Are you interested in knowing more about what makes a well-developed restoration project? Looking for ideas on how to build climate resiliency into your projects? Curious about how to develop effective monitoring and evaluation of your project’s results? These types of questions typically come up when designing practical solutions for on-the-ground problems, and preparing funding applications. Building Restoration & Enhancement Projects that Make a Difference is a four-part webinar series offering hands-on, practical solutions to build resilience into your ecosystem restoration and enhancement projects. For details on the individual webinars visit the registration page or check out the Events section below. This year's Winter Webinar Series is hosted by KCP and Columbia Basin Trust with support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program.

On January 27, KCP hosted a seventh Conservation Action Forum, this time for the South Country area south of Cranbrook. KCP teamed up with the Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it First Nation (in English, “Tobacco Plains Indian Band”) and Kootenay Connect to identify priority actions for maintaining healthy wildlife populations, habitats, and ecological functions in the region. Although typically a highly interactive in-person event, the virtual meeting inspired excellent discussion and brainstorming from the 25 participants involved. A summary report of the Forum will be made available later this month outlining the Priority Actions for conservation in the South Country and we thank everyone who attended for their contributions.

KCP's “Case for Conservation” trifold brochure details 9 different reasons why conserving private land is so crucial to the health of the region’s ecosystems that support a myriad of plant, fish and animal species — many of which are currently rare or endangered or at risk of becoming so. The brochure opens up into an attractive poster that can be easily posted in offices, public spaces and homes. Printed brochures are available for distribution. If you would like copies, please contact KCP Program Director Juliet Craig at: manager@kootenayconservation.ca.

Residents in Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Areas H and F will be voting this October on whether to join the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund (KLLCF), and voters in Kaslo and Nelson may also be asked this year to join KLLCF. The KLLCF currently operates in the RDCK Areas A, D and E. The $15 tax on each parcel in the participating areas is collected by the local government and used to support local environmental conservation and community sustainability projects. 

Finding a direct connection between the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and its effectiveness in expanding conservation in the region has been an ever-elusive goal of Charles Chester, Y2Y's U.S. council chair, and environmental studies lecturer. Now, a new paper co-authored by Chester and seven others shows how Y2Y's vision has led to measurable on-the-ground conservation across the Yellowstone to Yukon region since 1993. The study found that the total protected area in the Y2Y region grew by 45 percent between 1993 and 2018. During that time, the Grizzly bear population doubled and more than 100 wildlife crossings were also constructed. 

Click here to learn more and apply. 

The Youth Climate Corps (YCC) program was launched in 2020, with the goal of empowering young people to inspire and implement solutions to the climate crisis through employment, training, and leadership development. This summer, Wildsight hopes to run 3 YCC crews in Nelson, Kimberley/Cranbrook and Golden, and are looking for partnerships and projects for our crews to engage in. If you have a project that addresses climate and could benefit from a well-organized, motivated, and passionate labour force of local youth, please get in touch. Wildsight may be able to subsidize projects by discounting the cost of their crew’s work, but almost always ask that a project partner cover at least a portion of costs. If you're interested, contact Graeme Lee Rowlands, Manager, Columbia River Field School and Youth Climate Corps at graeme@wildsight.ca

How do you compete with a golf course for a bighorn sheep’s attention? By restoring natural grasslands. Parks Canada has been making more of this valuable habitat in the southern part of Kootenay National Park, supporting populations of bighorn sheep, American badgers and rubber boa, among other species. For several years park staff has reintroduced fire after decades of fire suppression, moved built structures, and seeded new plants. To learn how they prepped for fire, dealt with concerns of human neighbours, and adjusted to climate change, read Restoring Grassland Habitat in Kootenay National Park by Carol Patterson in National Parks Traveler.

Bringing the Salmon Home: The Columbia River Salmon Reintroduction Initiative brings together five governments – the Syilx Okanagan Nation, Ktunaxa Nation, Secwépemc Nation, Canada and British Columbia – who have made a visionary agreement to explore salmon reintroduction into the upper Columbia River region. Join them on social media and sign up for their newsletter to follow their latest updates.

