KCP eNews

May 2015 

 

We would like to warmly welcome our new Stewardship Coordinator, Adrienne Shaw, to the KCP team! Adrienne is excited to work with Kootenay Conservation Program partners and is devoted to using the best resources available and innovative solutions to help partners work together on stewardship activities throughout the Kootenay region. You can contact Adrienne at adrienne@kootenayconservation.ca. Click here to read more about Adrienne.


Please click here if you took part in one of the Winter Webinars KCP hosted in partnership with the Columbia Basin Watershed Network. We'd love to get your feedback on how we can improve future webinars and what topics you would like us to focus on. 

 

The next KCP Steering Committee meeting will take place on June 18. More information will be sent out directly to the Steering Committee members in the coming weeks. Also, please save the date for the KCP Annual Gathering & AGM which will take place on September 25 - 26 (location(s) and theme(s) t.b.a.). 

We hope you enjoy your monthly conservation update. You can click here at anytime during the month to check out current news and events on our blog. As always, please submit any news you'd like to share with our network by the 26th of each month to info@kootenayconservation.ca. 

Adrienne Shaw

Kootenay Conservation Program Stewardship Coordinator

 

Adrienne is excited to work with Kootenay Conservation Program partners in her new role as Stewardship Coordinator. She is devoted to using the best resources available and innovative solutions to help partners work together on stewardship activities throughout the Kootenay region. She has 15 years experience developing positive working relationships with a variety of stakeholders in the Columbia Basin, including Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, The Nature Trust of BC, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, private industry, Ministry of Transportation, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. 

 

Click here to learn more about Adrienne in her Faces & Places feature.


Think Like a Watershed
Living Lakes Canada
Watershed governance is where democracy meets community. A systems approach, it strengthens collaboration between citizens, communities and decision-makers at the watershed level. It completely changes the way we think about our water, recognizing it as a public trust essential for our survival and calling for true collaboration.
In the spirit of wanting to build strong cross cultural bridges, we facilitated a dialogue to discuss what water inclusive watershed governance would look like in the Columbia Basin. It was a formidable gathering of First Nations, local and provincial governments, non-governmental organizations, industry, academics, scientist and local policy experts. Water stewardship groups, academia, policy experts, scientists, local and provincial government, industry and First Nations were brought together to talk about the need for better watershed governance in the region. We have recently produced three short videos with the intention of continuing this rich conversation and extend the meaningful and and necessary cross cultural exchanges that took place at the symposium. 

Waneta Expansion Project Is Now Generating Clean, Renewable, Cost Effective Power
Columbia Basin Trust
The Waneta Expansion Limited Partnership (WELP), a partnership between Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust, announced today that the Waneta Expansion Project near Trail is now online and generating power. The $900 million 335 MW expansion adds a second powerhouse, immediately downstream of the Waneta Dam on the Pend d'Oreille River, that shares the existing hydraulic head and generates clean, renewable, cost effective power from water that would otherwise be spilled. The project included construction of a 10 km, 230 kV transmission line and provides enough energy to power about 60,000 homes per year. Long-term agreements are in place with BC Hydro to purchase the energy and FortisBC to purchase the capacity from the project. 
Click here for the full story.

Celebrating the Harrop Wetland Restoration Project
Friends of Kootenay Lake
Over the last year many people have helped out with restoring the Harrop Wetlands and raising awareness about their values. The goal of the wetland restoration project was to improve the fish and wildlife habitat on one of the few remaining wetland areas on the shores of Kootenay Lake. 
The project focused on:
*Restoring 3 existing wetland ponds
*Building a snake hibernaculum
*Establishing a long term citizen science amphibian monitoring group
*Raising community awareness about the values of wetlands
*Creating painted turtle nesting habitat
*Planting native trees and shrubs.
The restoration will improve habitat for provincially blue-listed species including western toads, great blue heron, and painted turtle.
Click here for the full story.

Welcome to Adrian Leslie
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)
NCC would like to welcome Adrian Leslie, who will be gradually transitioning over the next 2.5 months to the South Selkirk Program Manager. Adrian brings his extensive experience in environmental research, restoration and management working with a variety of stakeholders in the Columbia Basin. His work has included whitebark pine research, work with community forests, the Rural Development Institute, and as an instructor in the forestry program at Selkirk College. 
Click here for Adrian's KCP partner feature.

508 million-year-old 'lobster' discovered in Canada
Kootenay National Park
A 508 million-year-old predatory 'lobster' has been discovered in Canada that held a "key position" in the food network at the time. Yawunik kootenayi had two pairs of eyes and prominent grasping appendages resembling those seen on modern beetles or shrimps. The animal was named after Yawunik, a mythical figure described as a huge and fierce marine creature that caused so much mayhem and death it triggered an epic hunt by other animals to bring it down. Yawunik lived 250 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared on Earth. The fossil was discovered by researchers from the University of Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum and Pomona College in California. It was found in the Marble Canyon site in the Canadian Burgess Shale fossil deposit.

