Author: Jamie Long

Wetlands Institute in Creston & Salmo — 2024

This September, the B.C. Wildlife Federation held its 22nd annual Wetlands Institute in Creston and Salmo, B.C., on the traditional and unceded territories of the Ktunaxa and Sinixt Nations. Since its inception in 2002, the Wetlands Institute—an immersive, educational wetland conservation program—has brought together ecological professionals and environmental stewards from across British Columbia to learn…
Reduction of Watershed Security Funding a Blow to Reconciliation

The BC Watershed Security Coalition is asking all candidates in the 2024 BC Election to sign the Watershed Security Pledge as a commitment to invest in the health and well-being of British Columbians and the economic stability of local communities. Provincial funds from the Watershed Security Fund are diminishing as we head into 2025, which…
World Rivers Day — Celebrating and Protecting Our Waterways

This year, World Rivers Day falls on Sunday, September 22, 2024, and there are plenty of ways you can participate to support healthy rivers and watersheds! “The health of a river mirrors that of a human. Just as a person’s lifestyle influences their well-being later in life, the quality of a river’s tributaries determines its…
nʔaʕx̌ʷt (Ginty’s Pond) — The Power of Partnerships

As much as 85% of wetlands have been lost in the Okanagan and Similkameen region. Given the heavy dependency on water conservation in farming communities like Cawston, BC—known as the Organic Capital of Canada—the opportunity to restore Ginty’s Pond (nʔaʕx̌ʷt) back to an open water wetland was a clear choice for Josie Symonds, a senior…
Ginty’s Pond (nʔaʕx̌ʷt) Wetland Restoration Enters Second Phase

The B.C. Wildlife Federation is excited to announce the start of the second phase of the Ginty’s Pond (Nʔaʕx̌ʷt) wetland restoration. Located in Cawston within the territory of the Smelqmix people of the Sylix Nation, the historical nʔaʕx̌ʷt wetland was once an oxbow pond of the Similkameen River. Over the years, significant agricultural water use…
Beavers as Bioengineers

The B.C. Wildlife Federation is turning to expert engineers—otherwise known as beavers—to help protect our province’s precious land and water resources. Our 10,000 Wetlands project aims to use beaver-based restoration to enhance watershed resilience by harnessing the industrious skills of beavers, a species that has faced near eradication. The project aims to build dozens of…
Restoring the Fraser River Estuary — Doubling Targets and Conservation Efforts

“When you’re looking at the tidal marsh islands from a distance from across the South Arm, they look like they’re non-impacted. As soon as you step foot on the islands, however, you’ve collected a garbage bag worth of debris within two steps.” – Haiden MacDonald, BCWF Fish Habitat Restoration Coordinator. In the age of readily…
First Set of Beaver Dam Analogues (BDAs) Built

In mid-July, our team under the leadership of Jen Rogers, BCWF’s Beaver Restoration Assessment Lead, embarked on the first few of 100 BDAs set to be built across the province over the next two years. To date, our beaver and fish habitat restoration teams have installed baseline monitoring equipment at 7 project locations across the…
Beaver-Based Restoration — From Oregon to B.C.

Advancing Watershed Security Through Training Investment in watershed security training is vital to the future of our province. The B.C. Wildlife Federation’s Watershed Team is continuously learning and improving our knowledge and skills base so that we can lead innovative, effective projects that restore habitat and prevent or mitigate the impacts of drought, fire, and…
Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol — A Powerful Tool For Assessing Wetlands

A new assessment tool for wetlands offers a practical way to view these critical habitats, quantify the services they provide, and identify high-value wetlands for restoration and enhancement. “The Wetland Ecosystem Services Protocol (WESP) will shape wetland policy in B.C. by providing decision-makers with information about the natural ecosystem benefits provided by wetlands,” said Kyla…