Creston Valley Check-in Meeting

On February 18, 2026, biologists and representatives from various local stewardship organizations, First Nations, and other agencies came together in Creston to review the progress being made on the priority actions identified during the 2020 Creston Valley Conservation Action Forum. Over 35 participants from nineteen organizations provided updates on on the results of conservation and stewardship projects occurring throughout the region. Attendees also shared diverse perspectives in an engaging discussion on next steps for key actions and potential collaborations.     © KCP

The Priority Actions were updated at the 2026 meeting as follows: 

• Enhance landscape connectivity and corridors through a climate change lens
• Conduct fire-maintained ecosystem restoration
• Expand stewardship opportunities to protect habitats and biodiversity
• Restore floodplain connectivity of the Kootenay/Kootenai river system
• Address the ongoing conflict between elk and agricultural producers

Resources

Below is a list of the Priority Actions from 2020, with links to PDFs of the presentations given at the 2026 Creston Valley Conservation Action Forum Check-In Meeting.

Below that are the video presentations. 

1. Priority Action 1 – Develop a Landscape Scale Ecosystem-based Inventory of Biodiversity:
   o Biodiversity and species at risk – Marc-André Beaucher (Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area)
   o Cottonwood floodplains mapping and Green Map – Gitte Grover (Wildsight Creston Valley)
   o Bat conservation and monitoring in Creston Valley – Heather Gates (Wildlife Conservation Society Canada)
   o Updates on Northern Leopard Frogs and American Bullfrogs – Devon Moore (Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship)
   o Invasive Species Update – Molly Tilden (Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society)
2. Priority Action 2 – Enhance Landscape Connectivity and Corridors Through a Climate Change Lens:
   o Grizzly bear and landscape-level connectivity in Creston – Michael Proctor (Kootenay Connect); Video of Michael’s presentation coming soon
   o Frog Bear Connectivity Corridor enhancement – Marc-André Beaucher (Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area)
   o Barbed wire fence removal project – Rebecca Gidney (Wildsight Creston); Video of Wildflow Project
3. Priority Action 3 – Expand Stewardship Opportunities to Protect High Quality Habitats: 
   o Payment for Ecosystem Services for Farmers – Dave Zehnder (Farmland Advantage)
   o Biodiversity options in environmental farm plans – Rachael Roussin (Kootenay Boundary Farm Advisors); Video of Rachael’s presentation
   o Wildlife Co-existence Solutions – Dee Howard (Creston Coexistence)
4. Priority Action 4 – Restore Floodplain Connectivity of the Kootenay/Kootenai River System:
   o Frog-Bear wetland restoration project – Marc-Andre Beaucher (CVWMA) and Adrian Leslie (Nature Conservancy of Canada)
5. Priority Action 5: Perform Fire Maintained Ecosystem Restoration: 
   o Prescribed fire working group for Creston Valley – John Cathro (Cathro Consulting) and Carter Kuiper (Yaqan Nukiy)
6. Priority Action 6: (New) Address Elk and Agriculture Conflict:
   o Creston Elk Project – Emily Chow (Ministry of Water, Land and Resources Stewardship) 
   o Efficacy of non-lethal management for elk-agriculture conflict – Colleen Cassady St. Clair (University of Alberta); Video of Colleen’s presentation
   o Elk Compensation package for landowners – Taylor Griffin (Provincial Government); Video of Taylor’s presentation coming soon
   o Chronic Wasting Disease – Cait Nelson (Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship); Video of Cait’s presentation coming soon