Eight important conservation projects were recently approved by the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to receive funding from the RDCK Local Conservation Fund in 2025. A local government service that creates a dedicated fund for conservation, the RDCK Local Conservation Fund distributes funding to projects in Electoral Areas A, D, E, F and H that are approved by RDCK Directors each year.
Funding generated through the RDCK Local Conservation Fund is typically matched by additional grants that leverage at least 4 times – and sometimes up to 9 times – the original amount, bringing significant assets into the local economy. The funds are spent locally, which creates added economic benefit through the purchase of materials and supplies, and generates work for a broad range of contractors and businesses.
“First Nations and stewardship organizations in the Central Kootenay region are leading important conservation work,” said Kendal Benesh, Local Conservation Fund Manager for Kootenay Conservation Program, which partners with the RDCK to administer the fund. “The RDCK Local Conservation Fund has supported a wide range of initiatives, from ecosystem restoration to human-wildlife conflict reduction —all of which help sustain our environment and quality of life.”
Several projects helping vulnerable wildlife species will be supported through the RDCK Local Conservation Fund in 2025. For example, while bats support our local agriculture and forestry industries through natural pest control services, habitat alteration over decades in the West Kootenay has reduced options for tree-roosting bats. Projects led by Okanagan Nation Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada will support the conservation of our vital local bat populations by assessing habitat quality, enhancing maternity roosting areas, monitoring local bat species, and engaging landowners in conservation efforts.
The RDCK Local Conservation Fund will also continue to support local biodiversity by funding year 2 of a Slocan Valley project that enhances breeding and nesting habitats for native bees and other pollinators; and through wetland restoration at Crooked Horn Farm along the Slocan River and a site assessment for wetland restoration in Meadow Creek.
Local biodiversity and community resilience are also being supported through the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society’s Kootenay Broom Busters project, with the goal of establishing a long-term self-sustaining model for community-led invasive plant control.
Work conducted by Living Lakes Canada will focus on the North Kootenay Lake region, collecting high-quality, long-term data from hydrometric and climate monitoring sites. This monitoring work supports local climate change adaptation, and the snow surveys also contribute data to the BC provincial flood forecasting center.
Two new projects will receive funding this year. The Slocan River Streamkeepers will continue their nature-based riparian restoration along the Slocan River, with the aim of planting 1,000 native trees, 1,000 dormant cuttings (live stakes), and installing bird nesting boxes in three locations along the river. This project will improve aquatic and riparian health and contribute to water, wildlife, and habitat conservation.
The second new project this year is a grassroots initiative occurring in RDCK Electoral Area A between Wynndel and Riondel. The goal of Wildsight Creston Valley’s project is to identify and remove unmaintained and unwanted barbed wire from several properties where the wire is hazardous to wildlife and blocking movement corridors. The sites are close to important conservation corridors and the wire will be removed through coordinated ‘work bees’ involving local residents.
The RDCK Local Conservation Fund was established by the RDCK in 2014 by referendum. Property owners in RDCK Electoral Areas A, D, E, F and H pay an annual tax of $15 per parcel per year towards this dedicated fund, which provides financial support to local projects helping to conserve and restore the area’s wildlife and habitat.
To find out if your idea for a conservation project qualifies, or if you have any questions about the fund, contact Local Conservation Fund Manager Kendal Benesh at kendal@kootenayconservation.ca.
The application intake for 2026 projects will open this fall. For more information on the RDCK Local Conservation Fund, please visit https://kootenayconservation.ca/regional-district-of-central-kootenay/.
Lead image: Species at risk such as tree-roosting bats are being helped by the RDCK Local Conservation Fund through the installation of habitat features. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada photo, in the Duncan-Lardeau.
