Wild Times - Spring 2009

Contents

 

BP = Bad Politics or Better Plan?

What’s the plan for the Elk and Flathead valleys?

This past December, the province gave BP rights to coalbed methane (CBM) in a 300-square-kilometre area of the Elk Valley just upstream from Fernie. BP, the multinational oil corporation, initially proposed CBM development in a larger area that included portions of the Flathead Valley. The province declined.

As it is, BP’s Mist Mountain project is one of seven industrial developments currently proposed for the Flathead and Elk valleys. Along with CBM, there are new mines and expanding timber (pulp) licenses.
Government long on sales, short on plans

“These are sad times for wilderness in 
B.C.’s southern Rockies,” said Casey Brennan of Wildsight. “BP’s conceptual plan for Mist Mountain puts wells and roads into nearly every drainage over a huge area. This is going to destroy wildlife connectivity. It could also seriously compromise water quality.”

In rushing to give tenure to BP, the province ignored First Nations, the Union of B.C. Municipalities, the City of Fernie and major environmental organizations — all who strongly oppose CBM in B.C.’s wilderness without further review.

“All new activities will occur without independent environmental studies that show their cumulative and combined impacts,” Brennan said. “Meanwhile, the government is inviting multinationals to bid on tenures to dig and drill. The business is moving much faster than the science.”

Brennan said that Wildsight is concerned about the southern Rockies for several reasons.

“The southern Rockies are important ‑crucial‑grizzly habitat,” he said. “This area connects wildlife in the southern Waterton – Glacier park complex to the parks in the north: Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho. Right now, there is little consideration for wildlife in this area.

“Wildsight has been asking the provincial government for a more wildlife-friendly plan for the southern Rockies for several years. Instead, we are seeing industry take over.”

Not good enough: BP’s environmental standards

While BP’s in-house environmental standards apparently exceed B.C.’s regulations, neither the standards nor the regulations account for the particular fragility of the southern Rockies.

“This area is globally recognized — it’s among the most biologically rich areas in North America,” Brennan said. “The Flathead, which is adjacent to the Elk, is the last uninhabited low-elevation valley in southern Canada. It’s a storehouse of biological richness.”

Brennan said that BP has an opportunity to work more closely with communities and environmental groups in B.C. on this high-profile project.
“Wildsight and our partner groups aren’t saying ‘no to development,’” Brennan said. “We are saying, ‘let’s determine the impacts of the current mines, assess the impacts of the new proposals and plan for development that doesn’t harm the environment.’ It can be done.”

For more information, sign up for the free eNewsletter at www.flathead.ca.

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Kootenay poll: “NO” to JUMBO development

Opposition stronger than ever — will Campbell listen?

A generation has been born and grown 
up since a developer started his crusade to privatize the wild Jumbo Valley. 
The developer, on behalf of a group 
of international investors, first proposed 
a $500-million resort at Jumbo Glacier near Invermere in 1991. Wildsight (then called the East Kootenay Environmental Society) helped organize opposition to 
the scheme.

After 18 years, what’s still missing is the provincial government’s final “no” to the proposal. This is despite several polls and plebiscites conducted over the years — every one of them showing overwhelming opposition to the “Jumbo Glacier Resort” ever being built.

Just last fall, after the proponent unsuccessfully attempted un-permitted and unzoned construction of a road and ski lift in the adjacent Farnham Valley, Wildsight commissioned a comprehensive third-party poll of Kootenay residents of 
the mountains and valleys around the Jumbo Valley.

In the survey, residents were asked their opinion on whether a proposed ski resort development should be allowed to proceed in the Jumbo Valley or if the area should be kept wild.

  • 63% of Kootenay residents said they want to see the Jumbo Valley kept wild.
  • 19% said they want the ski resort development to proceed.
  • 7% were neutral and 11% had no opinion.

Results clear to one MLA

The polling was done by an independent firm and is accurate to plus or minus 3.2 per cent. It shows nearly two-thirds of residents don’t want the resort scheme to go ahead. Norm Macdonald, MLA for Columbia River/Revelstoke, agreed 
that the poll shows “the people of the Kootenays overwhelmingly reject the Jumbo Glacier Resort.”

However, East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett still doesn’t get it.

He was quoted in the Cranbrook Daily Townsman as saying, “Our government (the BC Liberals), unlike the NDP, doesn’t govern on the basis of polls. . . We’re not going to change government policy every time a new poll comes out.”

Policy? Which policy?

The “policy” of counting 1,000 letters to government offices opposing resort development in the Jumbo Valley as a single submission?

