Highlights from Year 2 (2020-21) to Year 4 (2022-23) are listed below.
Year 4 Highlights (2022-23)
This video documents the projects initiated and completed in 2022-2023 to enhance habitat for species at risk including Northern Leopard Frogs, Grizzly Bears, Bobolinks and Western Painted Turtles. Projects included construction of an electric fence to exclude cattle grazing from wetland and riparian habitats, digging a new channel near the Duck Lake Nesting Area, and recontouring existing channels in the Frog Bear Conservation Corridor.
This report outlines the Services provided by the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) for Fiscal Year 2022/23. The overall goal of this year’s project for Kootenay Connect was to develop and implement designs and prescriptions identified in the CVWMA Connectivity Enhancement of Duck Lake Nesting Area and Frog Bear Corridor (2020-2021) report to: a) improve movement habitat for northern leopard frog migrating between overwintering and breeding habitats; and b) improve cross-valley 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. A combination of enhancement and restoration activities were selected as “measurable outcomes” based on the “Connectivity Enhancement” report from 2020-2021: channel / waterway edge contouring, wetland creation, native seeding and plantings, invasive plant management, and cattle exclusion fencing – south of the Duck Lake Nesting Area (DLNA), on the West Meadows Farm unit of CVWMA and Frog Bear property. The selected activities intended to improve approximately 30 ha of connectivity habitat for northern leopard frogs, grizzly bears, Bobolinks, and many other species at risk; plus, several bat species should benefit from overall habitat cover and foraging structure complexity in the enhanced areas.
Year 3 Highlights (2021-22)
This report provides the activities completed by the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA), representing the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Authority, in Fiscal Year 2021/2022, as agreed upon in Schedule A and Schedule B of the Service Contract No. between the Kootenay Centre for Forestry Alternatives (KCFA) and the CVWMA.
Year 2 Highlights (2020-21)
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.
