“Start small, grow what you like to eat, and learn as you go.” Sound advice from Chad Kile, Wildsight Kimberley/Cranbrook’s sustainability coordinator. In ways big and small, this branch encourages local food sustainability from the ground up. The hope for the branch, says Chad, is to put a local food economy back in the hands … Continued
The subject of water is as deep as the ocean itself. You can skim the surface, or dive deep on the subject, look at it from different directions, investigate it through science, mathematics, economics, art, history and more. Water, quite literally, is life. So it’s critical that students learn about water in a way that … Continued
You can almost hear an audible sigh if you stop and listen: the collective release of tension from every teacher, administrator, education assistant, and parent as a full year of COVID teaching comes to a close across B.C. In a year of uncertainty, nature was a source of peace and security like never before. This … Continued
Kitchen tables became office cubicles. Family gatherings turned into Zoom meet-ups. And in schools across the country, in-class learning turned to virtual classrooms when COVID-19 arrived more than a year ago. Teachers rose to the challenge, coming up with creative ways to engage students in learning despite a world turned upside down. With traditional classroom … Continued
They’re not as cuddly as a koala, as photogenic as a polar bear, or as charismatic as a caribou. But western toads are just as worth saving. These bumpy-skinned scramblers are described in terms like stout, stumpy, and stocky; not exactly the picture that would grace the cover of a Canadian Wildlife Federation calendar. Luckily … Continued
Wildsight educators teach thousands of students every year about the importance of conservation, habitat protection, and understanding and appreciating the natural places in our own backyard. But how does what students learn transfer to their life view as adults? We set out to ask just that question to four former students from a variety of … Continued
In the Columbia Valley, a lucky herd of mountain goats have found themselves an advocate in local rancher John Zehnder. His interest in the local herd began as a boy growing up on a ranch that borders the Toby Canyon. He recalls his dad taking him to see the goat lick and watch the wild … Continued
Little feet might not walk far, but the goal was never distance. Wildsight Creston and Family Place, a Creston-based community services provider, partnered for a series of walks designed to explore the wonder and simplicity found in nature and to open the eyes of Creston’s littlest citizens to the beauty found outdoors. The goal was … Continued
Gumption. If you’ve got it, you’re halfway there. The other half? A mixture of luck, well-positioned friends, and a whole lot of work. Tracy Flynn has gumption, no doubt about it. Tracy is a Columbia Valley resident who lives in a small rural community bordering the western shoreline of Columbia Lake. This grandiose lake, the … Continued
Their scientific classification is Oreamnos americanus. To the Ktunaxa Nation living in the valleys below them, they are known as kyanukxu. While we call them mountain goats, they’re not actually goats either. With split hooves, stark white fur set against the grey backdrop of a mountain peak, and pointy horns, these thin air-residing herbivores live … Continued
