Advancing wetland stewardship and restoration in the Kootenays
The BC Wildlife Federation will work with partners to restore 6.43 hectares of wetland habitat at various sites. Additional works will develop a wetland restoration design for King George VI Provincial Park (Rossland); deliver a Map-our-Marshes Workshop (Salmo) to build capacity among ATV-users to become environmental ambassadors; provide hands-on training to workshop participants at a restoration workshop; and training for Lower Kootenay Band (Yaqan Nukiy) resource technicians to implement additional wetland projects in their traditional territory.
Final report: executive summary
Beginning April 1 2018, the BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program successfully completed a series of wetland restoration projects in the Kootenays and hosted a series of workshops to build community capacity. In collaboration with multiple partners, BCWF was able to restore wetlands for wildlife while controlling invasive species, mitigating cattle impacts, filtering water, providing training for First Nations Technicians, and creating an educational wetland and stream site for elementary school students. The 2018 projects closely align with the FWCP’s Columbia Basin Riparian and Wetland Action Plan and included initiatives in two of the FWCP’s focal areas: Upper Columbia Valley and the Creston Valley. A summary of the results are:
- Trained 10 community members in wetland stewardship and mapping techniques during a Map our Marshes workshop in Salmo.
- Restoration of 13.7 ha of wetland habitat on Yaqan Nukiy Lands
- Restoration of 0.16 ha of stream and wetland habitat at Erickson Elementary School
- Restoration of 0.26 ha of wetland and riparian habitat at Lister Creek headwaters
- Restoration of 0.43 ha of wetland habitat at Haywire Ranch
- Restoration of 2.38 ha of wetland habitat at Elk Spike Farm
- Development of wetland restoration design for King George VI Provincial Park
- Enhanced capacity of First Nation technicians and workers in wetland restoration through handson experience
- Educated 51 participants on Wetland Restoration in the Kootenays in the Kootenay Conservation Program Webinar
- Trained 8 school staff at Erickson Elementary School during an Outreach/ Pro-D day session, and hosted a planting event with over 50 students
Click the provincial database link below to read the full final report for this project.