Author: Jamie Long

Restoring a Wetland at Glen Valley Organic Farm

A hands-on collaboration to bring water and habitat back to the floodplain For nearly a decade, the stewards of Glen Valley Organic Farm Co-operative had been imagining the return of a functioning wetland to the lowest corner of their property. Since a 2015 hydrology assessment first identified the area as an ideal place to restore natural water storage and…
Road Impacts on Wetlands

Across British Columbia, roads often cross or run alongside wetlands. When this happens, they can change how water moves across the land and reduce habitat for fish and wildlife. Wetlands provide year-round food, cover, and water for a diverse range of fish and wildlife species, including moose, elk, waterfowl, salmon, and beavers. They also support…
Restoring Nature on Its Own Terms

This article was originally published in BC Outdoors magazine in Fall 2025 and reflects work completed by the early 2025 field season. Restoration and monitoring efforts are ongoing, with additional work planned in the years ahead. “It’s time we start listening to what nature is trying to tell us.” —Neil Fletcher, Director of Conservation Stewardship, BCWF …
Volunteer Highlight — Director David Oliver Goes Above and Beyond

This article was originally published in BC Outdoors magazine in Spring 2025 and reflects beaver dam analogue (BDA) restoration work completed by the B.C. Wildlife Federation during the 2024 field season in the East Kootenay region. Since its publication, BCWF has continued to expand this work across the province. Restoration and monitoring efforts are ongoing,…
Low Water at Ginty’s Pond Highlights Need for Continued Investment in Watershed Restoration

For nearly four decades, wildlife biologist Al Peatt has kept a close eye on Ginty’s Pond, a wetland in the semi-arid, desert-like climate of B.C.’s Similkameen Valley. In 1990, under his leadership as one of the founding directors of the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT), the organization acquired the property to protect its wildlife habitat…
Beavers Return to Earl Ranch

When our team returned to Earl Ranch this fall for routine maintenance and effectiveness monitoring, one year after building ten Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) in the stream flowing through the property, the signs were unmistakable: freshly peeled branches, packed mud, and the glint of pooled water spreading across the floodplain. The beavers were back. “If…
Wetland Revival on Pender Island Thanks to Local Landowners

Not all restoration happens in parks or protected areas. Increasingly, it’s private landowners who hold the key to restoring important habitats. On South Pender Island, one such restoration project has transformed a former soggy grazed field into an emerging wetland, showing how individual stewardship can help reverse habitat loss and support species at risk. In…
Kicking Off 2025 with Hands on Restoration and Training in the South Okanagan

The South Okanagan is one of the driest regions in British Columbia, yet it’s full of life. Alongside vibrant vineyards, sparkling lakes, and rolling grasslands, the region is home to an incredible diversity of fish and wildlife that flourish where water flows. From the smallest stream to the quietest wetland to the broadest lake, these…
Understanding Beaver Dam Analogues — Q&A with Jennifer Rogers

Restoring streams, floodplains, and wetlands doesn’t always require heavy machinery. Sometimes, simple, nature-based solutions are the most effective. That’s the idea behind low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR)—an approach that uses natural materials and processes to support ecosystem recovery. Two widely used techniques involve building simple, hand-crafted structures inspired by nature: Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) and Post-Assisted…
Reviving the Land — The Yaqan Nukiy Wetland Renaturalization Project

What happens when you let the land lead? In B.C.’s central Kootenay region, a wetland revitalization project led by the Yaqan Nukiy People (Lower Kootenay Band) is showcasing exactly that. Guided by millennia of Indigenous knowledge, the Yaqan Nukiy Wetland Project is one of the most ambitious restoration efforts in Canada. With a focus on…