In the year 2000, a small but important handful of government and conservation organizations came together to establish the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program partnership (SOSCP). Building on past wildlife conservation efforts in the region, the founding partners of the SOSCP envisioned a forum that would effectively harness the knowledge, experience and power of many partners doing what no partner could accomplish alone.

Today, 50 organizations collaborate under the SOSCP banner to achieve nature conservation in one of the most biologically important and at risk areas of Canada. The partnership continues to advance areas of conservation expertise, to coordinate and communicate amongst the partner organizations, to leverage collective resources and deliver key aspects of conservation in an extremely difficult and competitive environment.

Over its lifetime, the program has sustained a community of diverse partners working towards common goals, and has skillfully transformed itself to address emerging needs for conservation while innovating to deliver the most critical areas of conservation priority.

In 2015, in addition to delivering our traditional conservation activities through securement, stewardship, advancement of knowledge and engaging the community in nature protection, SOSCP will be focused on the creation of a Local Conservation Fund. A dedicated fund for conservation will empower our partners and our communities with the resources we need to protect the quality of life in the South Okanagan Similkameen.    

We can't do it alone. Every partner organization, every individual in the South Okanagan Similkameen has a role to play in making this a reality in 2015

     Bryn White, SOSCP Program Manager