The following ecosystem priorities and project ideas were identified through our Ecosystems Enhancement Program with a thorough review of regional plans and research and by seeking input from community groups, First Nations representatives, government agencies and subject matter experts. Ecological priorities and emerging issues are listed in random order; no ranking is intended. Species and habitats are not limited to those listed below.
Ecological Priorities
Aquatic
Conservation, restoration, and enhancement of aquatic habitat.
Priority Habitat: Kootenay River, Tributary streams from headwaters to Koocanusa Reservoir spawning, rearing, overwintering valley bottom to upper basin headwaters, Cold water refugia, Low gradient tributary streams to Koocanusa Reservoir, High and low elevation lakes.
Priority species: native fish (Westslope Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Burbot, Bull Trout, Kokanee), waterbirds (Harlequin Duck, Western Grebe, American Dipper, Cliff Swallow, Black Swift), freshwater mussels, invertebrates.
Priority Processes: fish passage, connectivity, water temperature, water quality (nutrients, turbidity), productivity.
Wetland/Riparian
Conservation, restoration and enhancement of wetlands and riparian areas.
Priority Habitat: low elevation historic wetlands and small upland wetlands, floodplain ecosystems, cottonwood stands, riparian habitats directly adjacent to rivers.
Priority Species: western toad, northern leopard frog, western painted turtle, at risk migratory birds and waterfowl (Great Blue Heron, Western Screech-Owl, Long Billed Curlew, Olive-sided Flycather), bats, Coeur d’Alene Salamander, American beaver, North American river otter, culturally important plants, plants – rare and culturally important, macroinvertebrates.
Priority Processes: connectivity, linkage areas valley bottom to montane, hydrologic function, geomorphological function, productivity.
Terrestrial
Protection, enhancement and identification of corridors and linkage areas.
Priority: Wycliffe Corridor, south Koocanusa Highway 93 area
Conservation and restoration of upland habitats that support species at risk and of conservation concern.
Priority Habitat: dry interior open forest types in fire-maintained ecosystems, mature aspen, brushlands and grasslands, rock outcrops.
Priority Processes: wildlife movement and migration, connectivity, food web interactions (predator-prey, seed dispersal, pollination), natural fire regim.
Cultural
Protection and enhancement of Indigenous cultural values.
Priority Habitat: cultural use areas.
Priority Species: culturally significant species.
Priority Processes: traditional knowledge, traditional practices.
“It’s a really special place in the entire Rocky Mountain Trench.” That’s how Richard Klafki of the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) describes the grasslands in the Wycliffe Conservation Complex. Located between Kimberley and Cranbrook, the area is home to true grasslands, which are rare in the Basin. Historical activities on the landscape have led to less than optimal conditions for species in the area, ranging from elk, deer and badger to rare plant species. Through a partnership between NCC, the Nature Trust of British Columbia and the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the over 1,100 hectare area will be restored and enhanced to a more natural state. This will be done through activities like thinning the overgrown forests, riparian and wetland restoration, stream enhancement and removing invasive plants.
“Species at risk and the whole health of the grassland ecosystem will benefit immensely,” said Klafki, NCC Director, Canadian Rockies Program, mentioning species like Lewis’s woodpecker, Williamson sapsucker, badgers and wintering ungulates. “It is a sensitive ecosystem, and this project will help enhance its biodiversity values and wildlife habitat.”
Bringing Back the Benefits of Fire—Without the Risks
After a century of fire suppression, the many forests in the East Kootenay are thick with dense stands of timber that compromise values for many species, and provide the potential for catastrophic wildfires. To return the stands to healthier, more natural conditions, the ʔaq̓am project will involve thinning forests and using prescribed burns on 1,300 hectares on ʔaq̓am reserve lands over the course of five years.
“This project will benefit elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer by directly improving ungulate range, as well as providing improved preferred habitat for multiple species at risk,” said Julie Couse, ʔaq̓am Director of Lands and Natural Resources. “The citizens of ʔaq̓am and area residents will also benefit from wildfire mitigation through the thinning of susceptible, volatile forests and the removal of ground fuels.”
