Record setting Gerrard trout return

Posted on 07. Jul, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

For the second consecutive year the daily peak count of Gerrard rainbow trout at the main spawning site in the Lardeau River hit a record high. Nearly 1,000 spawning Gerrards were observed on Friday, May 13, 2011 – the highest since record keeping began at the site in 1960.

Golden introduces curbside recycling

Posted on 24. Jun, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment, Golden

Golden residents will only have to go as far as their curb to recycle, reports Faith Dusevic at the Golden Star.

The town will buy blue bins for residents to use and the cost – $52 a year – will be dropped into utility bills.

Preparing Kootenay forests for climate change

Posted on 17. Jun, 2011 by Colin Payne in Environment

The interior temperate rainforest of the West Kootenay is a unique and beautiful ecosystem, but over the next 20 to 40 years climate change is expected to bring about drastic changes to the forest ecosystem of the region. But a group of local researchers was recently awarded a two-year contract by the provincial government’s Future [...]

Kootenay forest earns millions in carbon offsets

Posted on 09. Jun, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

Trees protected in a Kootenay conservation area generated $4 million in carbon offsets, reports the CBC.

Nature Conservancy Canada bought the Darkwoods property in 2008 from a German duke. The 55,000 chunk of land lies between Nelson and Creston. The conservancy logs roughly 10,000 cubic metres of wood a year, down from the 50,000 cubic metres harvested prior to the land changing hands.

Rainfall warning for the Kootenays

Posted on 25. May, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

Watch the streams, rivers and slopes in your area, Environment Canada is calling for up to 40 milimetres of rain by Thursday night. The rainfall warning comes as a moist low pressure system moves into the Kootenays later this afternoon. The system is expected to remain stationary over the region tonight and Thursday. Rain, heavy at times, [...]

Deep snowpack poses flood risk, ensures water supply

Posted on 13. May, 2011 by Colin Payne in Environment

A winter of heavy snowfall has left a greater than normal snowpack in the Kootenay mountain ranges – which could see flooding in some parts of the region as warmer temperatures jumpstart the melting process. Luanne Chew, forecast hydrologist with the provincial Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, says as of May 1 [...]

Cities want provincial help with deer

Posted on 13. May, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

City reps met at a recent meeting of Kootenay municipalities and took time to talk deer, but they couldn’t find any solutions, reports Carolyn Grant for the Kimberley Bulletin. The meeting was the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments, held last month in Kimberley. Grant’s story has an unattributed quote, presumably from a city official that says: [...]

Squatter camp destroyed near Cranbrook

Posted on 10. May, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

Vandals destroyed an illegal camp on Lake Koocanusa, taking the law into their own hands, reports Sally MacDonald for the Cranbrook Townsman. Officers from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations were monitoring the situation and in September 2010 had ordered the owners of the outhouse, deck and campervans to remove the structures. [...]

Bears make appearance in Nelson

Posted on 09. May, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment, Nelson

Forget tulips and budding trees, a sure sign of spring in the Kootenays is the beginning of bear encounters and Greg Nesteroff at the Nelson Star spoke with one jogger who had a close encounter. Patti McPherson was jogging near Nelson’s cemetery when she heard a crashing in the bush. [W]hen she turned, “there was [...]

Study into regional food org begins

Posted on 06. May, 2011 by Chris Shepherd in Environment

What would a regional food organization look like in the Kootenays? That’s the question Jon Steinman wants to answer in an effort to create a better food system for the West Kootenay. As part of that answer, he’s started researching similar food organizations across the continent. For Steinman, inspiration to engage in this work has [...]