Advancing Wetland Stewardship & Restoration in the Kootenays
The BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) will build the capacity of Columbia Basin residents to protect, conserve, and restore wetlands through the delivery of four workshops:
- Wetlandkeepers Workshop (Golden),
- Restoration Planning Workshop (Nakusp),
- Working Group Workshop (Fernie), and
- Mapping and Assessment Workshop (Castlegar).
BCWF will also host two wetland restorations with accompanying educational sessions (Meadow Creek and Mayook Station). 2016 projects will provide support towards four of the FWCP’s six Riparian and Wetland Action Plan Focal Areas: Upper Columbia Valley, Elk Valley, Slocan, and Ducan/Lardeau/Revelstoke Valley, and will also provide opportunities to act upon identified needs and site-prescriptions that resulted from the 2015 activities.
On-the-ground results this year will include an additional 0.5 hectares of enhanced wetland at Meadow Creek through the creation of shallow water wetlands and planting of natives species, as well as approximately one hectare of wetland restored at the Mayook Station project site. It is anticipated that between 10 and 25 participants will attend each of the proposed workshops, and enhance their knowledge and capacity to participate in wetland conservation, restoration, and stewardship.
Final report: executive summary
Beginning April 1 2016, the BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program successfully completed a series of wetland restoration projects in the Kootenays and hosted a number of Wetlandfocused workshops in order to deliver upon commitments made within the FWCP proposal “Advancing Wetland Stewardship & Restoration in the Kootenays” (COL-F17-W-1407). The overarching goal of these workshops is to build the capacity of East and West Kootenay residents to protect, enhance, create, and steward wetlands. In collaboration with multiple partners, BCWF was able to restore wetlands for wildlife while supporting species at risk, controlling invasive species, and providing habitat for wildlife. The 2016 projects closely align with the FWCP’s Columbia Basin Riparian and Wetland Action Plan and included initiatives in three of the FWCP priority areas: Elk Valley, Upper Columbia Valley, and the Duncan/Lardeau Valley. A quick summary of the results are:
- Restoration of 2.47ha of wetlands on the Halleran Property in Meadow Creek
- Hosted 15 people at an Open House, centered on the Meadow Creek Restoration Project, which helped communicate FWCP initiatives in the region to members of the public.
- Restoration of 0.7 ha (of a 11 ha project) at Nature Trust of BC’s Cherry Creek Site
- Trained 24 participants in wetland classification and stewardship techniques during a Wetlandkeepers Workshop in Golden.
- Trained 22 participants in wetland restoration techniques, project identification, and planning during a Restoration Planning Workshop in Nakusp.
- Trained 30 participants (25 in person, 5 online) in desktop GIS techniques at a Wetland Mapping and Assessment Workshop in Castlegar
- Hosted 18 participants at a Working Group Workshop in Fernie.
- Supported 14 participants with 12 wetland projects through site visits, etc
- Completed inventory of 6 wetland complexes in Columbia Basin benchlands to provide recommendations for future conservation work.
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.