The “policy” of keeping a proposal on the table for nearly two decades — without a single application for rezoning?

The “policy” of letting talks drag on while grizzly numbers in the central Purcells plummet?

Bill Bennett needn’t worry about “changing policy” at all: the Jumbo Valley is not zoned for the Jumbo Glacier Resort. This should be the end of the story.

Why isn’t this the end of the story?

Wildsight contends that if some members of the B.C. government weren’t so committed to shepherding the resort proposal to the finish line, it would have died a natural death long ago. As well, the developer still tends to promote the resort as inevitable.

“After 18 years, people can’t be blamed for falling prey to developer spin that ‘Jumbo Glacier Resort will start construction in fall of 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008…’” said Dave Quinn, Wildsight’s Purcell Mountains program manager.

“But no permits are in place, the valley isn’t zoned for a permanent settlement, and few, if any of the clauses of the project’s outdated 2004 Conditional Environmental Assessment have been met.

“The proponents have not gained First Nations approval, have not even applied for rezoning and have been circumventing local decision-makers. This shows utter disregard for the Environmental Assessment process, local government and local citizens. Let this project die.”

Bad for grizzlies, bad for economies

“The Jumbo Valley is a crucial wildlife movement corridor,” Quinn said. “Grizzly populations in the area are free-falling, down by an estimated 40 per cent in just the past four years, based on BC Ministry of Environment-funded 2007 DNA census work.”

Wildlife biologists assert that a resort city in the heart of the Purcells would increase grizzly mortality and block critical movement of grizzlies and other wilderness-dependent species, and that these lower numbers render any planned mitigation by Jumbo Glacier Resorts for grizzlies completely ineffective.

“Grizzlies are endangered south of the border,” Quinn said. “There are as few as 35 animals south of Highway 3 between Cranbrook and Creston. These southern populations need all the connections possible with larger populations to the north to survive.”

The scheme is bad for wildlife populations in the central Purcells and it’s bad for local ski areas that are already struggling with reduced global markets. There are 19 ski businesses in existing communities within a five-hour radius vying for a dwindling ski market. Wildsight would like to see existing communities and economies thrive.

Quinn said the scheme isn’t what the developers would like people to believe.

“It isn’t about the skiing,” he said. “Top ski experts say the glaciers are no good for summer skiing anyway.

“No, this is a real estate grab. The developer and his investors expect to reap the profit of developing land that belongs to the people of the province, while residents, democracy and wildlife are ignored. We are doing all we can to stop that from happening. And the more help we get, the better.”

Check out www.keepitwild.ca for news about Jumbo and how you can help.

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Citizens Are Uniting For Safer CBM

Gas from coal equals more wells, roads and pipelines. In B.C., what we value most is at risk. The Citizens Concerned about Coalbed Methane coalition has a plan to lower the risks and build a safe future for CBM. It has five points:

1) CBM drilling across B.C. be suspended until four key policy improvements are in place;
2) Local communities have a clear say in deciding where and how CBM projects proceed;
3) CBM projects undergo mandatory environmental assessments that address cumulative impacts;
4) “World-class” CBM regulations promised in B.C.’s Energy Plan are fully implemented and enforced;
5) Funds are dedicated to independent baseline research and to proving the safety of “world-class” technologies.

Sign up for a free eNewsletter at: http://concernedaboutcbm.org

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Wild at Art

Artists focus on wetlands

For two decades now, Wildsight has worked to bring the wild story of our place to the forefront. And yet . . . lots of people still don’t know anything about Jumbo, the Flathead, climate change, the Columbia Wetlands or the mountain caribou.

What’s an NGO to do?

“Share ideas in ways that touch the heart,” said Ellen Zimmerman, a Wildsight program manager.

Natural inspiration for art

Wildsight and the Art Gallery of Golden (AGOG) are presenting a mixed-media art exhibit exploring the Columbia River and wetlands. Columbia Wetlands — Natural Inspiration features excellent, original works. It opened on January 31 and will run until March 31.

Studio artists from the Columbia Valley, the Kootenays and Calgary are represented, including Jane Tevelein Doel, one of B.C.’s best clay artists.
“Those of us living side-by-side with the Columbia Wetlands have a chance to passionately speak up for one of the last wild stretches of a once-wild river, in whatever way we are able,” said Tevelein Doel. Her piece, Mother Columbia, is composed of raku-fired clay tiles. Some of the tiles contain clay the artist dug from the banks of the Columbia River.

“An artist can respond to beauty in a landscape, and the viewer responds,” Tevelein Doel said. “But today, the shadow of something urgent accompanies the experience of both artist and viewer alike: the very being of the landscape is threatened.”

