2026 Spring Tours

In May 2026, KCP hosted a West Kootenay Stewardship Committee meeting in Nelson, with the option of remote attendance via Zoom.

Each of the attendees provided a short update on their organization’s activities using the following two questions as a guide: (1) What’s 1 item or activity that you are working on that you want to be sure others know about? (2) What’s 1 potential collaboration that you/your organization could offer, or you would like to request from others? There was also an opportunity for discussion about updating KCP’s stewardship framework, which generated engaged and productive conversations.

The morning meeting was followed by a afternoon field tour. The West Kootenay field tour was a walking tour along Cottonwood Creek to Cottonwood Creek Park. Paige Thurston with Living Lakes Canada gave an overview and update about the Cottonwood Creek Restoration Project, a collaboration between Living Lakes, the Nelson District Rod & Gun Club, and Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society (FoKLSS). Paul Thomas with the Nelson District Rod & Gun Club talked about the importance of the project to the club, and their contributions, and Raine Freeman with FoKLSS shared insights about the value of nature connection within this urban setting, and an update on the community stream and beach clean-ups coordinated by FoKLSS. Laurie Carr with the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society also talked about the main invasive plants in Cottonwood Creek Park. After a discussion about the challenges and benefits of riparian restoration, we walked to Cottonwood Creek Falls and the site of B.C.’s first hydroelectric generating facility, to finish the tour.