~ We are not the only ones who revel in the wild ~

This free event at the CV Chamber of Commerce (651 Hwy 93/95) showcases a great selection of electric vehicles from cars to trucks to bikes and even a delivery van. Pop in on Saturday September 14th, between 10am and 1pm to have a look, take one for a test drive and talk with EV owners and experts to answer all your questions about going electric. The super knowledgeable folks from Cleanline Automotive will be on hand for all things technical, with an 'ask me anything' panel discussion at noon.

And we’re also popping up in Cranbrook the following weekend Sept 21st, so let your friends know or come down for more displays, including two electric-converted 1920’s classics! In partnership with the East Kootenay Climate Hub. 

These shows are funded by Emotive - CleanBC’s Go Electric program.

Also on September 14th from 10am–4pm is the annual Salmon Festival at James Chabot Beach. Shuswap and Ktunaxa First Nations invite everyone to join this celebration of their cultural traditions and teachings that are intertwined with the historic and future presence of salmon in the Columbia River.

Read more about the Columbia River treaty and help support the initiatives to bring salmon back to the river, or talk with Graeme Lee Rowlands in the Wildsight booth at the Salmon Festival.

What does the river mean to you? The Columbia and its wetlands and lakes are so fundamental to our traditional and modern cultures and our ways of life — ecologically, spiritually, practically, recreationally, economically. Sunday, September 22nd is BC Rivers Day… and also World Rivers Day! Joining the Lake Windermere Ambassadors and Columbia River Paddle, let’s celebrate with a group paddle down the Columbia River from Invermere to Radium. We will meet at the Athalmer boat launch (Columbia River Paddle office) at 10am with pickup in Radium at 2pm.

Columbia River Paddle are again offering a generous discount for this annual event — $60/person to hire a canoe, double or single kayak, including shuttle back to Athalmer. Or if you have your own boat you can book the shuttle for $25/person. To book a boat or shuttle for this event please EMAIL ONLY to paddle@columbiariverpaddle.com.

Please also sign up on our event page so we know to expect you!

On September 21st at 11am we’ll be hosting another children’s bird-themed activity session at Radium Library in collaboration with their STEAM program. The ‘Let’s Go Outside’ backpacks funded by Panorama Foundation and Village of Radium are proving popular at Invermere library and coming now to Radium too! Borrow a kid-friendly backpack to head outside with binoculars, bird guides and a bunch of activities to get the whole family curious about birds. 

It’s that time of year again! We’re starting to gear up for the Wild and Scenic Film Festival on November 16th and we’d love your help! At this point we are particularly looking for volunteers who’d like to help with planning and organization. There are so many different ways to be involved, from putting up posters or making social media posts, to organizing the silent auction or the all-important pizza. Please register your interest by clicking the button below or email Helena-Grace at invermere@wildsight.ca / call 250-409-5708. 

For volunteering 'on the day', mark your calendar now for Nov 16th and we'll put a call out for signups closer to the event. We appreciate so much all the volunteers who come together to make this event fantastic.

If you or your business is interested in sponsoring or donating to this much-loved annual event please do get in touch. Sponsors receive excellent coverage in the promotional lead-up to the event and on signage, displays and mentions throughout the evening.

Are you interested in learning more about retrofitting your home to make it more comfortable, healthier, and energy efficient? Join Community Energy Association (CEA) and industry experts for a FREE webinar series geared towards community members wanting to learn about home energy retrofits.

The CEA is also conducting a research survey aimed at understanding the challenges people face when considering energy efficiency improvements or retrofits in their homes. To help shape their future programs and make energy-saving options more accessible to everyone, please click HERE to complete the 10-minute survey and go in the draw for a $100 local gift card.

Recreation can bring many positive benefits for people and communities, but can also unintentionally impact sensitive species and ecosystems, increase tension across different user groups, and affect the quality of outdoor experiences. A lack of current, accurate, and detailed information of where, when, how and how many people are recreating remains a key challenge facing land-use and recreation managers. More so than ever, there is a need for innovative approaches for monitoring and managing recreation across the landscape.

Since 2020, researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) and Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) have conducted extensive recreation ecology research to understand the intersection of recreation and wildlife.

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

Last month we looked at the first of the three ‘R’s: Reduce. Now it’s time for ‘Reuse’.

Featured: Local View Printing and Design

Steve and Audrey Mantyka at Local View Printing and Design have considered some of the environmental impacts of their particular business activity, and came up with several creative ways to reuse offcuts and test materials. 

“We save our cut-off pieces of paper and donate the smaller pieces for kids' crafting material. Also, we have various other items which make for good crafting projects for kids, so we put them in a box and donate them as well. We make pads with bigger pieces to give away to people who can use them. Any old shirts that have been sample prints or misprints we cut up and keep the pieces to use as rags.”

On top of that they reuse freight boxes, and anything that can’t be reused goes to recycling, including all their printer toner cartridges which need special recycling treatment.

Simple ways to make a difference and reduce waste; thanks Steve and Audrey!

The Wildsight Invermere Board of Directors meets monthly, and you are invited to join us. If you’re interested to find out more about how our organization functions and what we’re working on, you are welcome to attend a meeting. Please let us know by email to invermere@wildsight.ca or call 250-409-5708 so we can make space for you at the table! The September board meeting is Thursday, Sept. 12th at 7pm, at 625 4th Street (Annex to the Service BC building at the end of the carpark).