Threats to the wetlands include invasive plants, motorized recreation, loss of habitat and pollution. The “shadow of urgency” Tevelein Doel talks about will only grow larger in coming years.

“We hope this art will move viewers to a deeper understanding of this natural treasure,” said Zimmerman. “And inspire more active stewardship. If Columbia Valley residents are moved emotionally, if they realize just how special the wetlands are, maybe they will help us to protect them.”

Visit the exhibit at the Art Gallery of Golden, in downtown Golden, and for a preview, visit the exhibit website.

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Columbia Wetlands: Positive Changes For Boaters and Wildlife

Columbia Wetlands regulations in place

It’s a first for the country. Canada’s Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations have been amended to protect our wetlands of significant value, the Columbia Wetlands. Three provisions restricting the navigation of vessels in the Columbia River and wetlands between Fairmont Hot Springs and Donald Station, (north-west of Golden) are in force starting this year.

They are:
• A seasonal prohibition on the operation of power-driven vessels in the main channel of the Columbia River from March 1 to July 15, with the exception of electrical propulsion.
• A year-round prohibition on the operation of power-driven vessels in the wetlands of the Columbia River.
• A year-round prohibition on towing persons on water skis, surfboards or other similar equipment in the main channel of the Columbia River at any time.

“Nine-tenths of the Columbia River’s length is impacted by hydro-electric and flood control dams and reservoirs,” said 
Ellen Zimmerman, a Wildsight program manager. “But this upper 180 kilometres 
of the river is the last bit of previously extensive natural wetlands in the Canadian portion of the river and has great ecological and cultural importance. And now this is a rare place dedicated to wildlife, with a management commitment that puts wildlife and their habitat first.”

Wildsight and Columbia Wetlands Stewardship partners have worked for nearly ten years to help federal and provincial agencies come to a fair, science-based boating regulation.

“The regulation is not perfect,” said Zimmerman, “but it was critical to get something in place before the destructive usage of jet boats and jet skis becomes habitual. These prohibitions on high speed water sports in the main channel will reduce wildlife mortality and help preserve the natural integrity of the ecosystem.”

Wildsight’s original proposal for a blanket 10 HP (horsepower) restriction was rejected by the federal government.

“The public favoured the original proposal,” Zimmerman said. “This ‘watered-down’ regulation may be harder to enforce. It exposes the ecosystem to damage from high speed craft in late summer and during fall migration. It will also impact local users who have, historically, used small motors in their fishing vessels.

“Still, it’s a step in the right direction to protect the diversity of critters in the upper Columbia — so that’s pretty good.”

On the lookout for noxious weeds

Wildsight is learning that the Columbia Wetlands are largely free of noxious weeds and we want to keep them that way. These aggressors can pose huge threats to the wetland ecosystem. They can reduce the diversity of living creatures, displace native plants and could be disastrous to the delicate web of life in the wetlands.

Wildsight is working to remove current infestations and to prevent any new invaders from moving in. Our new Invasive Plant Species project has several goals.

• To map the extent of terrestrial invasive plants at the major access points into the wetlands;
• To develop and conduct an inventory of aquatic invasive plants in the wetlands;
• To help land managers plan to treat weeds with mechanical means or biocontrol agents, not pesticides;
• To work with volunteers to remove invasive plants from the wetlands and from surrounding communities;
• To show people how to avoid introducing invasive plants to the wetlands

Wildsight is working closely with the Regional District of East Kootenay, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, the East Kootenay Invasive Plant Committee of B.C. and the Lake Windermere Project on this initiative.

It’s up to everyone to watch out for these noxious plant species. Download a free info sheet with photos of the worst culprits on our website: www.wildsight.ca/programs/invasivespecies.

HELP US PROTECT THE COLUMBIA WETLAND ECOSYSTEM

Please let us know if you see invasive plants near or in the Columbia Wetlands. If you’d like to learn more about Wildsight’s Columbia Wetlands Invasive Plant Species Project, or how you can get involved, you can call the Wildsight office at 250-427-9325. Or contact Rachel Darvill at 250-344-4961 or rachel@wildsight.ca.

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Hometown Solutions to Global Climate Problems

Wildsight helps get communities on track

Wildsight has been helping communities learn to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and find solutions to the challenges of climate change.
“We’ve got several communities in the East Kootenay taking action on greenhouse gas reduction,” said Megan Walsh, Wildsight’s Climate Solutions program manager. “All of them are taking steps 
to help the province reach its reduction target of one-third less emissions by the year 2020.”

