Description:
Known as kinq̓uq̓anki in the Ktunaxa language, the east side of Columbia Lake is a beautiful and mostly intact natural landscape that possesses significant cultural and ecological values, particularly to First Nations Peoples who have occupied the land for thousands of years. Over the past several decades, there have been significant land conservation efforts undertaken to minimize threats to the land base. As a result, an impressive assemblage of protected and conserved areas has been established. In 2024, the Provincial Government, the Ktunaxa Nation Council, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and The Nature Trust of British Columbia (the “Partners”) were awarded funding to kinq̓uq̓anki for the first time, through Year 6 of Kootenay Connect Priority Places – Columbia Lake Focal Area. The funding was earmarked to manage invasive plants across this special landscape. By addressing this critical threat, the Partners hope to enhance the ecological health and function of plant communities within kinq̓uq̓anki, while also ensuring that cultural values important to local First Nations (i.e., traditional plants for food and medicine) remain protected. This final report summarizes activities that took place across kinq̓uq̓anki in the first year of the project (2024-25).

Keywords: invasive species; grasslands

Authors:

Organization: Nature Trust of BC

Category: Invasive Plant Management

Focal Area: Columbia Lake

Resource Type: Report

Year: 2025