Program Overview
The East Kootenays are home to many fruit trees. When the fruit is left to fall off the tree and rot, it attracts local wildlife—including deer and bears. Wildsight’s Apple Capture program is here to help you keep up with your fruit harvest or to share it with someone who can use it. Together, we can turn a wildlife attractant into locally sourced, nutritious food.
New in 2024!
Apple Pick Up
If you are able and willing to pick your own trees but want to donate your surplus of apples to the Apple Capture Program — we can help! We can arrange to pick apples up from you on a day and time that is preferred by filling out the below form.
Team Building Private Events
Calling all employers! If you want to get your team outside, engaging with one another, and providing a benefit to the community, we are offering team apple picking and pressing events. As this is a pilot program, there is no associated cost this year. Email kimcranapples@wildsight.ca to find out more.
Program Opportunities
Tool Share
Sharing is caring! We lend out our maintenance and processing equipment to help you with pruning and picking your trees, as well as pressing and preserving the fruit.
Tree Share Board
Do you have a fruit tree that you don’t have the time to harvest and would rather have someone else pick? Are you looking for fruit trees to harvest?
Community Pick and Press Events
PICK loads of apples. Last year our volunteers managed to pick almost 2400 lbs of apples! Join us again this fall to harvest even more. Bring your gloves, hats snacks, and water bottles, and something warm if it’s a cool day. And if you can bring along a truck and a ladder, even better!
PRESS our apples into juice. Bring your family and friends – apples too, if you’ve got them – and don’t forget to bring some containers to take some of that sweet nectar home with you when we’re done. We’ll be outside, so be sure to dress for the weather.
Volunteering
We’re always happy to receive helping hands! While our community pick and press are great ways to get involved, there are other tasks that need to be done too like equipment maintenance, poster distribution, and tree owner recruitment. If you can’t attend an event, but still want to help out, sign up through the below form.
For more information, please contact Ashley Lortscher: kimcranapples@wildsight.ca.
Photo credit: Yana Kehrlein, Trixie Pacis, Ali Hadikin
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Thanks to the United Way British Columbia, City of Kimberley, Columbia Basin Trust, and Province of British Columbia for funding support in 2024/25!
