CKISS year in review, a snapshot of our 2017 supporters & programs.

As the holidays season is upon us, we here at CKISS find ourselves reflecting on the past year and those who have helped to shape our organization. We are grateful for the support from all of the organizations that funded our programs and projects. We have put together a photo album to highlight the work that was accomplished in 2017.   We hope 2017 has been just as memorable for you, your colleagues and your loved ones.

Thanks to support from Columbia Basin Trust​ our efforts to protect our water from invasive mussels continues to grow. 2017 was the biggest sample collection year for CKISS – 87 samples collected at 17 different water bodies throughout our region. The results are in and it’s good news! All samples came back negative for zebra & quagga presence in the waterbodies that were monitored by CKISS. #ProtectOurWaters
Thanks to support from Columbia Basin Trust the CKISS Education Program was able reach over 200 people through a variety of CKISS presentations & workshops. Our outreach booth attended 14 community events and reached over 14,000 people and we distributed over 6000 resources throughout our region!
With financial support from the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development, CKISS was able to treat scotch broom along the Slocan Valley Rail Trail and greater knapweed along the Columbia and Western Rail Trail during the 2017 field season.
Knotweed is on the top of our priority list due to the negative environmental & economic impacts it causes. Thanks to support from the Regional District of Central Kootenay we were able to treat knotweed found in landfills during our 2017 field season. #BePlantWise
A HUGE thank you to Columbia Power Corporation for their ongoing support to CKISS in our efforts to protect our precious water from a zebra & quagga mussel invasion. #ProtectOurWaters
This year CKISS was able to eradicate 204 invasive American bullfrogs in our region. This was made possible with support from Columbia Basin Trust. A big thank you for your commitment to protecting our native frog population!
Thanks to funding from the Government of BC through the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development we here at CKISS were able to treat high priority invasive species on crown land during our 2017 field season.
Knotweed is NOT a plant you want on your property! It has been known to negatively impacts infrastructure such as asphalt and house foundations by growing through them. Thanks to funding from the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure , we were able to treat high priority knotweed sites in 2017. #BePlantWise
Thanks to funding from BC Hydro the CKISS operations team was able to conduct invasive species control along BC Hydro corridors. In 2017 we focused our invasive species management activities in the Creston and Edgewood areas.
Invasive species outcompete native plant and animals, they are the second greatest threat to biodiversity globally. Thanks to funding from Teck Metals Ltd. in 2017 our operations team was able to treat high priority sites in our region.
Thanks to support from the Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program CKISS was able to conduct biocontrol monitoring & a gap analysis in the Pend d’Oreille area. Columbia Power Corporation
Thanks for funding from BC Parks our 2017 operations team was able to treat high priority species such as scotch broom and cutleaf blackberry within BC Parks. The funds from the BC Park Enhancement Fund went towards coordination of a scotch broom bash at Kokanee Creek Provincial Park & development of ‘Buy it where you Burn It” outreach materials.  A big thanks to BC Parks for their support in 2017!
Thank you FortisBC Electric for your financial support to the CKISS zebra and quagga mussel program. Through education and monitoring we hope to #ProtectOurwater from these destructive invasive mussels.
We here at CKISS applaud the efforts of The Nature Conservancy of Canada / Conservation de la nature Canada! Their mission is to “lead and inspire others to join them in creating a legacy for future generations by conserving important natural areas and biological diversity across all regions in Canada.” We appreciate your support in 2017!
Thank you Columbia Basin Trust for your support to the CKISS operations program in 2017. The funding allowed our operations crew to treat several sites throughout our region this past field season.
CKISS was successful in planting 493 native species in 2017 as part of the EcoAction program “Kiss Invasives Goodbye”. This project was undertaken with financial support from the Government of Canada through the federal department of Environment and Climate Change. Thanks to the many volunteers who help make this possible! #EcoAction
“Without habitat….. there is no wildlife. It’s that simple.” Thanks to funding from Wildlife Habitat Canada we may have a new tool in the toolbox to measure ranges of yellow flag iris by using a drone equipped with a multispectral camera. Knowing where infestations are makes management and control of any invasive species easier.
Thanks to the support of Columbia Basin Trust our Education and Outreach Program was able to reach one of our goals, to inspire the youth in our communities to be stewards of the environment!
Protecting our Waters from Aquatic Invasive Species, Phase 4 was managed and delivered with financial support from the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program www.fwcp.ca. We here at CKISS thank you for your support to an important cause!
Zebra mussels can impact fish, wildlife and our drinking water by increasing toxic algal blooms. Luckily the Kootenays are still invasive mussel free thanks to financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Environment. Their support went towards zebra and quagga mussel monitoring and public outreach in 2017. #ProtectOurWaters
We would like to say thank you to Columbia Basin Trust for supporting the CKISS research program in 2017! The eDNA samples will help us with early detection of invasive bullfrogs.
The Northern Leopard Frog Preservation American Bullfrog Control program was managed and delivered with financial support from the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program. www.fwcp.ca
A big thanks to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary for your support in 2017! CKISS was able to coordinate the noxious weed bylaw area program in Area A as a result.
The CKISS operations teams was able to conduct invasive species management in 2017 thanks to the support of FortisBC Energy Inc.
Due to the financial support of FortisBC Electric the CKISS operations crew were successful in mechanically removing a large patch of invasive scotch broom from the Corra Linn Dam