~ Nature's boundaries demand respect. ~

Each year Wildsight Invermere awards a $500 bursary to a graduating student who will be studying an environmental subject at post-secondary level. This year we are pleased to congratulate Landon Dales on receiving this award.

The aim of the bursary is to inspire and support young people in our valley to gain scientific knowledge, creativity, and expertise to contribute to a more sustainable world. This year there were several excellent applications, and we are so impressed to see these young adults aspiring to protect our environment through fields as diverse as marine biology, sustainable architecture, and – in Landon’s case – food systems. 

Landon is fascinated by how the natural world works, and what we can do to protect it. In pursuing an environmental science degree in Land and Food Systems at UBC in Vancouver, he said, “I look forward to learning more about how our food is grown and where it comes from. I am passionate about sustainable practices in food and how food waste and transportation contribute to a great amount of [greenhouse gas] emissions.”

Landon has already been sharing his knowledge with others by teaching workshops at the Groundswell community garden, and working with Wildsight educator Jessie Caza at the elementary school.

He enthused, “I fell in love with teaching others, especially kids, about the environment. Seeing them learn that tomatoes grow on vines and sunflowers can grow to 15 feet is a feeling I cannot describe… This is the passion I want to pursue for the rest of my life.”

Realizing how important education on this topic is, Landon aims to continue educating others about the environment after finishing his degree, and hopes that within a few years’ time “we will have made real positive change in the matter.” 

It’s up to all of us to make these changes happen! Read on to find out how you can be part of the positive changes that protect our environment.

The Outdoor Recreation Council of BC (ORCBC) recently awarded us a significant grant to expand our program on Responsible Recreation in the Columbia Valley. We all love being outdoors here, in fact that’s often a main reason why people choose to live in or visit this valley. But the more people come, and the more people explore, the more we need to spare a thought — and be responsible — about how we interact with our surrounding wilderness. From backcountry hiking to front-country quad biking, from a quiet paddle on the river to speed-boating around the lake, all our recreation activities have an impact on the environment, and some much more than others. When we recognize those impacts and then take steps to minimize them, we are all playing our part to protect the wild we love to enjoy.

Recreation ecology is the research field of understanding how recreation impacts flora and fauna. ORCBC is holding a webinar on the science and practice of recreation ecology on July 23rd. Learn about how the recreation community can change behaviour and inform management planning to reduce impacts on wildlife and plants. This webinar is for anyone who is interested in the idea that recreation can play a beneficial role in promoting and conserving biodiversity and ecosystems wherever we play.

In partnership with BC Recreation Sites and Trails, we are looking for volunteers who would like to become stewards of Lake Enid. You would be helping to monitor how the lake site is used, report any damage, and promote respect for its precious ecosystems. This program is still being developed so any and all interest and input will help to shape it, and there will be a variety of ways you can contribute including one-off working bees or regular visits. 

Please email invermere@wildsight.ca if you would like to be involved.

We want to hear more kids saying that, whatever the season. Children learn so much about themselves and their connection with the natural world just by being outdoors, so we’ve put together some kid-friendly kits to inspire outdoor exploration. Launching this summer with storytimes at Invermere and Radium libraries, you’ll soon be able to borrow a backpack from the library filled with seasonal outdoor activities for children to discover. The first seasonal theme is birds, so get ready for binoculars, birdsong, bird ID guides and a folder of activity ideas, all in a small backpack with room for extra snacks, water or a jacket.

Join us at the Invermere library Summer Reading Club on Tuesday July 30th to check out the new backpacks and take part in some birdy activities.

This project has been funded by the Panorama Foundation, Village of Radium Hot Springs, and the Outdoor Recreation Council BC, with generous support from Valhalla Pure Outfitters and the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy.

Spark, the electric carshare vehicle, will be on display at Valley Appreciation Day in downtown Invermere on July 20th. Come by and have a look! If you are a regular Spark user and would like to talk about your experiences with potential new carshare members, please get in touch at invermere@wildsight.ca to volunteer on July 20th. 

If you live or visit this area in the summer, you’re better off when you’re ‘bear aware’. Adjusting our behaviours to avoid attracting or interacting with bears is the best way to protect not only ourselves and our property but also to protect the bears!

Did you know there are only nine species of the ‘Ursus’ genus in the whole world, and we are fortunate to be neighbours with two of them right here: Ursus americanus, the 'black bears' (although they are sometimes not fully black!), and Ursus arctos, the 'brown bears', which are known as a grizzlies here but also exist in Europe and Asia by other names. When our communities learn how to safely coexist with bears, our world and our lives are richer for it.

