Tag: Healthy Waters BC

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…
Creston Rallies to Restore Kootenay Lake’s Kokanee Salmon

Kootenay Lake’s Giants of Gerrard rainbow trout once routinely grew to an astonishing 30 pounds, but a decades-long ecological crisis triggered by hydro developments dating back to the 60s badly disrupted the lake’s Gerrard and Kokanee salmon populations. Now, an ambitious grassroots project spearheaded by the Creston Valley Rod & Gun Club is fighting to…
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…
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…
Assessing Road Impacts on Wetlands in Northern B.C.

Introducing BCWF’s RIWHA Tool Across British Columbia, roads and industrial infrastructure continue to reshape wetland ecosystems—this is especially true in northern B.C., where decades of hydroelectric development and land-use change have left lasting marks on the landscape. To better understand and respond to these impacts, the B.C. Wildlife Federation has launched a new tool: the…
Celebrating World Water Day 2025 — Protecting B.C.’s Watersheds

“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water” – Loren Eiseley Water connects us all—it nourishes ecosystems, sustains communities, and shapes the landscapes we call home. This World Water Day, we recognize the importance of protecting and restoring our freshwater resources in British Columbia. From wetlands and rivers to glaciers and…
Invasive Mussels — An Immediate and Preventable Threat

Invasive species pose a serious risk to B.C.’s lakes and rivers, with the potential to disrupt entire ecosystems. Among the most destructive are zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis), which spread rapidly, damaging aquatic habitats, fisheries, and water systems.] For years, the BCWF has advocated for protections against these invasive mussels,…
Microplastics Are No Small Problem

Microplastics are everywhere—floating in our waterways, drifting through the air we breathe, and settling in delicate ecosystems. These tiny plastic particles aren’t just a concern for humans, who unknowingly consume thousands of them daily; they’re also invading fish and wildlife habitats, disrupting food chains and threatening biodiversity. But what exactly are microplastics, and why do…
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…