The 2025 field season flew by this year in a flurry of mechanical treatments, plant inventories, and outreach events across the Central Kootenays. Though we’re sad to see our seasonal staff head back to school or move on to new adventures, we’re incredibly grateful for the energy, dedication, and smiles they brought to the job. From Yahk to Burton, the crews have been working hard to restore degraded ecosystems – one invasive plant at a time.
CKISS vs. Scotch Broom
One formidable opponent this season was scotch broom. This prolific shrub is found across the Kootenays and can produce thousands of long-lasting seeds. Our crew worked tirelessly to reduce scotch broom populations by bagging each plant before hauling countless truckloads to the landfill. We made sure to bag each plant to guarantee those seeds can’t keep producing new plants.
One of the season’s highlights was a bustling Broom Bash in Nelson’s North Shore. Not only did we tackle the broom, but we also got the community involved in the fight, and the results were awesome!
Poison Hemlock: Safety First, Fashion Second
Poison hemlock was another species to highlight from this season. We donned full body suits and long rubber gloves to remove it, resulting in some very fashionable moments. We focused on mechanically removing it from vulnerable riparian areas to reduce its spread along natural seed pathways.
This summer, we also launched the Crowdsorsa app, giving the public a unique opportunity to help remove poison hemlock at approved sites around the Kootenays—and get paid for their efforts! This program, which is offered on crown and participating private properties, was created to help encourage everyone to contribute to handling this pesky species (carefully). Check out our new Kootenay Broom Bash Program for how you can now remove or report scotch broom plants to earn some money on Crowdsorsa!
Sore Legs and Full Inventories
Invasive plant inventory was another crucial task this season. By completing plant inventories across multiple sites, we will build an essential baseline dataset that will guide future restoration efforts. Columbia Power and BC Hydro transmission line inventories kept us busy this summer, and we certainly got our steps in! We also created inventories for the Ministry of Forests, which helps assess the potential impacts of wildfire mitigation strategies on invasive species.
Finishing The Season With A Throw
We celebrated the end of the field season by getting everyone together for a round of disc golf in Nelson’s Art Gibbon Park. While our frolf skills are questionable (and the courses trees suffered the consequences), there’s no doubt that we will remember our time together this summer fondly for years to come. A huge thank you to 2025’s field crew members and managers, whose enthusiasm and willingness to work hard made this season a success:
- Nerissa Abbott
- Kylie Skibeness
- Jessy Bokser
- Lily Chycoski
- Nell Jedrzejczyk
- Nick Hindbo
A Huge Thank You To Our Funders!
We could not have done this work without our amazing partners and funders. Your support this season makes our work possible and has lasting effects on the protection and conservation of our natural spaces. Thank you for your generosity and dedication to this work.
- BC Hydro
- BC Parks
- City of Nelson
- Columbia Power
- Fortis BC
- Province of BC
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
- Nature Trust of BC
- Regional District of the Central Kootenays
- Regional District of the Kootenay Boundary
- Teck
- ECO Canada
- Canada Summer Jobs Program