Kimberley/Cranbrook Branch
Branch Contact Info
2 - 495 Wallinger Ave.Kimberley, BC V1A 1Z6 Phone: 250.427.2535
Fax: 1.866.595.1549
Email: kimcran@wildsight.ca
At Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook our work focuses on promoting ecological sustainability in our own communities. Most of our activities fall under our Living With Nature Program with the goal of providing education and hands-on activities that promote conservation of local biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
We ran a pilot Apple Capture Project in Kimberley to help turn fruit that will go to waste and attract wildlife into a local food source. We now have a fruit press, two food dehydrators, and lots of pruning and fruit picking equipment to help turn the produce from local fruit trees into a healthy food source. The project reduces bear attractants, produces free, healthy food from a locally available source that would otherwise be wasted, keeps greenhouse gas organic waste out of the local landfill and creates a family friendly learning experience.
Our Invasive Species work started in 2000 when our organization initiated the restoration of the lower Mark Creek ecosystem. Invasive plants, which are introduced from other parts of the world don’t have natural predators, such as wildlife or insects that feeds on them, to keep them in balance. The focus of our early work was to decrease populations of spotted knapweed, Dalmatian toadflax, blueweed and hounds tongue which tend to take over riparian areas and out compete native species. Over the past few years and we have directed our educational message to preventing the spread of these species. These include common tansy, Japanese knotweed, orange hawkweed and leafy splurge.
Our Sustainable Landscapes project supports ecological restoration and sustainable Landscape practices in and around our communities. We replant areas in the Mark Creek corridor with native vegetation to improve ecosystem functioning, create and maintain demonstration and interpretive areas to raise awareness of how native grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees can be utilized in our community’s landscapes.
Our Clean Air project focuses on reducing unnecessary idling of vehicles and promoting clean burning of wood stoves and heaters. We run clean air educational workshops and distribute metal “Turn off your engine for our air” signs, to interested businesses and institutions.
Footprints for the Future delivers a series of four experiential learning sessions to public parent & tot programs in Kimberley and Cranbrrook. The sessions range from discovering worm composting, to natural crafts, local foods and a nature walk. We hire a qualified early childhood educator to deliver the program and supply the materials.
Through our One Planet Film and Speaker Series we host environmental speakers and films in Kimberley & Cranbrook on topics of interest to the community introducing current sustainability solutions to the community dialogue.
Our Environmental Resource Centre serves as a resource centre for the community. We respond to enquiries from the public directing people to appropriate resources and experts. It is open to all and serves to support and incubate new community environmental projects as the need arises.
Additional programming includes partnering to coordinate the highly successful Green Building Conference and coordinating the three year East Kootenay Woodstove Exchange
Branch Directors: 2012/2013
Margie Jamieson | President
Kathi Chorneyko | Secretary / Treasurer
Becky Bates| Director
Daryl Calder | Director
Dean Chatterson | Director
Stefanie Falz | Director
Ilona Hale | Director
Dan Moe | Director
Cory Sawatsky Peters | Director
Jessica Windle| Director
