The Kootenay Conservation Program announced the recipients of its annual Conservation Leadership Awards on Friday, October 3 as part of the 2025 KCP Fall Gathering: 'Rivers to Ridges: Fostering Connections for Conservation', which took place in Fernie.
Over 60 people gathered in Fernie on October 3 & 4 for KCP's 2025 Fall Gathering on the theme of "Rivers to Ridges: Fostering Connections for Conservation”.
We are pleased to introduce our newest partner organization, the Wilder Institute! Collaboration is nothing new to the Wilder Institute – they engage in collaborative partnerships around the world, applying evidence-based, inclusive conservation approaches that achieve long-term benefits for people and wildlife. They operate Canada’s largest conservation breeding and research facility dedicated to the return of endangered species to the wild.
Braydi Rice has worked as a biologist with Shuswap Band since 2020 and moved into her role as Territorial Stewardship Director this past April. As the first staff biologist hired by Shuswap Band, she has witnessed considerable growth in staff – now they employ six biologists across the Territorial Stewardship department.
The application period for Local Conservation Fund projects for 2026 projects is now open! Applications are accepted until October 31, and can be submitted by non-profit organizations and Indigenous nations for projects within the participating areas of both the Columbia Valley and the Regional District of Central Kootenay.
Slocan Valley-based ecologist Tyson Ehlers has always had a fascination with the natural world, beginning with the snakes and lizards that fueled his curiosity as a child growing up in the South Okanagan. His enthusiasm for all living things and their interactions remains evident today – he’s truly someone who is doing exactly what he loves. Tyson became enchanted by fungi early in his career, realizing how much we didn’t know about these organisms.