Wildsight is working with communities like Fernie on a step-by-step process that will yield lower emissions, healthier air quality and long term sustainability.

“Municipalities start out by doing a greenhouse gas emissions inventory,” said Walsh. “They move into target setting and then develop a GHG reduction plan. Wildsight helps them bring the tools together to complete this process.”

Walsh said communities can look to successful initiatives in Invermere, Kimberley, Nelson, Fernie and Elkford for inspiration.

“These communities are taking steps to lower their GHGs,” she said. “Their actions can be adapted by other communities. In fact, this is a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge and show leadership as a region.”

Idling to a stop

Becoming ‘Idle Free’ is one of the easiest actions an individual can take to reduce personal GHG emissions. That’s why Wildsight is developing Idle Free campaigns across the region.

“These public awareness campaigns try to dispel the myths of idling,” said Wildsight’s Ingrid Liepa, who coordinates Clean Air and Climate Change initiatives for the Kimberley/Cranbrook branch. “For example, there are still some individuals who think they need to idle 5 or 10 minutes. But in moderate temperatures, warming the engine takes only about 30 seconds. Cars have changed in the past decades.”

Idling a vehicle for 10 minutes a day uses an average of 100 litres of gas and pumps 240 kilograms of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

“There is such a strong connection between air quality and health,” Liepa said. “Particularly for the young and old. Idling around public areas reduces air quality substantially.”

So far, the campaigns are working with local governments and schools to post anti-idling signs in public places. Wildsight will be trying to raise the profile of the persistent idling problem in other ways, too.

“We just want to get the word out that to turn off the vehicle is easy, it saves money on fuel and vehicle maintenance, and it’s much kinder to our health,” Liepa said. “Even a few minutes of idling outside a school or at a soccer game adds pollutants to the air that people breathe. And it’s so easy to turn off the ignition!”

Contact Wildsight for a free info sheet to learn more.

“Even better,” Liepa said, “Please ask your municipal government to create an Idle Free policy. It will make a huge difference.”

Making it easier with technology

Wildsight is developing a unique resource for local residents: a Columbia Basin-wide environmental database.

“Local and provincial governments are urging citizens to reduce their emissions,” Walsh said. “But that can be easier said than done! Residents of the East Kootenay need a central place to find the tools, contacts and resources that will help them start reducing their environmental impacts, whether it’s by GHG reduction, waste reduction, or finding ‘low-impact’ products.”

Walsh said that the database will be fully available to the public.
“It will be useful to individuals, groups and local governments who want to make a difference in the way they live, consume and operate,” she said. “It will be invaluable and should be ready in the coming year, so we’ll keep you posted.”

How will climate change affect us?

Due to climate change, the East Kootenay can expect longer, hotter summers, warmer winters, receding glaciers and more extreme weather events in the next decades.

These changes will cause drought periods, flooding, landslides and more intense forest fires. Columbia Basin Trust and a team of experts recently completed research on climate change in the Columbia Basin and the results are available at 
www.cbt.org/climatechange.

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A New Way to Own a Car

That’s good for you and great for the planet

Need a truck? We all do at times. But the cost of owning one adds up to thousands of dollars every year. Not all of us can afford it.

The same goes for cars; if you live in the East Kootenay, you often need wheels, but many of us struggle to afford them. Running a vehicle can “total” our finances.

Is there a way the cost of owning a vehicle can ever come down?

There is, and it’s now available in Kimberley. Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook is bringing car and truck sharing to Kimberley. It’s opening a branch of the Nelson Carshare Co-op, an organization with a well established car and truck share program and 13 vehicles in Nelson, Revelstoke, Kaslo and Golden. With a new car and truck for the co-op in Kimberley, members can soon be on the road to a more sustainable lifestyle with fewer transport hassles.

Members of the co-op spend between 30 and 80 per cent less in total vehicle costs than regular vehicle owners. They each buy one share in co-operatively-owned vehicles. Then they pay reasonable rates based on the time they use the vehicle and how many kilometres they drive per month.

“This type of co-op is used all over Europe,” said Lars Sander Green, a Wildsight volunteer who is spearheading the Carshare program. “But it’s not just for people in large urban centres. It’s working well in the West Kootenay. It’s perfect for small-town-B.C. residents.”

Sander Green explained that members get to use the vehicle when they choose to, but they don’t need to insure it, they never have to take it in to the shop and the cost of gas is included in the fee structure.
“It’s a really good deal, especially for people who are at that ‘in-between’ stage: they need a car occasionally or on a regular basis, but not ‘all day every day.’”

