The Earth has lost a passionate advocate: Jim Galloway passed away in early June at the age of 91.

Whether pulling tires from the Wilmer Wetlands, engaging in the 30 year-long battle to keep the Jumbo Valley wild, or penning impassioned letters to the Columbia Valley Pioneer, Jim brought both heart and grit to the causes he cared about. 

Jim served as a director with Wildsight Invermere for 16 years, starting in 2000, and was an unwavering advocate for our wild places. His environmental stewardship extended far and wide. With hands-on dedication, he showed up during wetland clean-ups, community advocacy, and countless conversations that pushed people to think harder about environmental issues and to care more. Jim lived what he believed: that protecting the places we love is both a privilege and a responsibility.

Jim Galloway passed away at his home in Brisco on June 4th. He will be deeply missed, and his spirit endures in every wild place we appreciate. A celebration of his life will be held at 4pm on July 8th, at the Radium Community Hall. All who knew and loved Jim are welcome to attend.

This July, waste conscious residents are participating in an initiative called Plastic Free July, the first waste reducing campaign run by Less to Landfill CV.

Less to Landfill Columbia Valley, with support from Wildsight Invermere, is a small team of passionate individuals who want to share their knowledge on reducing waste and their passion to conserve our mountain home with their first Plastic Free July campaign. The Plastic Free July Campaign originated in Australia 15 years ago and is now reaching 77+ countries.

The concept of Plastic Free July invites individuals and businesses to consider their single-use plastic consumption over a month period and sets a challenge to refuse certain single-use items for that month, replacing them with a reusable option.

So far, Plastic Free July 2025 in the Columbia Valley has more than 10 businesses onboard to offer customers a discount on their purchases when they choose a reusable option over single-use. These businesses range from Radium to Canal Flats and Panorama, so far including Steamboat Cafe, Big Horn Cafe, Allium food truck, Stolen Church, The Circle, Kicking Horse Coffee, Invermere Brewery, Candyland, Birds Eye Boutique, Edible Acres and Fireside Panorama.

In addition to receiving a discount, customers can collect a stamp card from these participating businesses; each time they use a reusable coffee cup or reuse with that business, they will receive a stamp. After filling their card with 10 stamps they can drop it off to go into the draw to win a plastic-free prize pack, generously donated by local businesses.

Plastic Free July encourages individuals to challenge themselves to make small changes in their daily lives to create bigger change, with the end goal of reducing waste in landfill.

For more information on Plastic Free July visit Less to Landfill CV on Facebook and @Less2LandfillCV on instagram. If you’re a business that would like to be involved, it’s not too late! Get in contact with Kirsty and Amy at Less2LandfillCV@gmail.com

It’s not just plastic waste that can be prevented from going to landfill. Columbia Valley Food and Farm (CVFF) have launched Nourish Columbia Valley, an initiative designed to rescue surplus food and redirect it to those who need it most. 

They are currently working with Sobeys and Windermere General Store to collect safe, unsold surplus food, which is combined with ingredients purchased through a generous grant from the United Way, and transformed into wholesome meals by chef Lara McCormack. They’re piloting the program in partnership with Family Dynamix to provide nutritious meals for 10 local seniors who need support maintaining their health and independence.

They are looking to add other partners as the program expands, including local farms who have extra food produced but not eaten. 

What makes this program truly special is the collaboration and support from across the valley with community organizations that share the vision for a sustainable, food-secure future working together, including the Columbia Valley Food Bank and Groundswell Community Gardens. Community members who are passionate about reducing food waste and supporting local families can volunteer to help with food collection, sorting, and meal prep, working alongside Lara and the team to turn recovered food into delicious, nutritious meals. You can email cvfoodandfarm@gmail.com for more info or to volunteer.

Speaking of volunteering, we’re excited to have been given a fundraising opportunity through Redstreak campground, and we’re looking for at least three volunteers to make it happen! Once a month in July, Aug (twice) and September, we’ll be collecting and sorting the recyclables from Redstreak campground to take to the bottle depot in Invermere, with all proceeds going directly to Wildsight Invermere to support our programs in conservation and climate change action. You can help to divert this waste from landfill and at the same time support Wildsight’s fundraising efforts. The first collection will be on one day between July 13-19th. Please email invermere@wildsight.ca or call 250-409-5708 to sign up or for more info.

And check out our volunteering webpage for other ways to get involved, including cleaning up Lake Enid and hosting at the Bike Valet.

Are you interested in learning more about some of our swallow species and their nesting habits? Do you have a bit of time this summer? The Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project (UCSHEP) is looking for a few more volunteers to help monitor Cliff and Bank Swallow colonies between the Radium area and Canal Flats until late July. We are especially looking for volunteers with non-motorized boats who can monitor from the water, but also have a few sites which can be surveyed from land. You will need a pair of binoculars. Training and ongoing support will be provided. 

We are also looking for more Barn Swallow nests in the upper Columbia Valley area, so if you know of any, please let us know.

Click the button to find out more or contact us at swallows@wildsight.ca. 

The Ellen Zimmerman Award was initiated in 2021 by Wildsight to recognize a woman who has made an outstanding contribution to environmental conservation and education in the Upper Columbia Region. This year, Dr Suzanne Bayley was the well-deserved recipient.

Suzanne has committed a lifetime to studying aquatic vegetation, estuaries, acid rain and more water-related science, as well as imparting that knowledge onto the next generation as a professor at the University of Alberta. 

Since settling in the Columbia Valley more than a decade ago, Suzanne has played an instrumental role with the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP). From helping develop the CWSP's first strategic plan to leading wetland restoration initiatives, and guiding diverse stakeholders towards a shared vision, Suzanne's collaborative spirit has supported the protection of the Columbia wetlands.

In case you missed it, this article highlights one the research projects that Dr Suzanne Bayley initiated to better understand the Columbia River, whether looking through an ecology lens, at the impacts of climate change, or, in this case, at direct human interaction with the river and the impacts of recreation.