Click here to learn more and register.

Building Restoration & Enhancement Projects that Make a Difference is a four-part Winter Webinar Series hosted by KCP and Columbia Basin Trust with support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program offering hands-on, practical solutions to build resilience into your ecosystem restoration and enhancement projects. This first workshop will explore how to turn an idea into a well-developed project plan by reviewing fundamental components needed to develop a successful project. Presenter: Adrian Leslie, Biologist and Project Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada. From 10 am to 11 am PT / 11 am to 12 pm MT.

This series is centered around a publication: Unfencing the Future: Voices On How Indigenous and Non-Indigenous People and Organizations Can Work Together Toward Environmental and Conservation Goals. The webinars will focus on the western contiguous United States, Alaska, and western Canada and is designed to inform and support environmental and conservation funders working with Indigenous communities; and environmental and conservation organizations’ staff/boards. There will be a set of four, 90-minute webinars to explore themes from the publication.

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative is presenting three inspiring films that highlight the challenges that wildlife and nature face in the modern world. They also demonstrate how hard work, a focus on hope and even art result in heart-warming outcomes. February 8 – In the Land of Dreamers, February 15 – There is a Place on Earth, February 22 – Mothers of Mountains. Each film presentation will include a Q&A session with the filmmaker and a Y2Y expert on hand to answer some of your conservation queries about the film. Each film screening must be registered for separately.

Building Restoration & Enhancement Projects that Make a Difference is a four-part Winter Webinar Series hosted by KCP and Columbia Basin Trust with support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program offering hands-on, practical solutions to build resilience into your ecosystem restoration and enhancement projects. This second workshop focuses on case studies that integrate climate change adaptation and resilience into their on-the-ground terrestrial restoration projects. Presenters: Jessie Grossman, US Program Manager, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative; Casey McCormick, Wildlife Diversity Biologist, Idaho Department of Fish and Game and Sonja Seher, Lands & Resources Project Coordinator, ʔaq̓am. From 10 am to 11 am PT / 11 am to 12 pm MT.

Building Restoration & Enhancement Projects that Make a Difference is a four-part Winter Webinar Series hosted by KCP and Columbia Basin Trust with support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program offering hands-on, practical solutions to build resilience into your ecosystem restoration and enhancement projects. This third workshop focuses on case studies that consider climate change in implementing their aquatic restoration projects. Presenters: Julia Shewan, B.S., RPBio, Wildlife Biologist, Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area and Dr. Suzanne Bayley, President, Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners. From 10 am to 11 am PT / 11 am to 12 pm MT.

Although the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology had their 2021 AGM not long ago, the 2022 AGM has been scheduled for February 16, 2022 at 2 p.m. PT. All members are welcome to attend this quick and procedural meeting via Zoom. Members are welcome to submit new business to be added to the agenda and request access to the zoom link - just connect with Hailey via office@cmiae.org by February 8.

With applications now open for the upcoming season in the West Kootenay, Youth Climate Corps (YCC) alumni and staff from Wildsight and Kootenay Career Development Society are hosting a virtual open house that will include presentations from staff and former crew members, and give you an opportunity to learn more about what you’re signing up for when you apply for this amazing employment opportunity. While the one-hour event is geared towards potential applicants, community members, funders, parents, and anyone else interested in learning more about Youth Climate Corps are invited to join as well.

Building Restoration & Enhancement Projects that Make a Difference is a four-part Winter Webinar Series hosted by KCP and Columbia Basin Trust with support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program offering hands-on, practical solutions to build resilience into your ecosystem restoration and enhancement projects. This fourth workshop will explore how to turn an idea into a well-developed project plan by reviewing fundamental components needed to develop a successful project. Presenters: Dr. Michael Miller, Plant Ecologist, LGL Limited and Marc Trudeau, Registered Forest Technician/Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society. From 10 am to 11 am PT / 11 am to 12 pm MT.