Sander Green said that the cost of a share is $500. “Don’t be put off by the initial share,” he said. “It’s fully refunded if you leave the membership — and it’s also your ticket to other car share co-ops across B.C.”
Members of Kimberley Car and Truck Share can use their memberships in Golden, Nelson, Kaslo and Revelstoke, and also in Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo to access dozens of vehicles. Pretty handy.

“Car sharing is a way to save thousands of dollars every year,” Sander Green said. “And to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially.”
Reducing emissions

Why is Wildsight so keen to offer vehicle sharing to East Kootenay residents?

Ingrid Liepa, who coordinates Clean Air and Climate Change initiatives for Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook, said: “One of Wildsight’s major goals is to create a regional network of climate change initiatives. Kimberley Car and Truck Share will make a real difference, not only by giving people options to drive on an as-needed basis, but by inspiring everyone to think about their daily transportation needs in new ways.”

Liepa said that vehicle sharing means less driving, less embodied energy in vehicles and more people walking and biking.

“Fewer cars on the road equals fewer emissions and cleaner air,” she said. “This supports the values that underlie sustainable communities: people working together to do more with less; freeing up personal income that can, in turn, do more to support the local economy; and strengthening an overall sense of community. It’s like tapping into hidden wealth — the sooner we start, the greater the chance of making a difference in the big picture.”

How it works

“The car and truck will have dedicated parking spots in the downtown area so you can walk or bike to pick them up,” said Sander Green. “You can reserve online for trips as short as a half hour. All you need to join is three years of driving history with no ‘at-fault’ accidents and no more than three traffic tickets in the past three years. You also need a decent credit rating.”

The keys to the vehicles will be kept in lock boxes near or on the vehicles, a system that works very well in car sharing programs around the world.

Sign me up!

There is still time to sign up for the 2009 launch. For more information call the Wildsight office at 250-427-2535 or email kimcran@wildsight.ca. Application forms are available by e-mail.

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Lakes For Living, Lakes For Life

Watershed 101 with Streamkeepers

The Lake Windermere Project (LWP) is ready to go with Streamkeepers in 2009. Volunteer participants will learn how to monitor the health of streams using scientific equipment. It’s a great way to help high school students earn their “Community Connections” credits! Participants also learn about healthy riparian zones and how to create fish and wildlife habitats.

“Streams respond rapidly to changes in the landscape,” said Heather Leschied, Wildsight’s LWP program manager. “They indicate overall watershed health.”

Leschied hopes that Streamkeepers will have even longer-lasting effects.
“By getting to know the local streams in our communities, how they function and the life that they support, people are more inclined to protect them,” she said.

Upcoming events

LakeKeepers
The Lake Windermere Project and the BC Lake Stewardship Society will host a LakeKeepers training program in late May. Participants from many lakes in the southern interior will attend to learn more about citizen-based stewardship.

Lakes for Living, Lakes for Life
This international conference at Windermere in England’s Lake District, from May 19 to 21, 2009, will feature Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft. He will deliver the keynote speech on “Our precious lakes, a community asset.” LWP program manager Heather Leschied will attend for the official “Sister Lake” partnership agreement signing.

“The International Living Lakes Network chose the LWP as a case study to guide lake stewardship organizations around the world,” Leschied said.
Water Wonders Workshop: The LWP hosts this annual water stewardship event at James Chabot Provincial Park beach. It combines education and imagination for children and adults to learn about our waterways. August 8, 2009.

Looking for Mr. Milfoil
There is a possibility that Lake Windermere may see an invasion of the Eurasian watermilfoil in the future. This aggressive invasive aquatic plant has devastated many lakes across B.C. and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to eradicate. It is spread most readily by motorized traffic.

“During the summer, there are often more than 200 boats on the lake at the same time,” said Leschied. “This level of traffic is a warning sign to be on the look out for Eurasian watermilfoil.”

A new part of the Lake Windermere program will ask volunteers to monitor aquatic plant species.

Shoreline mapping turns up surprises

“Mapping shows that more than half of Lake Windermere’s shoreline is disturbed,” Leschied said. “It doesn’t sound that great, but it means we can still provide some protection for fish and wildlife for the remaining natural portions.”

Leschied is chair person of the East Kootenay Integrated Lake Management Partnership (EKILMP) which is finalizing shoreline mapping guidelines right now.

“The shoreline management guidelines give recommendations on what types of activities could occur in different areas on the lake,” Leschied said. “They classify levels of sensitivity based on fish and wildlife habitats.

“The aim is to account for cumulative impacts of shoreline development and to ensure there is remaining habitat for fish and wildlife.”

