Category: Wetlandkeepers

Building Wetland Stewardship Skills in Victoria B.C.

This July, the B.C. Wildlife Federation’s Wetland Education Program (WEP) facilitated a 2.5‑day Wetlandkeepers workshop in Victoria, B.C., in partnership with the Bilston Watershed Habitat Protection Association and Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary—a living classroom rich with native plants, visiting and resident birds, and even a Western Painted Turtle.…
Keeping up with the Wetlands — A Summer of Wetland Exploration

With fall weather in full swing, it’s time to look back on some of the educational workshops the BCWF’s Wetlands Education Program (WEP) ran this summer! From exploring fens and marshes, to swamps and other wetlands, the WEP team connected with passionate individuals and local projects across coastal B.C. To kick off our summer season,…
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…
Fire & Water in the East Kootenays

This July, the Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team ventured to the picturesque East Kootenays to host a Wetlandkeepers workshop. Located in the southeast corner of British Columbia, the East Kootenay’s are a mountainous region home to numerous small towns such as Golden, Invermere, Cranbrook, and Canal Flats, the host community of this workshop. Each of…
Wetlands in Urban Environments — Armstrong-Spallumcheen Wetlandkeepers

In mid-June, the Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team travelled to the North Okanagan to visit Armstrong and Spallumcheen. Like many of the locations WEP visits, Armstrong and Spallumcheen are situated at the bottom of one of B.C.’s numerous river valleys. Valleys are the result of longstanding erosion of land by glaciers, rivers, or streams. It’s…
Wetlandkeepers 2022 — The Kootenays

From June 1st to 12th, the Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team ventured to the Kootenays for the first Wetlandkeepers workshops of the summer. The focus of these workshops was to provide participants with a working knowledge of wetlands and to understand their undeniable value. Our first stop on the trip was in Slocan, B.C, where the Slocan…
Wetlands Need Stewards! – Victoria Wetlandkeepers

From July 16-18, the Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team had the pleasure of partnering with the Habitat Acquisition Trust, Haliburton Community Organic Farm Society, and the Rithet’s Bog Conservation Society for the Victoria Wetlandkeepers Workshop. BCWF acknowledges and respects the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples, whose traditional territory Victoria is on, and the Songhees, Esquimalt, and W̱SÁNEĆ Nations who steward and live-in relationship with these lands since time immemorial. The purpose of this workshop was to…
The Wetlands Education Program Beats The Heat With Chawathil First Nation

From June 25 – 27, the Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team had the pleasure of partnering with Chawathil First Nation for the 2021 Chawathil Wetlandkeepers Workshop. This workshop was designed to provide a brief, but in-depth overview of the technical skills and knowledge needed to become better wetland stewards. Over the course of two and a half days,…
Cawston Wetlandkeepers 2019 and Ginty’s Pond

On July 17-18, the BC Wildlife Federation held a Wetlandkeepers workshop in sunny Cawston. Our Wetlandkeeper workshops are tailored to meet the individual community needs in terms of their concerns, their conservation goals, and the mix of people that attend. For the Cawston Wetlandkeepers, the focus was on the much loved Ginty’s Pond in the heart…
Rossland Wetlandkeepers 2019

Educating interested community members, working professionals, and students about wetlands is the BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program (WEP)‘s bread and butter, and from July 10 – 18, the WEP Team had the pleasure of doing just that. While embarking on a whirlwind tour of the Kootenays and the Okanagan, we hosted a Wetlandkeepers workshop in beautiful Rossland on…