Tag: Environment

Quadra Island Wetland Restored

The rejuvenated wetland surrounding Quadra Island Elementary has transformed the way students learn by turning the school’s backyard into a vibrant classroom of native flora and fauna. Last year’s efforts converted a soggy segment of a sports field back to its original state. Nestled in the north-west corner of the schoolyard, this restored wetland serves…
Maggie’s Journey — A ‘Nuisance’ Beaver Gets a Second Chance

When the door of her enclosure swung open, Maggie the beaver wasted no time getting acquainted with her new home. After months of rehabilitation at the Interior Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, she finally returned to the wild. Maggie’s solitary rehabilitation journey was unusual because beavers typically live in pairs or in established colonies. “Normally, we would…
Communities Come Together to Revitalize Ginty’s Pond

After years of planning, work is finally underway to restore Ginty’s Pond to an open-water ecosystem. An essential wetland habitat in B.C.’s Interior, conservation efforts at this wetland will protect several federally listed species at risk, such as the Yellow-breasted Chat, Western Screech Owl, Interior Snakes, Great Basin Spadefoot, and Western Painted Turtles. Although this…
Bonaparte channel restoration is a win for coho and the people who love them

The Bonaparte River coho channel is a unique and potentially productive coho salmon rearing habitat again, thanks to the efforts of the Bonaparte First Nation and the B.C. Wildlife Federation (BCWF). The original 500-metre channel has been restored, renewed and doubled in length, according to Bonaparte CEO Sean Bennett. “The fencing was basically rotten, the…
Planting Seeds for Long-term Change

What comes to mind when you think of salmonberries? Do you think about how their flowers nurture pollinators, and their berries feed creatures of every size? Perhaps you pondered how fallen fruit attracts insects to nestle into the soil and among the fallen leaves. Indeed, salmonberry is a potent force for diversity and abundance. A…
Wetlands, Knowledge, and Community — 2022 Wetlandkeepers Workshops on Stó:lō and Ktunaxa Territories

Throughout the spring and summer, the Wetlands Education Program partnered with the Stó:lō Research and Resource Management Centre, Chawathil First Nation, ʔaq’am First Nation, and members of the Ktunaxa Nation to deliver two Wetlandkeepers workshops rooted in place-based learning and cultural exchange. As with all Wetlandkeepers workshops, the sessions began with classroom instruction on wetland…
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…
Wetlands as a Tool for Flood Control and Prevention

If you live in British Columbia or have loved ones living in B.C., you will have heard about the devastating floods occurring across southern parts of the province. The Province of B.C. declared a state of emergency on November 17, 2021, following massive flooding and landslides caused by record-breaking rainfall throughout mid-November. Many communities in B.C. have been devastated by massive floods, including Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Merritt, Princeton, Lillooet, the Cowichan…
Mapping Our Marshes with Doig River First Nation

On August 3–4, 2021, the B.C. Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program (WEP) visited the community of Doig River (Hanás̱ Saahgéʔ) to deliver the final Map our Marshes workshop of the season. Typically a one-day, hands-on course, this extended workshop provided additional time for in-depth discussions on wetland assessment and more extensive fieldwork. Situated approximately 70…