With one collapsed fishery on Lake Windermere (burbot) due in part to a loss of rearing and spawning habitats, the concern is that the remaining aquatic life is being increasingly stressed by shoreline disturbance.
“The guidelines will be ready this year,” Leschied said. “They will be very helpful to residents, developers and others whose activities impact the lake shoreline.”

Volunteers

“We want to thank all our volunteers,” Leschied said. “All 30 of you who help us out regularly or from time to time. You make a huge difference!”
Leschied said that all volunteers, young or old, come away from the experience with a better view of 
the lake: “From the bow of our sampling boat!”

“The Lake Project is heading into its final year,” said Leschied. “Its goal was to establish an ongoing, citizen-based water quality monitoring program to ensure our lake remains healthy for future populations. We are well on our way to this — and we couldn’t have done it without the support we have received from our fabulous community.”

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AGM gems

Six to choose from – choose one!

Need a reason to attend a Wildsight annual general meeting? There are six coming up in March: the regional AGM for everybody and five branch AGMs. Read on for details, and remember, we’d love to see you at any one of them!

Give me a reason to attend…
1) I want to make a real difference in the world.

2) I want to meet like-minded people in my area.

3) I want to enjoy the free refreshments.

4) I want to attend the free presentation, movie or discussion.

Wildsight REGIONAL AGM
DATE: March 21
TIME: 11 am until 3 pm (PST)

PLACE: Rotacrest Hall, Creston

PRESENTATIONS: Learn more about Creston’s Community Supported Agriculture project with guest speakers, including farmers and organizers.

GOODIES: Free lunch, local-grain muffins and coffee!

Creston AGM 

DATE: March 10
TIME: 7 pm (PST)
PLACE: Rotacrest Hall

PRESENTATION: Merv Syroteuk on Waterton National Park.

Elk Valley AGM

DATE: March 18
TIME: 7 pm
PLACE: The Fernie Arts Station

Golden AGM
DATE: March 4
TIME: 6 pm
PLACE: The Kicking Horse River Lodge

MOVIE: TBA

Invermere AGM
DATE: March 4
TIME: 7:30 pm
PLACE: David Thompson Secondary School Theatre

MOVIE: “The Ruin of Glacier and Howser Creeks”

Kimberley/Cranbrook AGM

DATE: March 11
TIME: 6:30 pm
PLACE: Centre 64

PRESENTATION: Casey Brennan and Ryland Nelson: “A Conservation Vision for B.C.’s southern Rockies.”

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Branch Reports

KIMBERLEY/CRANBROOK

Wildsight’s Kimberley Woodstove Exchange Program was a smash success in 2008, offering rebates to people who trade their old stoves for efficient models.

Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook and the Regional District of East Kootenay have now partnered to bring 200 more cash rebates to those in the area wishing to exchange their smoky old wood burners for new heating appliances.

B.C.’s Ministry of Environment provided core funding for this program, which includes $250 per rebate. The total amount available to those who would like to upgrade to new EPA/CSA certified wood, pellet or gas appliances ranges from $250 to $500, depending on ‘top up’ funding provided by the municipalities or rural areas throughout the region.

The overall goal of the program is to improve air quality by lowering wood smoke emissions. If you choose to heat with wood, minimize your emissions and maximize your efficiency by using:

A good stove – a well maintained wood stove that is CSA/EPA certified will provide the most complete combustion, with secondary burners to re-burn the smoke before it goes up your chimney. New stoves can produce 70-90% fewer emissions than old, uncertified ones.

A good fuel – firewood must contain less than 20% moisture content. Generally, stacking and splitting in the spring will provide you with properly seasoned fuel.

A good technique - even the most ‘seasoned’ wood burners can learn a trick or two. There should really be no visible smoke from the chimney of a properly burning stove – check out this video clip on the Environment Canada website.

For more information on the wood stove exchange, contact the program coordinator, Erna Jensen-Shill at woodstoveexchange@wildsight.ca or 250-427-9360, the RDEK, or your local East Kootenay municipality between now and August 31, 2009.

 

CRESTON VALLEY

Speaker Series

A “tribe” of usually 30-75 folks attend the speaker series regularly, so Wildsight can guarantee the presenters an audience. Some of the presentations are just dazzling.

Creston CSA

The Grain Community Supported Agriculture was a huge success in 2008 and will likely expand in 2009. “There were so many things that looked like roadblocks,” Tanna Patterson said, “but the farmers got together and found solutions. It would be really good to see the farmers making some money out of this. Organisers originally wanted 100 people, and there was a waiting list, the thing was cut off at 200 people!”

