Winter Webinars 2026

IIn partnership with the Columbia Mountains Institute of Applied Ecology (CMI), Kootenay Conservation Program (KCP) presents our Annual Winter Webinar Series on the theme of Lessons for the next chapter of Restoration & Stewardship in the Columbia Basin.

This year’s webinar series is designed to honour the legacy and capture the extensive knowledge of senior restoration and stewardship professionals in the Columbia Basin. 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 ecological restoration, land stewardship, and ecosystem monitoring, emphasizing important insights that can and should inform future restoration efforts. Discussions will span the diverse ecological landscapes of the Kootenay region—from the wonders of cottonwood floodplains to the beaver-shaped wetlands of the Columbia Valley, and from the open forests and grasslands of the Rocky Mountain Trench to the low-elevation brushlands of the lower Arrow.

As we explore these stories, we recognize and honour Indigenous peoples as the original and enduring stewards of these lands, and reflect on how Indigenous values, knowledge, and practices can be meaningfully integrated into current and future restoration planning and implementation. By fostering this continuity, the series supports the long-term resilience of conservation efforts in the Kootenays—a region of exceptional biodiversity increasingly affected by climate change and human disturbance

The series includes presenters who are both preparing to “pass the torch,” and some who have effectively “taken the torch”: Dr. Stewart Rood, Audrey Ehman, Randy Harris, Delaney Hall, and Dr. Suzanne Bayley.

The 5 webinars will take place on Thursdays in January and February at lunchtime.