Sinixt Storytellers and Knowledge-keepers Marilyn James and Taress Alexis will share some of the story behind the new edition of their educational resource, Not Extinct: Keeping the Sinixt Way. Their perspectives represent the interest of increasing numbers of people in developing respectful and decolonizing relationships among Indigenous and settler peoples and to inspire the work of reversing the Sinixt extinction. Starts at 4 pm PT / 5 pm MT. Hosted by CBEEN.

The Green Bylaws Toolkit highlights the importance of habitat connectivity when conserving biodiversity and that mapping is a useful tool to present connectivity. However, mapping connectivity can be challenging, therefore, in this webinar you will hear about several different approaches that have been taken in western Canada. 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT.

To attend this webinar, email info@cdfcp.ca and you will be sent a Zoom link.

This highly acclaimed course is for project managers who have to interpret the results of statistical analyses and make decisions about how much data to collect and which management actions to undertake. The course focuses on the fundamentals of uncertainty, effect sizes, significance, decision theory and the value of information. It does not require a statistical background and doesn’t involve any modeling, although different types of results are presented and discussed. Registration opening soon. Hosted by the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology.

Click here for more information.

For many field ornithology surveys, the ability to identify bird species by their calls and songs is an essential skill. It is also one of the hardest aspects of field work to master. Technological advances in sound capture and visualization are pushing the ornithological frontiers with tools that make it easier than ever to learn field-identification by sound and to survey natural soundscapes (and their birds). In addition, modern sound recordings are providing high-quality acoustical specimens for analysis and independent review. This course will combine field-experience listening to bird calls and songs during three mornings at the height of the breeding season, with hands-on recording practice to generate sound files. Each afternoon, the class will learn to edit and review their recordings using sound visualization software on their personal laptop computers. Registration opening soon. Hosted by the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology.

Nature Kids BC is looking for Nature Mentors and Club Leaders to support their Nelson and East Kootenay (serving Cranbrook and Kimberly area) clubs. Nature Mentors share expertise, skills and knowledge about the natural world with families in their community on Explorer Day field trips. Nature Mentors include naturalists, artists, educators, researchers, university students — anyone with an interest in sharing their love of nature with the next generation. As Club Leader, your primary responsibility will be to organize monthly hands-on outdoor field trips, called Explorer Days, for NatureKids members and their families. To learn more about becoming a Nature Kids BC volunteer, please contact the Program Director at christina@naturekidsbc.ca. 

Becoming a Board Member is an impactful way to turn your concerns for Kootenay Lake into action. As a board member, you volunteer your time to provide guidance and feedback at FOKLSS meetings, help out at events and workshops, and offer your expertise in all aspects of project planning and implementation. You support staff with making important decisions regarding the organization and play a significant role in moving projects and programs forward.

Land use in the Upper Columbia region of British Columbia is a growing concern for many groups. Simultaneously, approaches to land management in B.C. are changing quickly, in an effort to right previous wrongs with respect to the dispossession of Indigenous land. Researchers from Selkirk Innovates recently explored how communities can be ready to engage in land use planning and what factors are important in the design of these processes. The report includes a review of case studies from across Western North America and interviews with government officials and practitioners advancing this work in B.C. A recording of a January workshop is also available where researchers share more details on the case studies reviewed and lessons from government officials and practitioners advancing this work. 

This webinar introduces the 2021 version of the Green Bylaws Toolkit (GBT) for Protecting and Enhancing the Natural Environment and Green Infrastructure, a key resource for citizens, planners, and local governments that helps to protect and restore ecological systems. The 2021 Toolkit updates reflect changes in legislation and include more case studies and topics of interest, as well as deeper consideration of ecosystem connectivity and the importance of restoring and linking ecological functions.

The Kootenay Conservation Program 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.