Wildsight wants to go further working with farmers, perhaps helping form a meat CSA. Wildsight also wants to help get more produce grown locally and to create a better distribution system in the region.

Branch president retires

Tanna Patterson is retiring after 17 years with Wildsight in the Creston Valley.

“The highlight of working with Wildsight is just meeting all the wonderful Wildsight people,” said Patterson. “The young people coming up, they have so much knowledge that we didn’t have. They’re working with industry and government so well, and they’re going to be able to make so much progress. The other branches are so smart, good at communication. The tools and the skills they can bring to Wildsight are great.”

Patterson has been working on a book for a few years and has found a publisher.

“It’s a novel about a hard-rock diamond driller who worked in Creston who was abducted by FARQ and held for 
105 days.”

Wish list

The branch would like to have a more active relationship with the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area and to do more work with them.

 

GOLDEN

Air quality campaign

Wildsight Golden has applied for funding through EcoAction Canada to continue with year two of the anti-idling campaign. The leadership class at Golden Secondary School will do an idling habit survey. This information will assist Wildsight in targeting education and media releases and allow us to measure the success of the program.

Water quality monitoring

Wildsight Golden joined with seven watershed groups to participate in the Water Quality Monitoring Project of the Columbia Basin Watershed Network. This project will provide CABIN training and fund our group to do sampling in the lower Kicking Horse River and Columbia River in Golden. This work meshes with our long term monitoring of the Kicking Horse River. Volunteers learn about aquatic biology and are always welcome to join in our river stewardship.

Columbia Wetlands art

Columbia Wetlands - Natural Inspiration opened on January 30, 2009 and runs for two months. $15,000 was raised through the Golden District Community Foundation and the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners.

Car share

Golden is now officially part of the Kootenay Car Share program and the group owns a truck. Check out 
www.nelsoncar.com for more details or contact our local coordinator, Meg Langley at 250-344-4761.

Ride share

Locals can participate in the Kootenay Ride share program. It links riders between locations and is very effective in Nelson. Check it out at www.kootenayrideshare.com.

Backyard share

In an effort to reduce the distance vegetables need to be transported, efforts are being made to encourage people to share their yard space for local gardeners. Again, this is thriving (and growing) around Nelson. Contact Nathalie Degas for more information at 250-344-4753.

IPP committee

Several local rivers and streams have proposals for independent power projects. With big snow packs, steep topography and low population density, the North Columbia area is a real target for these projects. Cedar Creek, Blaeberry River, Gold River, Ventego Creek and Wood River are among the drainages slated for power development. The cumulative, permanent environmental impact of these projects is huge. Interest groups and the public are largely left out of the loop in determining if these projects will proceed. Wildsight has a committee looking into these projects and we support a moratorium on IPP development.

KHMR expansion plans

The second round of public consultation regarding a proposed expansion of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is currently happening. Some modifications from the original plan were made to accommodate environmental and recreational conflicts. The current proposal includes a golf course and a sprawling residential area in an area of high value wildlife habitat which will still have significant environmental impacts. Contact Wildsight Golden for info on how to view the master plan and how to comment.

Meetings

Golden Wildsight meets every second month on the second Wednesday at 7:00 pm in the library of Lady Grey School. Next meeting is our AGM, March 11, 2009.

Movie nights at the lodge

Wildsight movie nights are happening again at Kickinghorse River Lodge the first Wednesday of the month, 7:00 pm during the ski season. February 4th’s show is “Off the Grid” by Les Stroud, or ‘Survivorman’.

 

ELK VALLEY

Film Fest

Wildsight will host the 
Vancouver International Film Festival in Fernie on April 4, 2009.

Coalbed Methane

Wildsight supports studies to assess groundwater in the Elk Valley and the potential impacts it will suffer from BP’s proposed Mist Mountain coalbed methane project.

Advocates for Local Living

This Wildsight-supported group inspires a sustainable, thriving Fernie. Projects include Local Currency (Time Bank), Think Local First, Car Share and Green Drinks.

Bear Aware

It’s a new year for Bear Aware education in the Elk Valley, under the ongoing leadership of Kathy Murray.

New board members needed!

Your chance to make a difference — join the Wildsight Elk Valley board.

Eco-Garden

The branch works with the Community Eco-garden program.

Rocky Mountain Education Series

Director Dawn Deydey will expand this environmental education series to Invermere and Kimberley.

Air Quality

Megan Walsh is helping the City of Fernie minimize its carbon emissions. She is also promoting carbon emission awareness in general.

