Program Overview
Apple Capture supports the harvest and processing of community fruit trees!
The East Kootenays are home to many fruit trees, but this fruit often goes unpicked or underutilized. When the fruit is left to fall off the tree and rot, it attracts local wildlife—including deer and bears. Many individuals and organizations would love to pick and receive local fruit. 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!
Program Opportunities
Gather, together
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.
Share your abundance
Got a fruit tree that will need to be picked? Register it with our program!
Gather, on your own schedule
Gain access to community fruit trees that are waiting to be picked.
Borrow food processing equipment for free
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.
Volunteer with us!
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. We need assistance with tasks such as equipment maintenance, poster distribution, and tree owner recruitment. If you can’t attend an event, but still want to help out, sign up below.
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! Email kimcranapples@wildsight.ca.
For more information, please contact Ashley Lortscher at 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!
