the news release.

2 019 KCP Fall Gathering - Save the Date!
November 4-5, Invermere
Did you have a fun, enlightening time at the 2018 Fall Gathering - or wish you did because you missed it? Mark your calendar for next year's event, which will be taking place in Invermere in the East Kootenay. The KCP Fall Gathering & AGM serves as one of the primary vehicles to connect and re-connect KCP partners from across the region, complete with a guest speakers series, field tour, catered meals and more at no cost to attendees. 
Visit the Fall Gathering page for coverage of the 2018 event - details for 2019 will be posted as they become available.
 


Faces & Places Monthly Feature
Rob Frew
Long-time Trail Wildlife Association member Rob Frew has been involved in conservation since childhood, assisting his late father, Gordon Frew, and other advocates in wildlife conservation as well as in efforts to preserve wildlands as conservation areas. 
 


Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network 
Canadian Environmental Education Conference exceeds all expectations
The Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network (CBEEN) hosted the 2018 Canadian Environmental Education Conference on October 18-21 at the Ktunaxa Nation's St. Eugene Mission Resort near Cranbrook. The 2018 conference featured over 100 workshops, sessions, field studies, presentations and outdoor learning opportunities. Keynotes included Ktunaxa Hereditary Chief Sophie Pierre, ʔaq̓am Nasuʔkin (Chief) Joe Pierre, Tewa Indigenous Scholar from New Mexico Dr. Gregory Cajete, BC Minister of Education Rob Fleming, Environmental Education Professor Dr. Rick Kool and Ktunaxa Nation Council Chair and BC Climate Solutions and Clean Growth Advisory Council Member, Kathryn Teneese.

BC Community Bat Program
The Bat-Friendly Communities Program
Make your community bat-friendly! Stewardship and management of individual bats and bat colonies and their roost sites is important for the future of bats in the province. The Bat Friendly Communities Program can help individuals, communities, and organizations that are interested in maintaining and enhancing bat habitat.

Municipal Natural Assets Initiative
Application period extended following municipal election
In municipalities across Canada, infrastructure is aging, capital and operating costs are rising, and service delivery is strained by growing populations and shifting conditions. There is growing evidence that natural assets provide, or could be restored to provide, services just like engineered assets, and often at lower costs. The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI) offers a methodology and support for local governments to integrate natural assets into core asset management and financial processes using the same systems as for engineered assets. MNAI is now offering a watershed-level program in B.C. focussed on the needs and capacities of smaller/rural local governments in a single geographic region. The period for local governments to submit applications has been extended because of the BC municipal elections and will keep it open until a suitable candidate is identified.

Environment and Climate Change Canada
Fish habitat projects in Kootenay and Columbia River watersheds funded
Environment and Climate Change Canada has announced $2.86 million in funding to support seven environmental projects based in the Kootenay River and Columbia River watersheds. The projects will focus on restoring and improving fish access to high quality and healthy habitat. Of this amount, $1.44 million is being directed to projects being undertaken by Indigenous organizations. Seven organizations will receive funding including the Ktunaxa Nation, the Lower Kootenay Band and Salmo Watershed Streamkeepers Society.
Click here for the ECCC news release.

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The KCP encourages partners to take advantage of our eNews - send your content to  communications@kootenayconservation.ca.   


Kootenay Lake Summit
November 3, Kaslo
The Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society's annual Kootenay Lake Summit offers an opportunity for community members to engage by attending talks and presentations hosted by experts in their field. Last year's event allowed over 100 residents to participate and the chance to learn about stewardship activities going on around the lake that they can actively participate in. The focus of the 2018 Summit will be to provide residents with sound knowledge on the history of Kootenay Lake including related cultural and archaeological history. This is a free event, however, there is a recommended donation of $15 to help the organization cover the costs associated with this event.

The Cooperation and Science Fix for Grizzly Bear Conservation Issues
November 7, Argenta
Dr. Michael Proctor will be the November presenter in t he Friends of the Lardeau River Speaker Series. A comprehensive program to reduce human bear conflicts for over a decade in the trans-border region of southern Canada and NW USA has been implemented across several small fragmented threatened populations. Efforts to reduce conflicts have resulted in reduced mortality, increased connectivity, and improved habitat effectiveness resulting in increased reproduction and survival and improved conservation status. Several challenges remain including a plethora of offspring from females living adjacent to agricultural areas. What to do with all the bears?