Wildsight Kimberley Cranbrook Food Sustainability Project Assistant

Deadline: May 5

The Food Sustainability Project Assistant will work under the supervision of the Wildsight Kimberley Cranbrook Branch Manager, the Food Sustainability Coordinator, and the Kimberley Farmers' Market Coordinator to successfully complete the following duties:
- Assisting the Food Sustainability Coordinator with Kimberley Open Gate Garden tasks;
- Engaging community groups, volunteers, school groups, public, and visitors,
- Developing and maintaining garden beds and infrastructure as needed,
- Planning and delivering hands-on workshops.

Click here for more information.

 

Nature Conservancy of Canada BC Director of Conservation 

Deadline: May 6

The Director of Conservation (DoC) oversees the Nature Conservancy of Canada's conservation efforts in British Columbia through the planning, coordination and program management of all land securement, stewardship and science activities. This includes, but is not limited to the planning and implementation, budgeting and financial management of natural area conservation plans, strategic planning, supervision and on a case by case basis the actual securement of conservation lands.  

Click here for more information. 

 

East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council (EKIPC) Invasive Species Outreach & Field Assistant (summer student) 

Deadline: May 8 

EKIPC is hiring summer students to conduct field work and to raise public awareness on the impacts of invasive species within the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). This position will include a progressive training process commencing with information about invasive species identification, impacts, management options, and restoration techniques. 

Click here for more information.

HCTF Public Conservation Assistance Fund

Deadline: May 15

The Public Conservation Assistance Fund provides small grants to organizations and individuals who have a conservation project in mind but need financial help to make it happen.  Each year since 1974, the Province of BC and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation provide approximately $150,000 in PCAF grants to help implement on-the-ground conservation work, with a particular focus on hands-on, community based and public awareness initiatives. More than 1000 such projects have been carried out under the program so far.

Click here for more information. 

 

Natural Resources Canada
Deadline: June 5
This Call for Proposals relates to cost-shared projects that increase the uptake and use of existing resources, decision-support tools or other climate change adaptation-relevant information, with a focus on results from the Climate Change Adaptation Platform. Up to $400,000 is available in total to be awarded through this process.  

Click here for more information.
 

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation

Deadline: July 15

The funding program supports habitat restoration, endangered species/wildlife protection and environmental research.
Click here to find out more.


Real Estate Foundation of BC

Deadline: September 16*

*Please note that the original June 6 intake for general grants has been postponed to a fall intake. 

This is for general grants of up to $20,000. Water, sustainable food systems and well-planned built environments are a priority for these grants.

Click here for more information.  

 

Columbia Basin Trust Grassland and Rangeland Enhancement Program

Deadline: Ongoing

Over $200,000 still available for projects in 2015 - 2016. Ranchers and individuals with Crown range tenures, environmental groups and non-profit societies are encouraged to apply for funding to improve and enhance grasslands and rangelands. Ranchers, for example, can use the support to build fences, install cattle guards and do other improvements on Crown land--activities that permit better livestock management practices and therefore result in better stewardship of rangelands.

Click here for more information. 


Patagonia Foundation

Deadline: Ongoing

Patagonia funds environmental work. They are most interested in making grants to organizations that identify and work on the root causes of problems and that approach issues with a commitment to long-term change. They support small, grassroots, activist organizations with provocative direct-action agendas, working on multi-pronged campaigns to preserve and protect our environment. 

Click here for more information. 

Regulated Rivers: Environment, Ecology and Management
May 6 - 7, Castlegar
Registration is now open! Through a keynote address, 2 days of presentations, a poster session and dialogue opportunities, this conference will provide a cutting-edge opportunity for scientists, managers, students, and others to share results of recent research on regulated river environments, processes, and operations in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere. 
Click here for more information.

CMI Annual Researchers' Meeting and AGM
May 8, Castlegar
Join CMI at Selkirk College in Castlegar for 4 field trips with a Regulated Rivers theme.  Every year a multi-disciplinary group of CMI members gather in a different place in our region to catch up on what members are doing, and have our short Annual General Meeting. This is a casual meeting, not a conference, and non-members are always welcome.
Click here for more information. 

Wings Over the Rockies Bird Festival
May 4 - 10, Columbia Valley
The theme for the 19th annual Wings Over the Rockies Festival is "Fossils and Feathers", inspired by the recent exceptional find of a fossil bed of significant importance in the Kootenay National Park. This year includes a full week of more than 90 field trips, presentation and workshops. Registration opens at 9:00am on Monday, April 6.
Click here for more information.

Creston Valley Bird Festival
May 8 - 10, Creston Valley
Featuring Dick Cannings,biologist, birder and author living in the Okanagan Valley of southern British Columbia. 
Click here for more information. 

