There is one word that summarizes our feelings right now: gratitude. We are thankful to our community and the support given to us by all of you who showed up at the 10th Wild & Scenic Film Festival. You made it another successful fundraiser, and our bank account is now $17,519 richer. This gives us the resources and confidence to continue our work to inspire community action and protect the integrity and ecological values of our local wetlands, forests, grasslands, and alpine regions. For if we didn’t have community support, Wildsight Invermere would not have survived for 34 years as an environmental group.

We are especially thankful to all our sponsors (acknowledged below) for believing in what we do. The statement from Energy Economics (a first-time sponsor, by the way) reflects a heartening sentiment: “We believe in a cleaner, greener future and empowering our communities. By supporting Wildsight Invermere, we are investing in thriving and sustainable communities made up of engaged and educated citizens.”

Special kudos go to the teens at the Summit Youth Hub who made, baked and donated goodies to our fundraiser. And what about those three brave students from the DTSS Climate Club? Virginia Denchuk, Ursula Macintosh, and Anika Rievaj rose to the challenge and stood in front of the jam-packed Columbia Valley Centre to introduce one of the films. In the words of Lindsay McPherson, a volunteer who sold pizza tickets in the lobby: “It was the easiest way to catch up with half of Invermere.”

So, see you all at next year’s film fest. The date has already been set: November 16th . But of course, we’ll see you before then!

Invermere, BC (12 November 2023) – The National Audubon Society invites birdwatchers to participate in the longest-running community science survey, the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC). On Saturday, Dec. 16, birders and nature enthusiasts in Invermere, Wilmer, Windermere, and Radium — basically, within a circle 24 km in diameter — will take part in this tradition. 

“The Christmas Bird Count is a great tradition and opportunity for everyone to be a part of 124 years of ongoing community science,” said Geoff LeBaron, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count director. “Adding your observations helps scientists and conservationists discover trends that make our work more impactful. Participating in the Christmas Bird Count is a fun and meaningful way to spend a winter for anyone and everyone.”

When combined with other surveys such as the Breeding Bird Survey, Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count provides a picture of how the continent's bird populations have changed in time and space over the past 100 years. The long-term perspective is vital for conservationists. It informs strategies to protect birds and their habitat, and helps identify environmental issues with implications for people as well. Christmas Bird Count data have been used in more than 300 peer-reviewed articles.

Birders of all ages and abilities are welcome to contribute to this fun community science project on Saturday, December 16. Birders can follow a route to count birds, or report the birds they see at their birdfeeder. You need to register in advance: to sign up for the local count, please contact Gareth Thomson at Gareth@biosphereinstitute.org.

We are holding a monthly bighorn sheep monitoring event for the next 10 months (November 2023–August 2024). No experience is needed to be a citizen science sheep monitor, just the ability to walk and be outside for 3–4 hours. We will provide you with orientation and tools to do the monitoring. This is in support of our Bighorn Sheep Conservation and Biodiversity project. By participating in the program, volunteers actively contribute to the project’s objectives by assisting in monitoring activities such as observing and documenting bighorn sheep sightings, recording behavioural observations, and collecting data on habitat use. 

Please register if you are interested.

The January event will be on January 8 at 11 am – 3 pm. The sheep herd is located near Canal Flats. We will meet at the Local cafe in Fairmont.

If you joined us at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, you know about the Passion to Action board. Perhaps you even took time to add your ideas to it. By the end of the evening, the board was covered with sticky notes. Under the title of “What can we do more of?”, common themes emerged: improved/greener transportation options (including making Invermere more pedestrian and bike-friendly); waste management; composting; food sustainability; lifestyle choices; creating better awareness around the health of Lake Windermere.

On Sunday, November 26th, a group of interested individuals and Wildsight Invermere board members met to take these ideas to the next step. Discussion included topics of upcycling, DIY workshops on repairing, a speaker series, improving air quality, and sharing information on how we can live more sustainably. Some of the suggestions are best addressed with collaboration with other groups such as Lake Windermere Ambassadors (around the health of Lake Windermere, for example) and Groundswell (for gardening and composting). 

One of the ideas that gained some traction was to spruce up the valley welcome packages for newcomers. This could include a brochure with all the relevant information about climate, conservation, and sustainability work being undertaken by the RDEK and the District of Invermere. For those who are considering building a home in the valley, a directory that highlights the local green building companies and landscape professionals would be useful. It could outline climate-related considerations and suggestions from experts on what to incorporate into a design.

We have a few community projects in the works that have already received funding. The Panorama Foundation is supporting the creation of 10 “Take Me Outside” backpacks that will be available for loan through the Invermere Library. We’ll need volunteers to help with this project.

Check out the volunteer page on our website for our ways to get involved.

British Columbia is on the precipice of a transformational paradigm shift in the way it manages natural resources, and prioritizes species and ecosystem health. The draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework is open for public comment until January 15, 2024. We need your voice to make this framework as strong as possible, and to help drown out the industry advocates who’ll be pushing for business as usual.

Join us January 15 at 7 pm, CV Chamber of Commerce Office. Get to know us and hear firsthand about our projects. Welcome to just come check us out, no pressure, no commitment! If you have any questions please email Invermere@wildsight.ca.