As Kootenay kids headed back into the classroom this September, Wildsight educators were scheming to get them right back outside again. Every year, across the Columbia Basin, our team of 25 environmental educators bring the magic of nature to thousands of kids, from Kindergarten all the way up to high school. Through field trips to … Continued
Late last month, Teck Coal announced plans to shut down their Line Creek water treatment plant. The plant was designed to remove selenium contamination from water flowing out of mine waste dumps and into the Elk River, but instead it is releasing much more toxic forms of selenium into the Elk River watershed. In other … Continued
Place your bids here. Grant Smith is a Kimberley artist and retired art teacher. When Grant first moved to the Kootenays, he donated “Giant Sitka”, a block print sold as a fundraiser for Wildsight (then EKES). Nearly two decades later, the print hangs on the walls of our office, reminding us of the simple beauty … Continued
This entry is one installment of a two-part series on waste diversion and landfilling practices in the Regional District of East Kootenay. In this post, Wildsight’s Kimberley Cranbrook branch reports on a tour of the Central Materials Recycling Facility in Cranbrook.
After years in court, the Ktunaxa Nation suffered their final loss last week in their legal case to stop the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort—but it won’t be the end of their efforts to protect Qat’muk
Wildsight is deeply saddened by the Supreme Court ruling today that fails to recognize indigenous spiritual rights connected to sacred places in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We stand with the Ktunaxa Nation in the continued fight to defend their sacred territory from the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort. “Wildsight supports the Ktunaxa Nation’s call … Continued
On Oct. 5, Teck pleaded guilty and was fined $1.4M under the Fisheries Act for releasing pollution from their Line Creek water treatment facility in 2014. The three releases of contaminated water killed dozens of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. “The fish populations in the Elk and Kootenay watersheds are world-renowned. A central principle … Continued
Water has been at the core of our work at Wildsight for 30 years. To celebrate our 30th anniversary and the enactment of the full suite of federal boating regulations on the Columbia Wetlands, the culmination of 16 years of work, we gathered late this September to celebrate with a group paddle through the wetlands. … Continued
With the colder weather and rain, wildfires are coming under control and plans for salvage logging are being put together quickly across the province. The science over the past two decades has been clear: salvage logging is risky for our natural systems and delays or even prevents ecosystem recovery. Fire salvage logging increases soil compaction, … Continued
World Wildlife Fund’s recent Living Planet Index report highlights sobering statistics on the decline of wildlife species in Canada. Of over 900 species surveyed, half are showing significant population declines. This includes large declines of federally-designated Species at Risk like mountain caribou, who have disappeared from much of their historic range in BC’s interior mountains over … Continued
