News

Here are a few tips on how you can protect the Kootenay region from invasive species this holiday season: Seek out a Christmas tree from a local source: Small bugs, eggs and tree killing diseases can be in your tree and you may not know it. Source a tree that is within a 20 km of …  Read more

Managing invasive species is a BIG JOB, but thanks to the Invasive Species Council of BC StrongerBC program we got a helping hand this year. The goal of the program is to train and employ people who have lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The action teams are trained in all aspects of …  Read more

This fall a team of students from J.L. Crowe, representatives from the Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS), BC Parks and The Invasive Species Council’s Stronger BC Action Team joined CKISS to plant over 75 native species and spread seeds at a restoration site at Beaver Creek Provincial Park in Trail B.C. The goal of the …  Read more

On Saturday, October 23, 2021, a team of volunteers and representatives from the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS), the Kootenay Native Plant Society (KNPS), and KinSeed Ecologies joined forces to create habitat for bees and butterflies at the Kootenay Gallery of Art, History, and Science in Castlegar, BC. Through the creation and enhancement of …  Read more

Your Fall 2021 edition of the CKISS’n Tell newsletter is now available by clicking here. What will you find in this issue of CKISS’n Tell? EcoGarden Photo Contest – win native plants for your garden! Seeking Volunteers for a day of native planting at the Kootenay Gallery in Castlegar CKISS program & project updates CKISS …  Read more

For the past three years CKISS has conducted restoration efforts at three locations: Erie Lake in Salmo, Beaver Creek in Trail and Snk’mip Marsh Sanctuary just north of New Denver. For the first two years (2019-2020) the project had enthusiastic participation from over 250 volunteers who helped us plant 878 native species and remove a …  Read more

American bullfrog control work was in full swing from May 20th to September 16th, 2021. The American Bullfrog Action Team (ABAT) conducted an immense amount of surveillance effort to maintain coverage of pretty much the entire Creston Valley south of the Highway 3 bridge. Much gratitude for their hard work and perseverance through some intense …  Read more

CKISS staff are once again monitoring our local lakes for invasive zebra and quagga mussels.  So far, CKISS has collected 201 plankton samples from nine waterbodies.  CKISS monitoring efforts are part of the provincial Invasive Mussel Defence Program, which aims to prevent the introduction of ZQM into B.C.  To date, B.C. is still free of …  Read more

An enthusiastic group of about 50 Nakusp Elementary School students, teachers and aides descended on the Snk’mip Marsh Sanctuary the morning of September 23rd for a massive planting bee in the warm fall sunshine. The day saw more than 300 native tree seedlings and shrubs put into the ground in recently restored areas of the …  Read more

Kootenay Lake is one of the waterbodies CKISS is monitoring for zebra & quagga mussels. We want to protect the lake’s ecological, cultural and economic values from the harmful impacts of invasive mussels. Invasive mussels can negatively affect biodiversity, species at risk, water quality, and recreation opportunities. You can help prevent the introduction of invasive …  Read more