Residents of the Slocan Valley will have the opportunity to decide if they want a Local Conservation Fund during a referendum on October 15, 2022 to help conserve the water, wildlife and habitats that surround them. Photo by Joel Pelletier

The Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) congratulates the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) for its strong commitment to protecting our natural heritage through the proposed expansion of the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund. Residents of the Slocan Valley will now decide whether they share this commitment by voting on this service on October 15, 2022 through referendum.

This Local Conservation Fund will provide local financial support for important projects that conserve valuable natural areas and restore and preserve a healthy environment. The funding for this effort would come from an annual parcel tax of approximately $15/parcel which has already been established in Areas A, D and E within the RDCK.

In 2008, Columbia Valley residents in the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) voted in favour of establishing a similar fund through referendum. Since 2008, this fund has provided over $2.5 million in support to over 100 grants that benefit the environment and local communities, and was the first of its kind in Canada.

In 2014, Kootenay Lake residents in the RDCK voted to establish a similar fund in Areas A, D and E. This fund has already provided almost a half million dollars in grants to valuable local projects and generated over four times that amount in leveraged funding and in-kind support.

In 2018, KCP conducted market research to gauge public support for establishing this service in other regions of the Kootenays. The findings concluded that “the overwhelming majority of Kootenay residents believe that it is important to look after or conserve the private land in valley bottoms, which are important habitats to many species of fish and wildlife” and that “two-thirds of residents of the Slocan Valley are willing to contribute financially to a dedicated conservation fund, higher than the average willingness across the Kootenays”. Based on these findings, the RDCK will be taking the Local Conservation Fund service to referendum in the Slocan Valley on October 15, 2022 and will look at expanding the service into other regions, including Area F on Kootenay Lake, next year.

QUOTE:

“For the past eight years, the Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) has been a proud partner of the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to deliver the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund (KLLCF),” said Juliet Craig, Program Director of the KCP. “We are now excited to extend this partnership to include the Slocan Valley if residents there vote to establish the Local Conservation Fund service. We look forward to working together with the RDCK to continue to provide tangible, on-the-ground results for nature, and for the residents of the service area.”

FACTS:   

  • The Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund, established in 2014, provides local financial support for important projects that contribute to the conservation of valuable natural areas and restore and conserve a healthy environment.
  • On March 17, 2022, the RDCK approved a motion to propose expanding the Local Conservation Fund service.
  • Voters in RDCK Area H will have the opportunity to decide whether to support the fund by voting in a referendum on October 15, 2022.
  • Projects that are eligible for support through the fund address the following local priorities: clean water, healthy watersheds, fish and wildlife and their habitats, and climate resilience.
  • Local conservation funds serve as anchor dollars to obtain at least four times the investment in partner dollars and other support, which creates jobs, work for local businesses, and the purchase of local materials and supplies.

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ABOUT:

The Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) is a partnership of 80 organizations that work together to protect clean water, conserve important wildlife habitat, and steward the land to allow for healthy, functioning ecosystems in the East and West Kootenays.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Juliet Craig
Program Director
Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP)
juliet@kootenayconservation.ca