North Okanagan Conservation Fund Projects

Wetland restoration for biodiversity and flood mitigation 

Armstrong Wetland Association is undertaking a multi-year project to restore and enhance one of the community’s last remaining low-elevation wetlands. Having already completed an environmental assessment and excavated a new pond and hummock to diversify habitat, this year the project will construct a metal boardwalk, viewing platform, and educational signage to provide safe, year-round public access. The project aims to improve biodiversity, reduce spring flooding, enhance water quality flowing into Meighan Creek, and create an outdoor learning space for schools and the public. Funding requested will support the boardwalk and viewing infrastructure, enabling long-term community engagement and stewardship of this sensitive wetland ecosystem.

Wildlife Species 

North Okanagan Naturalists Club, in partnership with Birds Canada and the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, proposes to establish the first Motus Wildlife Tracking System station between Salmon Arm and the South Okanagan. Located in Vernon at Allan Brooks Nature Centre, the station will provide wide-ranging coverage across the North Okanagan, including Coldstream and Electoral Areas B & C. The Motus network enables automated detection of radio-tagged wildlife, offering highly detailed data on the movements of migratory birds and other species. Modern radio-tag technology dramatically improves upon traditional bird banding by eliminating the need for recapture, allowing researchers to track individuals across vast distances with unprecedented precision. Installing a Motus station in the North Okanagan will fill a significant geographic gap in the global network, enhance biodiversity monitoring, and strengthen local research capacity. The $12,000 project (including $10,000 cash and $2,000 in-kind) will provide open-access wildlife movement data to researchers, while also supporting public education through demonstrations and programming at Allan Brooks Nature Centre and North Okanagan Naturalists Club.

Wetland Restoration for Biodiversity   

Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society’s (OSS) Growing Greener project addresses the severe loss of riparian and wetland habitats in the Okanagan by engaging residents, landowners, and community partners in hands-on conservation, restoration, and long-term stewardship. Over the past two years, the project has mobilized more than 200 participants, completed six on-the-ground habitat improvement projects, strengthened partnerships with key regional organizations, and developed effective outreach tools tailored to local audiences within Electoral Areas B, C, D, E, and F, as well as Armstrong and Lumby. In its third year, the project will deepen community involvement, complete and monitor three or more additional restoration projects, and compile a comprehensive three-year summary to guide future riparian work. Using social marketing and a collaborative, partnership-driven approach, OSS will deliver workshops, events, and restoration activities while tracking ecological outcomes through established monitoring methods. 

Protection of sensitive terrestrial ecosystems/corridors and Wildlife Conservation 

Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program’s project seeks to maintain and safeguard the region’s remaining ecological corridors, which provide essential linkages between parks and protected areas but are increasingly threatened by residential development, agriculture, and resource extraction. This project will bring together syilx knowledge keepers, conservation planners, government staff, R.P.Bio professionals, and researchers to develop a comprehensive connectivity work plan for the North Okanagan Conservation Fund area. Using new wetland and grassland connectivity models developed by OCCP and UBC, the project will identify priority wildlife corridors, critical pinch points, and areas likely to shift under climate change. Key outcomes include recommendations for wildlife crossing structures, site-specific best practices for land use and stewardship, and policy and development guidelines to support ecological connectivity.  The results of this work can be utilized by Local Governments and nonprofit conservation groups in policy and/or land acquisition efforts. By combining Indigenous knowledge with Western science and strengthening collaboration across jurisdictions, the project will provide essential data to guide land protection, improve planning decisions, and maintain the habitat linkages necessary for the long-term survival of biodiversity in the North Okanagan. 

Wildlife Habitat

North Okanagan Naturalists Club’s project focuses on improving nesting and basking habitat for the Western Painted Turtle, a species facing increasing pressure in the Greater Vernon area. Recent NOCF-funded research found the Swan Lake’s turtle population relies heavily on human-dominated areas, such as driveways, beaches, and edges of parking lots for nesting - highlighting an urgent need for safer nesting habitat. This proposal will assess the suitability of Crane Road Park on Swan Lake as a dedicated nesting area and will re-evaluate Cools Pond for suitable nesting habitat. The project will produce recommendations on optimal nesting and basking site locations, construction methods, permitting needs, and cost estimates. These outcomes will inform future habitat improvement efforts and help address a knowledge gap, supporting long-term conservation for Western Painted Turtles in the North Okanagan. 

