Tag: Wildlife
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Wetlands — A Stop-over in the Great Migratory Journey
Take a moment and picture yourself amongst the wildlife of your local wetland. Look for colourful blooms, hear the croak of the frogs, and maybe, listen for the call of a bird. Wetlands are biodiversity hotspots and invaluable ecosystems across Canada. They are the home or place of refuge to a multitude of species including…
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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…
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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…
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Mapping Our Marshes with the Wetlands Education Program — 2023
The Wetlands Education Program (WEP) runs several workshops throughout the year in order to engage and educate interested participants about wetlands. One of these programs is Map our Marshes (MoM). This is a 1.5 day workshop that focuses on entry-level technical and field skills for mapping smaller wetlands using free software, GPS, and your smartphone!…
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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…
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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…
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Ginty’s Pond Restoration Supports Community & Wildlife
After many years of planning, work is finally underway to restore Ginty’s Pond to an open-water ecosystem. An essential wetland habitat in the B.C. Interior, restoration efforts at this site will help protect several federally listed species at risk, including the yellow-breasted chat (Icteria virens), western screech-owl (Megascops kennicottii), Great Basin gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer deserticola),…
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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…
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Quadra Island Schoolyard Given New Life with Wetland Build
A schoolyard on Quadra Island is being given new life as the B.C. Wildlife Federation, Quadra Island Elementary School, and School District 72 restore a historic wetland to provide habitat for native plants and animals, while also creating an outdoor classroom for students. At first glance, the school’s large sports field surrounded by towering trees…
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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…