~ Where is the wild?

Wild is among us, everywhere. A windblown seed sprouting by the roadside. A rivulet of rain trickling down a tree trunk. These are pieces of wild, patchworked into the human footprint.

Then there is the really wild, wild. Devoid of power lines and roads farther than a bird can see. This is the wholeness of wild, unmarred by the stamp of industry. It is ever more rare and ever more precious. ~

Let’s gather together, share a potluck, reflect on the past year, look forward to 2024 and finish off with a great film!

On Sunday April 21st, we’ll see you at the Lions Hall (651 Hwy 93/95 Invermere) from 6 pm for the potluck. Or join at 7 pm for our Annual General Meeting, followed by ‘Beyond Climate’, an award-winning documentary narrated by David Suzuki.

Everyone is welcome. You don’t have to be a member to attend our AGM, but we do welcome you to become a member if you would like. Not sure if you're a member? Email us to find out. 

Help our beautiful corner of the planet beat the plastic blues. Rally the troops for the Community Cleanup and Scavenger Hunt on Saturday April 20th from 10 am-12 pm. Afterwards, join us at Kinsmen Beach at 12:30 pm for some refreshments and top tips on worms in your compost, fresh produce in your fridge, and recycling in your bins! Eco-friendly prizes and giveaways are up for grabs.

You know that climate change is already happening, you see it in less winter snowfall, earlier spring melts, and worse summer drought. ‘Climate change mitigation’ means actions we take to reduce our carbon emissions, to prevent climate change from getting worse. But we also need to think about climate change adaptation — how do we adapt to the changes already hitting us now and in the near future?

If you have a garden, preparing for drought will probably be on your mind as spring turns into summer. Fortunately the experts at Groundswell and Old Blue Truck farm are partnering with us on a workshop to tackle this very concern. ‘Gardening in a Drought’ on April 28th, will cover water saving techniques, soil enrichment, drought resistant plants, grasshoppers…

Do you want to grow fresh vegetables, herbs, or pollinator-friendly flowers but don’t have a garden? Or maybe you want to make use of extra space on a windowsill, balcony, or paved yard? There are many ways you can grow productively without a garden in the ground. In partnership with Avalily Permaculture we are co-hosting a double workshop on Gardenless Growing on May 2nd (online) and May 4th (in-person). You'll learn different methods and techniques for optimizing your growing within a range of spaces and budgets. During the in-person workshop you'll put that knowledge into practice and make a vertical planter to take home. The registration deadline is April 26th, so sign up soon!

When you think of going outside to explore the wilderness, your first thought is probably not about your jacket, boots, or backpack. Yet these are basic items that allow us to be safe and comfortable in the outdoors. A lot of teens and young people in the Columbia Valley are so close to this amazing wild world yet don’t have access to good equipment to experience it safely. 

One of our wonderful Wildsight Invermere members, Kristin Whitlow, has seen this through her work with the Summit Youth Hub and Columbia Valley Youth Network, and she’s hatched a plan. 

Wild Outfits is a brand new initiative to build up a collection of good quality outdoor gear that will be available to young people in our community to borrow for free or very low cost. Kristin is a Youth Worker and an OCC Field Leader and is passionate about introducing more teens and young people to the skills, personal growth and fun that comes from adventuring in wilderness. 

If you'd like to help Kristin set up this project, or you have items you'd like to donate directly, send us an email at invermere@wildsight.ca.

Or, this Saturday April 13th at the Summer Gear Swap, bring your surplus outdoor equipment to sell, and if it isn’t sold by the end of the day, you’ll have the option to donate it to Wild Outfits. Click the button below for more info.

The DTSS Climate Club students and Wildsight Invermere are conducting a survey on public transit in the Columbia Valley. They’ll present it to local government in May along with a student-led film. Let’s advocate for better public transit!

Thanks to those who’ve already filled in the short survey, if you haven’t yet, please click below before April 15th.

We all want comfortable affordable homes. Please help us get the work done (heat pump installs, insulation upgrades, or window/door retrofits) and access the rebates available, by becoming HPCN certified. Attend the free April 25^th  workshop in Invermere – Retrofitting with a House-as-a-System Approach.

On May 4th at Pothole Park in Invermere, we'll be at the Ready, Set, Learn! event for a day of family fun for little ones. If you have children aged 0-5, come along to enjoy some outdoor-oriented play with our Wildsight educators and discover the special outdoor learning backpacks we're putting together, which you'll be able to borrow from the library soon!

The hugely popular Wings Over the Rockies nature festival likely needs no introduction. The festival has over 100 events between May 6th–12th celebrating Columbia Valley’s natural world through educational explorations, workshops, art, presentations and activities. 

Wildsight is highlighting the local Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep at two of these events. On May 6th 2-4 pm, Jenna Schulhof leads a walk in Radium, showing how the soon-to-be highway wildlife overpass will reduce the Bighorn Sheep road death toll. And in Canal Flats on May 8th 9-10 am, Tracy Flynn will talk us through Collision, Competition and Cooperation in a walk through this important wildlife corridor and Bighorn Sheep habitat area.

Do you know what a CSA is? Nope, nothing to do with crime scenes!

Community Supported Agriculture can take many forms but it typically involves community members subscribing annually to support a local farm that produces fresh vegetables and fruits (and sometimes also meat, dairy and eggs). In return, members get a weekly ‘food box’ throughout the growing season, containing freshly harvested goodies. By paying up front, members help farmers by providing them with early season cash flow and a guaranteed market. Members benefit by receiving fresh, local and nutritious produce and gain an understanding of where their food comes from and how it is grown.

The family at Edible Acres Farm & Winderberry offer a CSA food box program every summer and on May 24th you can have a sneak peek behind the scenes to see how they produce all that delicious food using organic, sustainable methods.

We are seeking a full-time seasonal Program Coordinator to assist with our Columbia Lake Bighorn Sheep & Biodiversity Project. The project focuses on the conservation and stewardship of the Columbia Lake Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep herd. In this role you will be responsible for organizing and spearheading the monitoring of the sheep and building/maintaining important relationships with volunteers, ENGO partners and First Nations.

Reporting to the Program Manager, you will assist in the organization and implementation of community outreach programs, educational workshops and events and hosting of discussion panels giving members of the community an opportunity to get involved with creating lasting Bighorn Sheep conservation efforts.

May-June 2024 flexible starting date for 8-16 weeks. Applicants must be under 30 years. Email your resume and cover letter to invermere@wildsight.ca or click below for more info.

Many of the workshops and events we’re hosting this Spring are part of our Rethink Resilience program, giving you — our community — the opportunities, skills and practical knowledge to be more sustainable and resilient. We’re very grateful to the Columbia Basin Trust who are funding this program through their Resident Directed (ReDi) Grants.

Meanwhile, our ongoing Bighorn Sheep Conservation and Biodiversity program is made possible through key funding from the BC Biodiversity and Conservation Award and the RDEK Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund, along with the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program and the Regional District of East Kootenays and Village of Canal Flats Grant-in-Aid programs.

We also receive vital funding from the BC Community Gaming Grants, and we have a new 'outdoor learning' project in development with funding from the Panorama Foundation. Watch this space.

To join our citizen science volunteer group monitoring the Columbia Lake Bighorn Sheep herd, click here. The next monitoring session is on April 21st at 10 am.

If you'd like to help with organizing the Earth Day cleanup on April 20th, please email invermere@wildsight.ca

To stay up to date with all our volunteer opportunities, sign up here.