Wild & Scenic Film Festival 2018
November 10, Kimberley/November 24, Invermere
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival visits over 150 locations in North America and not only entertains but inspires film-viewers to make the world a better place. With stellar films ranging from activism through to adventure on this year's lineup, the fest will be sure to please at its stops on the Kootenay tour.
Click here for details on the Kimberley film festival (tickets on sale starting October 1), and details on the Invermere film festival can be found by clicking here. 

Non-Profits and How They Work: Meeting the Challenge of Good Governance and Strategic Leadership
November 16-17, Selkirk College - Trail campus
Are you on the board of a society, charity or community-based group? Do you struggle with understanding your role and how you can best fulfill your assignments? There are plenty of tools and resources out there to help you do the best possible job. This workshop will help you learn what works, in a collaborative and informative setting. 
Click here for more information and to register.

Columbia Basin Watershed Network Fall Meeting
November 17, Nelson
Registration is now open for the CBWN Fall Meeting taking place at the Prestige Lakeside Resort in Nelson on November 17. Collaboration in watershed stewardship will be explored through discussion and presentations by a number of network members. 
Click here for online registration and the agenda.

NatureTalks: The Wild Life of Darkwoods
November 21, Nelson
Over the past decade, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has supported many research projects on Darkwoods, an internationally important conservation area, encouraging conservation biologists to explore the vast conservation area in an effort to learn the secrets and successes of the wild plants and animals that call Darkwoods home. This evening at The Hume Hotel in Nelson will introduce you to a few of those explorers as they share the exciting discoveries they have made in this vast mountain land, This event is free, but please register online to reserve your space.


Columbia Lake Local Conservation Fund
Deadline: November 1 
KCP in partnership with the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) provides funding for projects that benefit conservation in the area from Spillimacheen to Canal Flats through the Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund (CVLCF). 

Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund
Deadline: November 1 
KCP in partnership with the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) provides funding for projects that benefit conservation in the rural areas around Kootenay Lake, specifically Electoral Areas A, D, and E ( click here for map ) within the RDCK through the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund (KLLCF). 

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Enhancement and Restoration Grants
Deadline: November 2
Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is now accepting applications for Enhancement & Restoration grants. Applications must be submitted through HCTF's online application system by 4:30 p.m. on November 2, 2018. Before beginning your application, please review the updated guides and resources on the Enhancement and Restoration Grant Overview webpage. From this page, new applicants can request a User ID and current grant recipients can log into the HCTF Online application portal using your existing ID. Please contact Courtney Sieben at Courtney.Sieben@hctf.ca or 250-940-9781 for support with preparing your applications.
Click here for the Enhancement and Restoration Grant Overview webpage.

Columbia Basin Trust Environment Small Grant
Deadline: January 31
Environment Small Grants funds projects that take place within the Columbia Basin Trust region requesting up to $5,000 that will strengthen the environmental well-being and address one of the following four categories: ecosystems, climate, water and environmental education. 

Columbia Basin Trust Career Internship Program
Deadline: First-come, first-served basis
CBT's new Career Internship Program provides wage funding for employers to hire college and university graduates in permanent, career-focused positions. Eligible employers are businesses, registered non-profits, municipalities, regional districts and Indigenous organizations within the Columbia Basin Trust region that have a demonstrated fiscal and organizational need for an intern and wage funding. The funding is up to 50 per cent of the new employee's wage over the first seven to 12 months, to a maximum of $25,000. The intern position must include a training plan that provides structured learning to the new employee and transitions to full-time, permanent employment at the end of the internship.

Vancouver Foundation Systems Change Grants - Develop Grants
Deadline: Ongoing
Systems Change Grants support projects that take action to address the root causes of pressing social, environmental or cultural issues by influencing the behaviours of populations, organizations, and institutions. Short-term grants (Develop grants) are a one-time application that can be submitted any time throughout the year and decisions are made the following month. The next granting cycle for multi-year grants (Test and Scale grants) opens January 2, 2019. 