BC Wildlife Federation Wetlandkeepers Workshop
May 20, Windermere
BCWF's Wetlandkeepers Courses are 2.5 day workshops that educate participants about wetland conservation. This is a hands-on fieldwork course that provides participants with technical skills to steward their own wetland. Upon completion of the workshop participants are provided with a Wetlandkeeper certificate, and provided with follow up support by the Wetlands Coordinator.
Click here for more information.

Columbia Basin Watershed Network Spring Meeting
May 20, Nelson
Limited number of project presentations, and a Watershed Cafe, led by our member groups, and featuring YOU in conversation with others involved in watershed management around the Columbia Basin.
Click here for more information. 

Evaluating the Success of your Environmental Education Programs Workshop
June 5, Golden
CBEEN will be hosting a professional development workshop on how to measure the success of your environmental education programs. This will be facilitated by Gareth Thomson of the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) and the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE). This workshop will take place on Friday, June 5 at the Kicking Horse Civic Centre in Golden from 9:00am - 3:30pm. Following the workshop, CBEEN and Wildsight Golden will host a 'World Environment Day Celebration of Environmental Education' which will feature and Environmental Education Expo and film screening of 'Project Wild Thing'. 
Click here for more information. 

Take Back the Wild
June 5 - 7, Johnson's Landing
Wildsight is partnering with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society's BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) to build the capacity of 25 youth from the Kootenays. Take Back the Wild will provide free, comprehensive training for young people under 30 to become conservation leaders on local environmental issues that matter to them.
The summit will kick off in Johnson's Landing from June 5-7, 2015. After the training weekend, participants will partner with local community groups or start their own local, conservation project.
Click here for more information.

International Conference on Forests and Water in a Changing Environment
July 6 - 9, Kelowna
Building on the success of past international Forests and Water conferences (Beijing in 2006, Raleigh, NC in 2009, and Fukuoka in 2012), the fourth conference will focus on forest disturbance and hydrological processes in a changing environment. The goal of this conference is to provide a forum for experts specialising in forest hydrology, ecohydrology, geomorphology, watershed management and climate change in forested environments around the world to share research progress, exchange ideas, and develop international research collaborations.
Click here for more information.

CABIN Field Training 
August 11 - 12, Golden
This Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) field training session requires that online training modules be completed in advance (by March 15, 2015) in order to gain access to the CABIN database (Project Manager or Field Technician). For online module descriptions and fees, click here. 
For more information contact rachel@wildsight.ca.

Roundtable on the Crown of the Continent Conference
September 16 - 18, Missoula
New Ideas and Enduring Values: The Next Generation of Leadership on the Crown
Click here for more information. 

KCP Annual Gathering & AGM
September 25 - 25, Location TBA
Join KCP partners for this professional development and networking opportunity. Location and agenda to be announced.
For more information email info@kootenayconservation.ca. 

Voices for Sustainability Symposium
October 2 - 4, Edgewood
Join educators and outreach specialists in sharing best practices and new ideas in communicating sustainability and stewardship practices in the Columbia Basin.
For more information email info@cbeen.org. 
New Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Framework for the Columbia Basin
Webinar Video
Did you know that zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose a threat to the health of the waters in the Columbia Basin? This recorded webinar will provide an overview of the importance of addressing AIS in the Basin as well as the draft AIS Framework for developing a coordinated AIS program. In 2014, a collaborative partnership was developed between Columbia Basin Trust and the four regional invasive plant committees within the Columbia Basin (Central Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee, East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council, Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society and the North West Invasive Plant Council) to develop a strategic approach to Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention and management. Juliet Craig of Silverwing Ecological Consulting has been developing this Framework under the guidance of a regional Steering Committee. In this recorded webinar she is presenting the proposed AIS Program Framework in order to provide opportunities for comments and feedback.

Earth Day Canada
Hometown Heroes Award Program
The Hometown Heroes Award Program is your chance to help Canada recognize and celebrate environmental leaders - whether an individual, group or small business - who foster meaningful, long-term community awareness and action. Heroic candidates can win the Youth Hometown Heroes Award - a $5,000 cash prize that can be donated to a local environmental group/cause of their choice or be put towards their post-secondary studies in the form of a scholarship; the Individual Hometown Heroes Award - a $10,000 cash prize to donate to a local environmental group/cause of their choice; the Group Hometown Heroes Award - a $10,000 cash prize to support their work; or the Small Business Hometown Heroes Award - a $5,000 cash prize that must be used by the business to make an operational change that results in the business lessening their environmental impact, and permission from EDC to use the award and the EDC logo for one year to help market and promote the business and/or an approved product.
Click here for more information.

 

If you have news or announcements that you would like to share via our eNews, please email them to info@kootenayconservation.ca by the 26th of each month.