We’ll be holding a Bear Day August 17th at Pothole Park in Invermere, featuring bear spray demos with WildSafeBC and tips on bear safety, and the Conservation Officer Service showing how they manage bear-people conflict (hint: prevention is #1!) and how they trap a bear if needed. We're also very lucky to have researcher Bryon Benn lead a bear awareness and knowledge walk through Ray Brydon Park (free but space is limited so sign up below). And of course there will be plenty of games and children’s activities to celebrate all things BEAR! 

If you'd like to volunteer for Bear Day, either helping organize or on the day, please email invermere@wildsight.ca.

Tucked away in the industrial area behind Ray Brydon park is a newly flattened and fenced-off site, soon to become Invermere’s own large-scale composting facility. The site is owned by the District of Invermere and is being developed by the Regional District of East Kootenay. We spoke recently with representatives of both DOI and RDEK about the facility and are very excited to share this update with you. 

The facility is awaiting one more major piece of equipment (the mixer) and will also have its surrounding area remediated this summer, removing some large piles of dirt and restoring the trees and planting around the site. By autumn it will be ready for testing and optimizing the best combination of feeder materials for the compost. It’s predicted the machinery will be active for only 3-4 days each month when in full operation. The rest of the time, it’ll just be marvelous microbes quietly magicking up great compost! 

Initially the resulting compost will be Grade B so cannot be used in public places or sold to the public for safety reasons, but it will find important purpose as top closing material at the Windermere landfill. Some of the compost's key ingredients will be biosolids from the nearby sewage treatment plant, green waste (which you can drop off at the landfill), and of course your household food waste! 

The DOI is setting up a municipal food waste collection, aiming to launch in spring 2025. They are looking for your input to ensure it fits the community’s needs. If you live in the municipality, please click here to complete the survey. They'll also be running an outreach and education programme over autumn and winter. Join in and tell your neighbours about it to help make the composting a success!

Business opportunity

The compost facility will not be open for public drop-off, so if you’re a local entrepreneur perhaps consider starting a food waste collection and delivery business! Collection from outside the municipality and from commercial properties (restaurants etc) within Invermere will not be covered by the DOI so there’s plenty of opportunity there. 

RDEK will also be putting out a tender to operate the facility; if this is in your wheelhouse, keep an eye on BCBid. 

This compost facility is part of RDEK’s Regional Organics Initiative. Click here for more info and to keep up to date on progress.

As part of a two-year study of recreation impacts on Lake Windermere, the Lake Windermere Ambassadors have recently released results of their comprehensive community survey, shedding light on residents' and visitors' views on lake recreation, safety, and environmental concerns. They commented that, "The feedback from our community is crucial in guiding our efforts to balance recreational use with the preservation of Lake Windermere's ecological health.The high response rate and detailed input highlight the community's vested interest in maintaining the lake as a safe and sustainable resource."

Key findings include that non-motorized use, particularly swimming and paddling/SUP are the most popular activities on the lake, and that 77% of respondents believe there should be a maximum number of boats allowed on the lake at any one time. Environmental concerns include shoreline erosion, water quality, and the impact of large boat waves on the ecological values of the lake. 87% of respondents said they would adhere to voluntary codes of conduct to protect sensitive areas of the lake. 

Click below to read the full survey report, or contact info@lakeambassadors.ca for more information.

Each month we highlight actions that a local business has taken to be more sustainable. Be inspired and take your next step.

Featured: Cordillera Fire Protection

Maybe it’s not something most of us think about regularly, but it sure is important. Eric Beatson’s business inspects, tests and maintains fire extinguishers and other fire protection equipment. He took the time to really consider what impacts his particular business activity has on the environment, and realized that one aspect he could change was water usage.

“Since operations began out here in the Kootenays, I have implemented a grey water process for the hydrostatic testing of fire extinguishers. By reusing the test water, my operation sees anywhere from 50-75% reduction in fresh water consumption," he says. "During the drying phase (post hydrostatic test), I have utilized an extra absorbent fabric to manually remove excess moisture from the extinguisher before putting it on the electric dryer, reducing the time and energy used to complete the drying process. The fabric can be cleaned, dried and reused (3 years so far).”

So simple, yet so effective at saving water, energy, and his time! Thanks for sharing, Eric!

Want to share what your business is doing to be environmentally sustainable? Email invermere@wildsight.ca and tell us about it.

THANK YOU to everyone who came to our Square Dance for the Wild fundraiser. We hollered and sashayed, we spun our partners, we do-si-doed, we even waltzed and above all we raised nearly $2,500 for Wildsight Invermere's work supporting thriving wilderness and sustainable communities.

Thank you to our amazing volunteers for bringing it all together, to Leslie Gotfrit for enthusiastically showing us how it's done and the Hip To Be Square Collective for the energetic tunes, to Smokehouse 93 for coming with your delicious snacks, and to Columbia Valley Centre for hosting us.

Based on the feedback, we're seriously considering this again for next year!