Field Tour during a previous Fall Gathering held in Nelson in 2018. Marc-André Beaucher photo.
The Kootenay Conservation Program Fall Gathering serves as one of the primary opportunities to connect and reconnect KCP partners from across the region. In collaboration with Selkirk College, this year’s event will be focused on the theme of “Passing the Torch: Lessons for the Next Chapter of Restoration and Stewardship”. This year’s Fall Gathering is designed to honour the legacy and capture the extensive knowledge of senior restoration and stewardship professionals in the region. As many of these experts approach retirement, this series provides a timely platform for intergenerational knowledge exchange — ensuring that decades of applied research, field experience, and collaborative learning are effectively transferred to the next generation. Presenters will reflect on key lessons from their careers in conservation, emphasizing important insights that can and should inform future conservation and restoration efforts.
The Fall Gathering will be held at the Prestige Lakeside Resort in Nelson, and will begin at 9 am for KCP's AGM, followed by engaging morning presentations beginning at 10:30 am, a catered lunch at 12 pm, and continuing with afternoon sessions including youth perspectives on conservation and the Conservation Café. This will be followed by a Photographic Journey of Kootenay Connect Priority Places, and the Conservation Leadership Awards ceremony.
Saturday’s field tour will depart at 8:45 am for a full day outing to two ecologically and culturally significant conservation properties – Waterloo Eddy Regional Park and Norns Creek Fan – where we will learn about dry forest and riparian restoration, salmon reintroduction, and more. We will stop at Millenium Park for lunch. Register soon, as space is limited!
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Past Fall Gatherings
Since 2012, we have hosted annual Fall Gatherings throughout the Kootenays. We’ve been told by many partners these gatherings are one of their best days out of the office. Find out where we went and what was shared.
2025 Fall Gathering
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”.
2024 Fall Gathering
Over 50 people gathered in Rossland on October 4 & 5 for KCP's 2024 Fall Gathering on the theme of "Stewarding for Biodiversity."
2023 Fall Gathering
Over 50 people gathered in Cranbrook in early October for KCP's 2023 Fall Gathering celebrating 4 years of Kootenay Connect at the "Kootenay Connect Summit”.
2022 Fall Gathering
The organizing theme for the 2022 20th Anniversary KCP Fall Gathering in Creston was “Celebrating 20 Years of Conservation Partnership”.
2021 Fall Gathering
The organizing theme for the 2021 Fall Gathering was “Partnerships in Conservation”.
2020 Fall Gathering
The organizing theme for the 2020 Fall Gathering was “Conservation in a Time of Uncertainty: Adapting to Challenges”.
2019 Fall Gathering
The 2019 KCP Fall Gathering was held in Invermere on October 4 & 5, and had over 60 people from 30+ organizations attend and share their ideas on "Biodiversity Hotspots in the Kootenays."
2018 Fall Gathering
The 2018 KCP Fall Gathering had 70 people from 34 organizations in the Kootenays come to Nelson on October 12 & 13 to discuss ecosystem resilience and “Conservation in the Context of Climate Change."
2017 Fall Gathering
Almost 50 people from the Kootenays and beyond came together in September for the 2017 KCP Fall Gathering in Cranbrook to learn and share ideas on “Grassland to Wetlands: Connecting Diversity."
2016 Fall Gathering
Over 40 people from throughout the Kootenays came together at the KCP Fall Gathering to learn and share ideas on “Promoting Conservation on Private Land: A Local Conservation Toolkit."
2015 Fall Gathering
Kootenay Conservation Program partners congregated for our 2015 Fall Gathering and Annual General Meeting in September at St. Eugene Mission Resort. The theme of the gathering was "Large Landscape Conservation."
2012 to 2014 Fall Gatherings
KCP has been hosting fall gatherings throughout the Kootenays since 2012.
