The 2024 Fall Gathering was on the theme of “Stewarding for Biodiversity!”

During the 2-day event over October 4 & 5 in Rossland, Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) highlighted the importance of stewarding for ‘all living things’ including plants, insects, and other biodiversity. The loss of biodiversity internationally, nationally, and regionally is being recognized as a major challenge to conservation. Stewarding for biodiversity through knowledge sharing, fostering partnerships, and developing collaborative, strategic approaches to conservation was the theme of this year’s KCP Fall Gathering.

Friday’s conference was held at the Prestige Mountain Resort in Rossland. To kick off Day 1, KCP Board Chair Derek Petersen and KCP Program Director Juliet Craig welcomed everyone to the Gathering and set the stage for the event. This welcome was followed by presentations on important themes. The first presentations focused on ‘Stewardship of Biodiversity: Managing Threats and Protecting Habitats’. Laurie Frankcom with the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS) informed us of the ‘Top 10 Invasive Species to watch for in the West Kootenay’, including how to identify, prevent, and report these species. This discussion was followed by Sarah MacPherson with Teck presenting on ‘Protecting Biodiversity through Covenants: a Teck example’. Sarah shared information on the five Conservation Covenants that Teck currently owns and manages in the West Kootenay. Each presentation was followed by a Q & A period.

The next set of presentations were on the theme of ‘Future Stewardship of Biodiversity: Considering Climate and New Directions.’ Greg Utzig’s presentation on ‘Stewarding for Biodiversity in the Context of Climate Disruption’ was full of fascinating recent research including how plants are adapting to the increasing Vapour Pressure-Deficit (VPD), how rising water temperatures are affecting salmon, and how wildfire mitigation can take climatic changes into consideration. After a Q & A, Dr. Rachel Holt presented on ‘The Future for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Health’, emphasizing that BC is the best opportunity in North America to maintain biodiversity, and sharing her insights on the paradigm shift that is needed in the forest industry in order to put nature first in all land management decisions.

We are grateful to these presenters for sharing their knowledge and preparing these engaging presentations.

The evening banquet created another opportunity for partners to connect, and included the announcement of KCP’s Annual Conservation Leadership Awards. The 2024 recipients were Mark Thomas with the Shuswap Band for the East Kootenay, and ecologist Evan McKenzie, who was nominated through his work with the West Kootenay EcoSociety (now Neighbours United), for the West Kootenay. Congratulations to both!

The Day 2 field tour showcased wetland restoration in the morning, with a stop at the Jubilee Wetland at Rossland Summit School, hosted by wetland specialist Eva Cameron, Rachael Roussin with Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors, Laurie Frankom with CKISS, and Laura Jackman, teacher in School District 20. This was followed by a visit to the Centennial Wetlands, hosted by Eva Cameron and hydrologist Drew Brayshaw.

We then traveled to Beaver Creek Provincial Park for the afternoon, where we ate lunch in the sunshine by the Columbia River. Elliot Tonasket, with the Syilx Nation, kindly offered to share a song and story in an opening circle, before we learned more about the Brushland Grassland ecosystem from Audrey Ehman, a scientist with the Provincial Government. The discussion continued with Bren Beckwith and Valerie Huff, both with the Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS), sharing their expertise on plants and pollinator species that are native to this ecosystem, and KNPS’s Pollination Pathway Program and Monarch Waystation Learning Gardens. Janice Arndt with KNPS expanded this discussion further by sharing her research, with a focus on local native pollinators including butterflies and moths. Paige Thurston talked about Living Lakes Canada’s water monitoring and hydrometrics program on Beaver Creek, before Elliot Tonasket wrapped up the tour with a closing song, and we enjoyed a beautiful walk back.

Thank you to everyone who helped make KCP’s 2024 Fall Gathering and Field Tour a success! And a big thanks to Rick Hoar for providing the beautiful handmade table decorations!