Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

Kootenay Lake

Back to top Benefits of Local Conservation Funds

Back to top Benefits of Local Conservation Funds

Across the province, Local Conservation Funds are an approach that a growing number of communities and local governments are taking. Local Conservation Funds provide much-needed financial support for important local projects that contribute to the health of wildlife, habitat and water. The Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund, established in 2008 in the East Kootenay, was the first of its kind in Canada’s history. Local residents agreed, by referendum, to pay a parcel tax of $20 per parcel per year to this dedicated fund for conservation projects. The service was so successful, the Columbia Valley’s Regional Directors voted unanimously to remove the sunset clause before the service was due to expire so it would continue after 2018.

Back to top Eight Kootenay Lake conservation projects receive RDCK support

Back to top Eight Kootenay Lake conservation projects receive RDCK support

Conservation efforts around the water and aquatic systems of Kootenay Lake will see some support from the regional district this year. The Regional District of Central Kootenay board of directors approved $75,000 in grant funds for the Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund (KLLCF) to be spread among eight different projects. Established in consultation with residents in electoral areas A, D and E — following a referendum in 2014 — each of the eight projects will receive 80 per cent of the money up front and the remaining 20 per cent upon receipt of the final report. The Kootenay Lake and surrounding area has been impacted for its ecological and habitat values due to dam operations and development pressure, noted Sangita Sudan, general manager of the RDCK’s Development and Community Sustainability.

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

After a record-breaking summer of heat, drought, and fires, experts in the Columbia Basin are stressing the importance of water monitoring and watershed management to secure our water supplies. “Watersheds are complicated,” said Greg Utzig, a conservation ecologist based in the Columbia Basin. “There are lots of different pieces, and if we are going to understand how these watersheds react to climate disruption, we have to have a better understanding of how the various parts interact. This is where water monitoring comes in, by helping us understand how these systems work and how fast they are changing,”

River Talk — Movement grows to build weir/dam across Koocanusa Reservoir

River Talk — Movement grows to build weir/dam across Koocanusa Reservoir

Completed in 1973, the Army Corps of Engineers dam was designed to regulate how spring snow melt in the Kootenay River watershed (87% of which originates in Canada) enters the downstream watershed. It has done so effectively, but at a considerable price to local residents. The upper end of the reservoir in Canada bears the brunt of the storage draw down each spring, and in dry years, the reservoir’s moonscape does not always refill to a level that allows for much recreation. The control over these water levels is 100% vested in American operation of Libby dam.

Follow us