Eight conservation projects in the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) are set to receive funding through the RDCK’s Local Conservation Fund.
The fund, which is distributed annually through the regional district, supports projects that contribute to conservation efforts in Electoral Areas A, D, E, F, and H.
The program is delivered through the RDCK, which partners with the Kootenay Conservation Program to administer the funds. A total of $140,000 was awarded to various approved projects this year.
Kendal Benesh, Local Conservation Fund Manager for the Kootenay Conservation Program, says funds generated through the program are typically matched by additional grants, leveraging at least four times—and sometimes up to nine times—the original amount.
“Since 2014, the RDCK Local Conservation Fund has contributed $740,000 to conservation in the region, and this local investment has leveraged over $3 million in external grants and in-kind support from other funding agencies.
A lot of the time, that funding stays within the RDCK and supports local businesses, local contractors, and organizations. So, it really is a great way to keep funding in the regional district.”
The funds are spent locally, creating economic benefits through the purchase of materials and supplies and generating work for a broad range of contractors and businesses.
“First Nations and stewardship organizations in the Central Kootenay region are leading important conservation work,” said Benesh.
“The RDCK Local Conservation Fund has supported a wide range of initiatives, from ecosystem restoration to human-wildlife conflict reduction—all of which help sustain our environment and quality of life.”
Projects
The RDCK Local Conservation Fund has been in service since 2016 and has supported a variety of projects that benefit quality of life, wildlife, recreation, and tourism values within the service area.
This year’s list of projects includes several that help protect vulnerable species.
For example, Benesh says that while bats support local agriculture and forestry industries through natural pest control services, habitat alteration over decades in the West Kootenay has reduced options for tree-roosting bats.
However, thanks to projects led by the Okanagan Nation Alliance and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, conservation of local bat populations will be supported through habitat quality assessments, enhancing maternity roosting areas, monitoring local bat species, and engaging landowners in conservation efforts.
The fund is also supporting the second year of a local biodiversity project in the Slocan Valley which aims to enhance breeding and nesting habitats for native bees and other pollinators, and another project that is restoring wetland habitat at Crooked Horn Farm.
Local biodiversity and community resilience are also being supported through the Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society’s Kootenay Broom Busters project, with the goal of establishing a long-term, self-sustaining model for community-led invasive plant control.
Work conducted by Living Lakes Canada will focus on the North Kootenay Lake region, collecting high-quality, long-term data from hydrometric and climate monitoring sites.
This monitoring work supports local climate change adaptation, and the snow surveys also contribute data to the BC provincial flood forecasting centre.
New Projects
Two new projects received funding this year, including one led by the Slocan River Streamkeepers and another led by WildSight Creston.
“There are a couple of riparian restoration projects taking place. There’s one in the Slocan Valley that’s going to be supporting riparian restoration right along the Slocan River. The Slocan River Streamkeepers are really experienced in riparian and river restoration in the area,” explained Benesh.
Through this initiative, the Slocan River Streamkeepers aim to plant 1,000 native trees, 1,000 dormant cuttings (live stakes), and install bird nesting boxes in three locations along the river, with the goal of improving aquatic and riparian health and contributing to water, wildlife, and habitat conservation.
The second new project this year is a grassroots initiative occurring in RDCK Electoral Area A, between Wynndel and Riondel.
“There’s also a project run by WildSight Creston that’s going to be working with landowners to remove barriers to wildlife movement in the service area. They’ll primarily be focusing on removing derelict wire fencing and barbed wire fencing, which wildlife often gets tangled up in, preventing free movement through these important corridors,” added Benesh.
The sites are close to key conservation corridors, and the wire will be removed through coordinated “work bees” involving local residents.
The RDCK Local Conservation Fund was established by the RDCK in 2014 by referendum. Benesh says local funding streams dedicated to conservation play a vital role in the quality of life of residents.
“Funding opportunities for conservation are quite limited, and the ability for regional districts to support conservation in this way really amplifies conservation work in the region. All residents within the RDCK benefit from these types of projects. They help protect our water sources, wildlife, and local habitats. These types of positive impacts in the community really enhance residents’ quality of life.”
Property owners in RDCK Electoral Areas A, D, E, F, and H pay an annual tax of $15 per parcel per year towards this dedicated fund, which provides financial support to local projects that help conserve and restore the area’s wildlife and habitat.
To find out if your idea for a conservation project qualifies, or if you have any questions about the fund, contact Local Conservation Fund Manager Kendal Benesh at [email protected].
The application intake for 2026 projects will open this fall. For more information on the RDCK Local Conservation Fund, click here.
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