The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Columbia Valley Directors approved 10 important conservation projects earlier this year, to receive funding from the Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund (CVLCF).

These projects will benefit the Columbia Valley in many ways, including helping monitor and understand lake water quality and quantity, improving wildlife habitat, supporting farmers who are taking extraordinary measures to protect natural ecosystems on their lands, engaging Indigenous youth in wetland restoration, lending a helping hand to local at-risk wildlife species, and reducing the impacts of invasive species on local ecosystems.

A local government service, the Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund provides funding to important conservation projects each year.

“I am pleased with the great projects that local organizations are doing in this region,” said RDEK Director and District of Invermere Mayor Al Miller, Chair of the Columbia Valley Services Committee.

“This year’s projects continue to show the initiative and caring of local people and organizations working to protect our land, water, and wildlife.”

In 2023, the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCSC) will receive $20,000 for the Bat Roost Habitat Enhancement in the Columbia Valley project. The project goals are to enhance roosting options for bats, to survey and monitor bat populations, and to provide bat conservation outreach to landowners.

Local species at risk and of special concern will get some help through continued funding of the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners’ (CWSP) Conservation of Biodiversity in the Columbia Wetlands project. CWSP will receive $20,000 to enhance the protection of important species at risk and concern, restore hydrologically vulnerable wetlands, and enhance habitat for Western painted turtles.

The Columbia Lake Stewardship Society (CLSS) will receive $15,000 for their Columbia Lake Water Monitoring and Environmental Education project. Funding will support their annual water quality and quantity monitoring programs and public education around lake stewardship, as well as increasing collaboration on conservation for critical wildlife and habitat.

A new project to receive funding this year is the Wetland Restoration and Environmental Training for Indigenous Youth project. The BC Wildlife Federation has been awarded $15,000 to provide training for Shuswap Guardians-in-Training, the youth who are the future land and water stewards of Secwépemc Traditional Territory, by engaging them in wetland restoration efforts near Canal Flats in the Sun Creek watershed.

The Lake Windermere Ambassadors Society (LWA) will receive $13,155 towards their Columbia River Headwater Lakes Monitoring & Education: Lake Windermere project. They are addressing environmental concerns through community engagement in water quality monitoring, translating their monitoring data into achievable actions by local government and community, and revitalizing the lake foreshore.

LWA will receive an additional $6,500 for their Lake Windermere Restoration and Education program. These funds will enable LWA to conduct restoration and education activities to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, human development, excessive recreation in shallow areas, and invasive species in the lake.

Farmers taking extraordinary stewardship actions to conserve riparian areas on their farms are recognized through the Columbia Valley Farmland Advantage Stewardship Project. The Windermere District Farmers’ Institute will receive $15,000 to enhance the region’s ecology by providing contracts to  farmers to support their conservation efforts.

The Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project through Wildsight Golden will receive $13,000 to continue to build increased awareness for swallow species and their conservation status, coordinate volunteers to monitor swallow nests, and erect artificial nesting structures to increase habitat availability. This project is now in its third and final year.

The Wild Sheep Society of BC will receive $10,000 for their project called Reimagining the Threads that Bind Wildlife Conservation to Farming. The goals of this project are to protect wild bighorn sheep populations from infectious disease (M.ovi) transmitted by domestic sheep through sampling and working with sheep producers on domestic/wild sheep separation and other mitigation measures.

The spread of the invasive plant leafy spurge will be monitored, managed, and reduced through the work of the East Kootenay Invasive Species Council (EKISC). The recipients of $7,200, EKISC will continue their Invasive Plant Control of Leafy Spurge project to contain and reduce its spread in the Columbia Valley.

The Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund was established by the RDEK in 2008 by referendum. Property owners in RDCK Columbia Valley sub-region pay an annual tax of $20 per parcel towards this dedicated fund for conservation, which provides financial support to local projects that help conserve and restore the region’s prized natural surroundings.

To find out if your idea for a conservation project qualifies, or if you have any questions about the fund, contact KCP Local Conservation Fund Coordinator Kendal Benesh at 1-844-775-2722 or email [email protected].

The application intake for 2024 projects will open in August 2023 and all applications must be received on or by October 31.

Find more information about the CVLCF.

Find more information on these approved projects as well as previously funded projects.

Lead image: The Columbia Lake Stewardship Society’s (CLSS) Water Monitoring and Environmental Education project on Columbia Lake will conduct water quality and quantity monitoring and community and stakeholder education, with the overall goal being to improve the community’s knowledge of water resources and how to protect them. Photo by CLSS

Kootenay Conservation Program

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