Habitat Restoration 

Invasive Species Council of BC’s project aims to reduce the impacts of invasive species on freshwater, riparian, and upland ecosystems in the North Okanagan, where invasive plants are degrading habitat quality, reducing biodiversity, increasing erosion, and threatening water quality. Building on successful stewardship efforts in Armstrong and Lumby, where more than 280 participants contributed to removing nearly 2,000 lbs of invasive plants and restoring native vegetation, this project will expand hands-on community engagement through workshops and restoration activities at Meighan Creek-Armstrong Wetlands, Salmon Trails and Monashee Family Park in Lumby. Activities will include invasive species removal, native plantings, educational surveys, and the installation of stewardship signage to promote healthier aquatic and riparian ecosystems across the region.

Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society’s project will engage in a landowner stewardship program for riparian and wetland ecosystems to ensure natural areas and water quality are conserved for future generations.  The project will engage the community and increase awareness of the interactions between the diverse land uses and riparian health in the North Okanagan Conservation Fund area. OSS will work directly with landowners to restore and enhance wetland habitats by planting riparian & wetland revegetation.

Living Lakes Canada and the Okanagan Indian Band will collaboratively lead the Foreshore Integrated Management Planning (FIMP) surveys on Kalamalka Lake and the Northern part of Okanagan Lake. FIMP is a cumulative impact assessment tool that includes local a Indigenous knowledge and values framework. This work will provide a comprehensive inventory regarding the state of shoreline habitat.  The project will also identify priority areas for conservation and restoration to support the diverse range of wildlife and aquatic species, and cultural values. 

Okanagan Indian Band. This project addresses the degraded fish and wildlife habitat and passage impediments in the lower 2.5 km of Equesis Creek. Project goals include decommissioning Equesis/Six Mile Dam and Westside Rd weirs, restoring year-round passage for indigenous fish - including pools, riffles, and vegetation communities, and maintaining the irrigation function that the dam and weirs provided. These goals will be accomplished primarily by replacing the uniform channel bed and dam/weirs with a series of nature-like “Newbury” riffles and stabilizing and revegetating the riparian banks.

Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program will work with multiple partners to: identify ecological corridors that connect existing and planned core protected areas and identify pinch-points that restrict wildlife movements, develop site-specific best practices in land use planning and land stewardship for the identified corridors, recommend local government policies and development guidelines for ecological connectivity, and provide connectivity data and information to assist in guiding land protection and acquisition measures.

Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park will implement year two of the Native and Invasive Plants Project, which includes working with volunteers and a herbicide contractor to eradicate emerging invasive plants and control the spread of some established invasive plants along a 5km and a 13km section of trail within Kal Park.  This work goes above, and beyond the traditional invasive plant control, the province would normally carry out in the park.  This project will also encourage residents to join the “Adopt a Meadow” program to further help control invasive plants. 

Invasive Species Council of BC. This project will facilitate yellow flag iris control along Meighan Creek in Armstrong. The Armstrong Wetland Association is currently restoring a wetland area downstream of the project site and this project aims to prevent the spread of yellow flag iris into the wetland area currently undergoing restoration.

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club will identify and map nesting sites for Western Painted turtles (blue listed) at Swan Lake. This data will help inform decisions for future habitat restorations.

The North Okanagan Naturalists Club. This project will survey four public sites for biocontrols of Canadian Thistle at Swan Lake Nature Reserve Park, Cools Pond Park, Crane Road Park, and Carlson Park to determine the presence of previously released biocontrols (weevils and flies). The project will prepare a report confirming the presence of any population number of weevils or flies at these sites and determine if past efforts have been successful or if new efforts based upon the observations are needed. 

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.