While invasive zebra and quagga mussels (ZQM) have not been found in British Columbia to date, they remain a major threat to BC waters. In other parts of North America, these mussels have caused considerable damage to hydropower stations, and municipal water supplies. The mussels can also have impacts on biodiversity, water quality, recreation, fisheries … Read more
Alison Masters and Catherine Prowse are the recipients of the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS) 2020 Volunteer of the Year Award. The passionate mother daughter weed pulling duo have been volunteering with CKISS since 2007 by participating in Community Pulling Together Events at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Centre (CVWMA). Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, … Read more
On a misty October morning students from Selkirk College’s Recreation Fish and Wildlife Program joined CKISS to remove invasive yellow flag iris from Erie Lake, a small waterbody outside of Salmo BC. Yellow Flag Iris is a “wet-footed” invasive plant that grows in ponds, ditches, wetlands and other riparian habitats. From May to July Yellow … Read more
Restoration efforts will improve wildlife habitat and fight erosion. For the second year in a row the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS) organized restoration efforts at Beaver Creek Provincial park. With the help of community and youth volunteers a targeted area at Beaver Creek previously dominated by invasive plants was replanted with over 200 … Read more
For the third straight year, volunteers from the Arrow and Slocan Lakes Community Services (ASLCS) participated in a Communities Pulling Together Event organized by the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society (CKISS). On October 14, participants removed invasive Scotch broom from a section of walking path in Nakusp, which is dealing with a significant infestation. Despite … Read more
Restoration efforts at the Snk’mip Marsh continued this field season. Ponds were created, native shrubs and trees were planted and invasive weeds like orange hawkweed were removed. CKISS began collaborating with the Valhalla Foundation for Ecology (VFE) on this project in 2018 when we hosted a community weed pull as part of VFE’s Opening Ceremonies … Read more
Watch our webinar to learn why you should compost? How to start composting? How does compost help your soil health? How to maintain a healthy compost? How to keep wildlife out of your compost? Can invasive plants be composted? How can you compost all year long? The webinar also explores the PlantWise program, invasive plants … Read more
On September 23, students in Grades 6 and 7 from Nakusp Elementary School (NES) helped CKISS with a restoration project at Summit Lake Provincial Park. One class, now in Grade 7, has been helping with this project for the last four years! A multi-year project When NES students first visited the site in 2017, a … Read more
Last minute call for Volunteers…. We hope you can join CKISS for a few hours of native planting at Beaver Creek Provincial Park in Trail. Due to unforeseen circumstances the school groups that were scheduled to volunteer with CKISS needed to cancel, hence this blog post asking for your help! Event Details: Day: Wednesday September … Read more
We are currently recruiting a small team of volunteers to assist CKISS with wetland restoration efforts at Snk’mip Marsh. We have collaborated with the Valhalla Foundation for Ecology (VFE) to assist with restoration efforts at the Snk’mip Marsh Sanctuary. The 17.4-hectare wetland located at the north end of Slocan Lake was purchased by VFE in … Read more
