The Creston Valley connects a portion of the South Selkirk and South Purcell mountains and holds the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) which covers ~41% of the valley bottom.

The CVWMA has 19 SARA listed species, 34 Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed species and 43 BC listed species, including the federally-listed endangered northern leopard frog and the grizzly bear listed as Special Concern.

Groups engaged in conserving and managing biodiversity and habitat connectivity in the Creston Valley include: Trans-border Grizzly Bear Project, Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Lower Kutenai Band, Farmland Advantage, Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Team, FLNRORD, Kootenay Conservation Program, Wildsight-Creston, and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. For Kootenay Connect, the lead partner in this corridor is the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area.

Year 2 Highlights

The highlights from Kootenay Connect project work completed in the Creston Valley for Year 2 (2020-21) are listed below.

Video: Northern Leopard Frog Habitat Enhancement

An overview of the Northern Leopard Frog Habitat Enhancement project work that took place in the Creston Wildlife Management Area in 2020-2021.

Report: Summary of Activities for the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area 2020-2021

This report outlines the Services provided by the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA), representing the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Authority, in Fiscal Year 2020/21. The CVWMA completed the two Deliverables for Fiscal Year 2020/21:

  • Removed derelict water control infrastructure and replaced with new water control system with two functional sluices gates that allows for improved water flow between Duck Lake and the Duck Lake Nesting Area.
  • Design habitat features to improve movement corridor for northern leopard frog between overwintering and breeding habitats. Develop a prescription that would improve wildlife movement from the Kootenay River East Channel eastward to the Purcell Mountain Range, which would include Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Frog-Bear conservation property.

Master Plan: CVWMA Connectivity Enhancement of Duck Lake Nesting and Frog Bear Corridor

CVWMA objectives are to create a Master Plan that can be implemented in phases; a plan that increases multi-species habitat connectivity through a matrix of vegetative corridors, open grassland habitat, and riparian or riparian edge habitat. This may include but not be limited to, modification of slopes, modification of flow and sinuosity of drainage ditches, potential relocation of existing dikes, controlled riparian or water access for cattle and improved shade access for cattle outside of riparian areas. Beargrass Landscape Architecture was hired to provide documentation, design work, and aid in coordination of ideas and species requirements between CVWMA, Biologists, Hydrologists, Ecologists, Engineers, and other stakeholders.

Year 1 Highlights

The highlights from Kootenay Connect project work completed in the Creston Valley for Year 1 (2019-20) are listed below.

Video: Creston Corridor

An overview of the Northern Leopard Frog Habitat Enhancement project.

Map: Creston Available Data

This map provides and overview of data available for the Creston Valley that includes wildlife habitat features and critical habitat for species at risk to inform protection and management of wildlife movement corridors and habitat connectivity.

Map; Creston Cumulative Impacts

This map provides available data for cumulative impacts in the Creston Valley including land ownership, management jurisdictions, and human activity to inform protection and management of wildlife movement corridors and habitat connectivity.

Map: Creston Valley Climate Corridor

Map: Creston Valley Northern Leopard Frog Work

Map: Creston Valley Northern Leopard Frog Work (closeup)