Grassland and Rangeland Enhancement Program
Deadline: Ongoing
Delivered for the Columbia Basin Trust by the Kootenay Livestock Association, the Grassland and Rangeland Enhancement Program supports efforts to maintain and/or enhance grassland resources while meeting conservation, environmental and recreational objectives. Objectives include promoting the stewardship of the grassland resource, striving to maintain and enhance biodiversity and long-term fish and wildlife productivity in public grassland ecosystems and improving compatibility between livestock management and recreation use.

Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Community Engagement Grant
Deadline: Ongoing
The goal of the Community Engagement Grant is to provide an opportunity for FWCP stakeholders (e.g. environmental groups, rod and gun clubs, non-profits, stewardship organizations, government, and First Nations), to apply for small amounts of funding to support their conservation and enhancement work. 
 

BC Public Service: FLNRO and Rural Development, Range Branch
STO 21R - Invasive Species GIS Analyst
The role of the Invasive Species GIS Analyst is to conduct advanced spatial data analysis in support of invasive plant program and management decision making on resource planning, land management or other program issues. One position is available in Nelson, BC or this position can be performed virtually from anywhere in British Columbia dependant on organizational and operational Ministry requirements.  This posting will close November 7. 
Click here for the full job posting.  

BC Public Service: FLNRO and Rural Development ,ange Branch
Senior Invasive Plant Specialist - Licensed Scientific Officer Agrologist 4
The Senior Invasive Plant Specialist provides expert professional and technical advisory services related to invasive plant prevention and management programs, legislation, policies, standards, and guidelines. The position leads the provincial Invasive Species Early Detection and Rapid Response Program including identification of risk and climate change implications, manages operational program resources and provides direction to invasive plant specialists and regional/district government staff and non-government partners. This position can be performed from any of the following communities depending on operational and organizational requirements: Kamloops, Nanaimo, Nelson, Prince George and Victoria.

Lake Windermere Ambassadors
Program Coordinator
The Lake Windermere Ambassadors (LWA) are a community-based environmental stewardship NGO working in the Columbia Valley - East Kootenay. The Ambassadors have a vision of an ecologically healthy Lake Windermere with balanced management approaches that support recreation and traditional uses, high fish and wildlife values, and economic prosperity in the region. The Coordinator position provides an exciting opportunity to help foster community-based water stewardship work through grassroots initiatives aimed at watershed monitoring, planning, and community engagement. This position will remain open until filled.


Kootenay Conservation Program
Conservation Resources for our Region
The Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) helps partners to coordinate and facilitate conservation efforts on private land, and in an effort to support this, KCP has developed a webpage that compiles some of the best conservation and stewardship resources available for our region. 

Securing Private Land for Conservation in the Kootenays
FAQ document available online
KCP has prepared a Frequently Asked Questions document to provide an overview of conservation securement in  the Kootenays. This is a living document that may be updated regularly to reflect the evolving and variable securement process. 
Click here for the online PDF.   

Stewardship Centre for BC
Agricultural Waterways resource has been updated
Stewardship Centre of BC's popular 2013 guide Agricultural Waterways: Drainage Maintenance and Stewardship has been updated and is now available for free download. This guide, intended to help achieve or maintain successful stewardship of riparian areas, is part of the Stewardship Series intended to encourage people to take voluntary stewardship actions to safeguard wildlife and species at risk. If you would like to print copies email communications@stewardshipcentrebc.ca for access.
Click here for the free download.

Trans-border Grizzly Bear Project
Important new grizzly report now available
A new report by Michael Proctor et al titled  Resource Roads and Grizzly Bears in British Columbia and Alberta  represents the best available science to date on the topic of grizzly bear management.
Click here for the report.

Association of State Wetland Managers
ASWM-NRCS Wetland Training Webinar Series
This webinar series has been designed to provide participants with a general level of knowledge about wetlands and wetland restoration options and considerations. Participants will come away from trainings with key knowledge, the ability to be more conversant about wetland issues, knowing what questions to ask when looking at restoration opportunities, and knowing when to contact or bring in an expert.
Click here for past and upcoming webinars in the training series.
 

 

If you have news or announcements that you would like to share via our eNews, please email them to communications@kootenayconservation.ca by the 25th of each month.