KLLCF – Funded Projects 2017
Fish/Bear Lake Western Toad Ecology and Hwy 31A Mortality Mitigation Study
$8,000 to the Valhalla Wilderness Society to complete Year 3 of a four-year study on western toads (blue-listed in BC and considered a species at risk federally) at Fish and Bear lakes between New Denver and Kaslo. More specifically, to reduce Highway 31A vehicle mortality of migrating and resident western toads, particularly pregnant females and toadlets; to address surrounding land use issues to ensure long-term integrity of a regionally important toad ecosystem; and to grow the body of knowledge about western toad ecology, conservation and mitigation techniques in the West Kootenays and B.C.
Grizzly Bear Coexistence Solutions
$9,080 to the BC Wildlife Federation to improve grizzly bear/human coexistence in low-elevation habitats in the Kootenay Lake area, to reduce grizzly bear/agricultural conflicts by providing education and support, and to share the cost of direct conservation action (electric fencing).
Kootenay Community Bat Project: Bat Conservation on Private Land
$16,025 to Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada to promote and conserve the variety of bat species and their associated habitats that exist in the Kootenay Lake region through public and landowner education and outreach, and ongoing monitoring for the collection of baseline data.
Kootenay Lake Osprey Nest Monitoring Phase II
$8,024 to Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society to continue to observe and measure ospreys in the Kootenay Lake area, their numbers in a given area, wildlife tree availability and threats ospreys may be facing (ospreys have seen a significant decline on the West Arm of Kootenay Lake from 1997-2006 data collected by the Nelson Naturalists). The project will also engage and educate residents through citizen-science monitoring of osprey nesting sites around Kootenay Lake.
Kootenay Lake Shorelines Guidance Document Outreach
$4,000 to Kootenay Lake Partnership to Increase awareness, understanding and application of the Kootenay Lake Shoreline Guidance Document for land-use management and water allocation decision-making. The Kootenay Lake Shoreline Guidance Document is unique in that it integrates First Nations cultural sites (both contemporary and historical) as well as a complete ecological assessment.
North Kootenay Lake Water Monitoring Project
$20,000 to Kootenay Centre for Forestry Alternatives to collect quality-controlled data to improve understanding and prediction of how small- and medium-sized watersheds in the region will behave in a changing climate, especially in conditions of extreme low and high precipitation and higher temperatures. Project data will lead to improved planning and implementation of adaptation strategies in the areas of aquatic ecosystems and water supply conservation, land use planning, forest management, and natural hazard predictions.
