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Explore Columbia Basin’s story on a Duncan Reservoir tour
Wildsight invites residents and visitors alike to join a unique field tour of the Duncan Reservoir north of Kaslo and Meadow Creek on Saturday, May 16, as part of its Columbia River Conversations series of educational outings.
This one-day guided excursion offers participants the chance to explore areas normally hidden beneath the reservoir’s surface, witnessing first-hand the effects of seasonal drawdown: exposed lakebed and silt stretching far from the shoreline.
This stark reality of how the Columbia River and its tributaries are managed is a powerful starting point for conversation at a time when the watershed is experiencing historic change.
“When water levels drop, the story of the Columbia Basin becomes visible in a way you don’t see when the reservoir is high,” said Graeme Lee Rowlands, Water and Climate Director, Wildsight. “This tour creates space to consider how the Columbia and its tributaries shape our communities and environment — and how we shape them in return.”
From shifting waterlines and submerged forests, to flooded communities, salmon, efforts to modernize the Columbia River Treaty, growing electricity demands and climate change, the tour will explore what’s been lost, what remains, and what the future could hold for the upper Columbia.
Participants should expect to travel by vehicle and on foot at a relaxed pace, with opportunities for dialogue, questions and reflection along the way. Carpooling will be facilitated, with the tour running from approximately 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Similar tours are also being offered of Kinbasket Reservoir (near Golden), Upper Arrow Lakes Reservoir (near Revelstoke) and Mid Arrow Lakes Reservoir (near Nakusp). Each will tell a different chapter of the Columbia Basin’s story. Join for one – or experience them all.
For more information and to register, visit: www.wildsight.ca/CRC . Space is limited to 20-25 people per tour, and early booking is encouraged.
Lead image: Graeme Lee Rowlands explains the history of the upper Columbia River. Photo by Amelia Caddy
Wildsight
