North Okanagan Conservation Fund Projects

Wetland restoration for biodiversity and flood mitigation

The Armstrong Wetland Association is undertaking a wetland enhancement restoration project at 3185 Okanagan Street in the downtown core of Armstrong. The City owns this property, and the Association would like to create an open pond, construct a boardwalk, and build a bird viewing platform with educational signage. In 2023, the Association completed a feasibility study and environmental assessment by a Qualified Environmental Professional outlining the benefits and process for the restoration/enhancement project. 

Landowner Stewardship and Habitat Restoration

The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society is launching a “Growing Greener: Community Engagement on Riparian and Wetland Conservation” project. Through social marketing and targeted messages, the OSSS aims to engage with landowners on restoration initiatives, empowering the community to protect and restore these vital natural habitats, ultimately contributing to healthier and more resilient ecosystems within the conservation fund service area.

Invasive Plant Inventory and Control

The Friends of Kalamalka Lake will design an invasive plant program that includes creating an inventory of invasive plants, establishing experimental plots to test control methods, and manually removing invasives. The project will concentrate its efforts along the 25km of authorized trails within the park, focusing on removing Rush Skeletonweed, Hoary Alyssum, Garlic Mustard, Sulphur Cinquefoil and St John’s Wort. The removal of invasive plants is important because if left unchecked, the invasives can overtake many of the native plants that our wildlife depend on for food.

This project aims to address the threat of aquatic invasive species to local biodiversity and ecosystems by reducing the spread of aquatic invasive species such as Yellow Flag Iris. This project will engage with Dr. Catherine Tarasoff to host a Yellow flag iris workshop focusing on a unique control method of benthic barriers and deep water cutting. Land managers and organizations can use the control methods and knowledge taught to participants to prevent, reduce, and remove invasive species. The project will also develop signs illustrating how boaters can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasives. The Yellow flag iris poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity by changing hydrology and ecosystem function and reducing critical wildlife habitats.

Riparian restoration for biodiversity and flood mitigation

In the past few years, Cherry Creek has been impacted by a logjam buildup, which has altered the downstream movement and buildup of sediment/gravel and woody debris/logs. In  2019 and 2020, Cherry Creek diverted through Hanson Park, significantly impacting community recreational infrastructure. The large log jam was causing erosion of adjacent and downstream properties. Woody debris and boulder structures will be installed on the left bank of the creek, effectively preventing erosion, and the community group would now like to install woody debris and boulders on the right bank to prevent erosion and contribute to fish habitat.

Wetland Habitat Enhancement

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club will continue its efforts to implement the restoration plan it developed in 2021 for the Swan Lake Nature Reserve. This work will enhance habitat diversity by restoring the cultivated area adjacent to Swan Lake and BC Creek. Target nesting and basking habitat for the Wstern Painted Turtle, create feed and resting habitat for the Great Blue Heron and create habitat for the Spadefoot Toad. 

Environmental education for species at risk

The Allan Brooks Nature Centre, in partnership with professional biologists designed a community bat outreach program to train bat ambassadors. The program promoted best practices to landowners for protecting bat habitat, conducted bat education at schools and identified bat restoration sites.

Wetland Habitat Enhancement

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club continued its efforts to implement the restoration plan it developed in 2021 for the Swan Lake Nature Reserve. This work included planting native trees, shrubs and grasses to enhance habitat for wildlife.

Landowner Stewardship and Habitat Restoration

The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society worked with landowners to establish environmental management agreements to improve stewardship approximately 300 acres of wildlife habitat, completed habitat restoration projects and conducted wildlife habitat enhancement workshops.

Wetland restoration for biodiversity and flood mitigation

The Armstrong Wetland Association completed an assessment plan for a wetland restoration in Armstrong. The phased plan includes an open pond, a bird viewing platform, educational signage and a boardwalk.

The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society worked with landowners in the Conservation Fund area to create landowner management agreements to improve stewardship for a targeted 600 acres of wildlife habitat, completed three (3) habitat restoration projects and conducted two (2) wildlife habitat enhancement workshops.

The Wildcraft Forest Foundation worked to increase awareness and identify actions to better understand ways to protect the remaining old-growth forest ecosystems in the Monashee, Upper Shuswap, and North Okanagan. This project continues to establish an index of wild areas in need of protection and developed a tool kit for collecting, germinating and planting native seeds from plants and trees. It includes how to re-wild your yard and reduce your ecological recreational footprint.

The Cherryville Community Club completed an assessment and work plan for the restoration works to protect the riparian streambanks, floodplain and wetlands for a section of Cherry Creek near Hanson Park. There was a delay in 2023 for the Provincial permit, which was not attained before the August 2023 deadline to conduct instream works and will be complete the spring of 2024. 

The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society connected with 514 landowners directly or through community stewardship events and workshops in the north Okanagan.   The program established three (3) new habitat management agreements and worked to enhance 10 existing agreements to protect 734 acres of wildlife habitat.  It also removed 300kg of invasive plants and garbage from sensitive habitats, planted 100 native trees and installed Western Screech Owl boxes.

The Okanagan Fisheries Foundation developed a rapid environmental assessment tool that was used to determine the health and restoration requirements for BX Creek.  The assessment identified significant disturbances on the eastern side of the Silver Star Mountain headwaters and the Sovereign Creek headwaters.  Site specific restoration plans will be developed in 2023.  This assessment tool can also be used by other organizations and allows them to quickly identify impacts and local actions for habitat improvements.

The Okanagan Nation Alliance developed 11 interpretative signs for the Okanagan Rail Trail.  ONA gathered information from elders and community members, UBCO and other partners to develop the content for the signs.  The aim of the project is to increase the public awareness of the importance of indigenous knowledge and indigenous ways of caring for the land and water.

The North Okanagan Naturalist Club created habitat baseline mapping for the Swan Lake Nature Reserve and prepared a restoration plan based on habitat types.  The plan focuses on increasing biodiversity by enhancing habitat for over 200 bird species, animals and species at risk.  The project also installed a bat house in the observation tower and a 45-foot-tall pole and platform for nesting Ospreys.