 

INVERMERE

The Invermere branch AGM is Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 pm at the David Thompson Secondary School Theatre. The movie “The Ruin of Glacier and Howser Creeks” will be shown. A recent application made by Axor Corporation for a hydroelectric power facility on Glacier and Howser creeks will be discussed.

The branch is still working with the District of Invermere to get a Bear Aware program running for this spring. Other programs we are involved with include the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners, 
an anti-idling program, the well-
supported Pesticide-free Columbia Valley Coalition and the regional Wood Stove Exchange program. We are pleased that last fall’s referendum on a local conservation fund for the upper Columbia Valley was successful.

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TV over trees? Not on our watch

Kids explore the natural world

Wildsight’s 11 professional educators are gearing up for another warm season in the great outdoors. This year, they have 120 field trips for Grades 4 to 10 lined up. They also have just finished 75 Winter Wonder field trips for Kindergartens to Grade 3s.

“These programs teach young people about ecosystems and help build their connection to nature,” said Monica Nissen, Wildsight’s Education in the Wild program manager. “Students and teachers get outside to learn firsthand how ecosystems work. Kids love it.”

New this year are more teacher and student resource materials for before and after the field trips — posted right on the Wildsight website. “We’ve been working hard to get everything up and running,” Nissen said. “Our aim is to provide more resources to teachers and students that allow them to expand their learning — and have more fun.”

Parents welcome to join in

Parents are welcome to come along on the field trips. “Parent volunteers make the trips even more special for the kids,” Nissen said. “Learning how healthy ecosystems lead to healthy human communities is a great focus for families.”

To become a parent volunteer, talk to your child’s teacher.

Beyond Recycling

For the third year in a row, the Elk Valley Wildsight branch has been offering Beyond Recycling to Grade 6 students in Fernie. In the course of the year, students learn how to think about the challenges of sustainable living in a creative, responsive way. Megan Walsh, Wildsight’s Sustainability program manager, and Dawn Deydey of Elk Valley Wildsight have created a year-long, 
school-based curriculum that’s been a 
real hit with students.

“We go into classrooms once a week for an hour,” said Walsh. “We have developed a manual of interactive lessons covering things like eco-footprints, waste and climate change.”

Toward the end of the year, students are asked to create something useful out of “reused, recycled or waste anything,” Walsh said. “We’ve had a rack made of old skis, a drum kit made of recycled plastic tubs, bags woven out of plastic. The students are extremely creative and effective.”

The items are displayed at Fernie’s giant Earth Day celebrations, which also mark the end of the Beyond Recycling curriculum.

“Earth Day is an exciting community celebration for students to aim for,” Walsh said. “It gives them an event to look forward to and a forum for showing leadership.”

Expand, engage, educate

Walsh said Wildsight is hoping to expand the program to at least Invermere and Kimberley in the coming year.

“It’s a great program that really engages kids,” she said. “Imagine 50 Grade 6 students lined up in the gym at Isabella Dicken Elementary, making paper. It was an extravaganza — the whole school recycled its paper for the raw materials. This is the type of hands-on learning that other Grade 6 students around the region would really benefit from.”

Beyond Recycling is a part of Wildsight’s Education for Sustainable Living, a new set of curriculum-based programs Wildsight is developing that helps give students more tools to deal with the challenges of sustainability.

“One lesson is a debate about different types of energy,” Walsh said. “Kids have to defend all the types: hydroelectric, natural gas, coal, nuclear, solar, wind. This leads to critical thinking. We want to help them figure it out for themselves.”

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People in Their Wild Spaces

Brodie Smith, 
Invermere B.C.

This guy is real product of his surroundings: in the summer, he likes to canoe in the Columbia Wetlands, and in the winter he heads to the backcountry with skis.

Brodie Smith was born in Invermere and still calls it his home base. The 23-year-old started skiing when he was four, at Fairmont Hot Springs and Panorama. Now he’s studying to be a backcountry ski guide, a process he will finish next year, after more training and a raft of exams.

“It’s a strenuous program,” he says. “They definitely weed out the weak.”
The Columbia Valley and its surrounding mountains are the ideal setting for Smith, who spends his spare time hiking, “buying ski equipment, looking at the weather and watching ski movies.”

Smith and several friends are planning a kayak trip from Invermere to Revelstoke this September, when the leaves are changing.
“I love canoeing in the wetlands. They’re definitely a pristine and key part of our ecosystem in the Columbia Valley.”

Every winter, Smith spends as much time as he can ski touring in backcountry of the Rockies and the Purcells: “It’s so quiet and serene and peaceful,” he says, “just getting back to nature, enjoying the outdoors, enjoying spending time with friends — and fresh snow.”

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