Protecting what matters: RDCK Local Conservation Fund supports water and wildlife

In 2025, the RDCK Local Conservation Fund boosted biodiversity by supporting the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society’s work to remove invasive plants such as Scotch broom. CKISS photo.

Nine conservation projects were recently approved by the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to receive funding from the RDCK Local Conservation Fund in 2026. A local government service that creates a dedicated fund for conservation, the RDCK Local Conservation Fund distributes funding to projects in Electoral Areas A, D, E, F and H that are approved by the RDCK Board of Directors each year. Funding generated through the RDCK Local Conservation Fund is typically leveraged four to nine times through additional grants — bringing significant investment into the local economy while supporting conservation work carried out by local contractors, suppliers, and stewardship groups.

“First Nations and stewardship organizations in the Central Kootenay are leading meaningful, collaborative conservation work,” said Kendal Benesh, Interim Program Director for Kootenay Conservation Program, which partners with the RDCK to administer the fund. “The RDCK Local Conservation Fund continues to support a wide range of initiatives, from habitat enhancement to human-wildlife conflict reduction — all of which help sustain our local environment and quality of life.”

Several projects helping vulnerable wildlife species will be supported through the RDCK Local Conservation Fund in 2026. Grizzly Bear Coexistence Solutions is receiving funding to provide a 50% cost share for residents to install electric fencing, which is an excellent tool for farms, homesteads, orchards, and backyard food producers to prevent bear conflicts. Bats play a vital role in supporting local agriculture and forestry through natural pest control, but decades of habitat alteration in the West Kootenay has reduced options for tree-roosting species. Projects led by the Okanagan Nation Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada aim to conserve local bat populations by assessing habitat quality, enhancing maternity roosts, monitoring species, and engaging landowners.

The RDCK Local Conservation Fund will support Year 3 of Elk Root Conservation Farm’s Pollinator Highway project to improve native plant connectivity and pollinator habitat in the Slocan Valley. It will also support the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society’s Nature for Neighbourhoods project, which helps landowners reduce invasive plants on private land and take long-term, independent stewardship action.

Living Lakes Canada is addressing climate pressure such as drought, altered precipitation patterns, and snowpack shifts by filling water data gaps in key watersheds in Electoral Areas D, E, and H. The project will continue to collect long-term hydrometric, lake, and climate data, including re-installing stations at Trozzo and Winlaw Creeks in partnership with Slocan Integral Forestry Cooperative (SIFCo).

Two projects will focus on wetland restoration to improve water filtration, carbon storage, and climate resilience. Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society will establish resilient native plant communities, manage invasives, and engage Indigenous and other local communities through their Harrop Wetland Restoration Project. Wetland stewardship in the Slocan Valley and in Meadow Creek led by the BC Wildlife Federation will enhance habitats at Crooked Horn and Halleran Wetlands. The goal is to support and recover biodiversity and species-at-risk, including western painted turtles and western toads, while strengthening watershed health for wildlife and communities.

Finally, the West Kootenay Watershed Collaborative Society will use innovative science to demonstrate how climate change and forest disturbance affect watershed stability and health, compiling and utilizing new data and maps to complete Nature Directed Stewardship Plans in both Laird and Redfish Creeks.

The RDCK Local Conservation Fund was established by the RDCK in 2014 by referendum. Property owners in RDCK Electoral Areas A, D, E, F and H pay an annual parcel tax of $15 per year towards this dedicated fund, which provides financial support to local projects helping to conserve and restore the area’s wildlife and habitat.

To find out if your idea for a conservation project qualifies, or if you have any questions about the fund, contact Kootenay Conservation Program at info@kootenayconservation.ca.

The application intake for 2027 projects will open this fall. For more information on the RDCK Local Conservation Fund, please visit https://kootenayconservation.ca/regional-district-of-central-kootenay/.

Lead image: In 2025, the RDCK Local Conservation Fund boosted biodiversity by supporting the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society’s work to remove invasive plants such as Scotch broom. CKISS photo, Broom Basher program.