NEWS & UPDATES - November 2023
Thank you for a GREAT season...
Thank you for a great season at the Discovery Centre!

We hosted over 4,200 people inside the Centre...

We delivered school programs to 1,796 students...

We hosted 88 kids in our summer camps...

We paddled 430 people on our guided canoe tours...

Your support and interest in our programs is greatly appreciated, whether you can enjoy in person or view from afar!

Thanks for a great 2023 and we are looking forward to opening the doors to you again in the spring of 2024!
Winter School Programs
Thank you to the Seasonal Staff
A huge thank you to our seasonal staff in 2023. Calum, Akane and Jonathan (pictured at right in that order) were a great addition to the team and we had lots of fun delivering school programs, summer camps and canoe tours. They also helped with bat surveys, tree swallow nest box data collection, and butterfly surveys. Throw in some beaver dam and wild rice removal as well as weed whipping and pruning and they had a pretty full summer!

If this position sounds interesting to you or someone you know, we will be hiring for the 2024 season (May-August) starting in February. The posting will be on our website.
KCDCS AGM - November 29th, 2022
KCDCS's Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 29th, 2023

Where: Virtually (via Zoom)

When: Wednesday November 29th at 7pm-8:30pm

How to Attend: Sign-up here and receive the link to the event via email

We will share with you highlights from the 2023 season as well as updates on progress with new Centre and financials. We are excited to also have a special guest presenter from the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA).
Guest Speaker at AGM

Marc-Andre Beaucher, Head of Conservation at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area will update us on special projects happening at the CVWMA, including a wetland restoration project at Six Mile Slough. You don't want to miss this!
Want to Be a Board Member?
If you are interested in being on the KCDCS Board, we would love to hear from you!

We are looking for keen and enthusiastic individuals who will bring insight and passion to our commitment to environmental education and the development of a new Centre.
A commitment of one meeting per month (with a summer break) as well as some committee work based on your interest and experience is what can be expected. If you have time to offer and are willing to help, we would love to have you on our team.

An application form (easy and quick) can be found here.

Please apply by November 22nd.
Fortis BC Supports our Wetland Programs

FortisBC offered financial support to KCDCS in 2023 to help further or wetland education and awareness programs.

Through their Community Investment Program, they provided funding support for our programs to ensure we could continue to provide hands-on education to students. FortisBC understands the value in such programs to help teach the next generation the importance of protecting the environment and aquatic species.

Check out their blog post about KCDCS programs...
Tree Swallows and Kokanee Salmon @ the CVWMA...
Installation of Predator Guards on Tree Swallow Nesting Boxes

KCDCS seasonal Naturalist check Tree Swallow nesting boxes weekly from May-August, collecting data on how egg, nestling and hatching numbers and successes.

Jacob Ewashen of the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) wrote this article on how he managed to curb high levels of predation found in the boxes in 2022...

From Jacob:

"In summer 2022, the wetland naturalists reported a higher-than-normal number of occurrences of predation on both eggs and swallow chicks in the nest boxes. Seventy-four of the nest boxes were occupied by swallows at some point throughout the summer, during which there were at least 24 occurrences of predation. This meant that 30% of the active nest boxes were predated upon. There are several possible culprits, but the naturalists did report seeing a weasel poking it’s head out of a box during a survey, making it a prime suspect!"

To read more, go here.
300,000 Kokanee Eggs Released!

Hundreds of thousands of Kokanee salmon eggs were released into Summit Creek within the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area on Friday, October 27th as part of a program to restore dwindling populations in Kootenay Lake. 

Eggs were placed in cylindrical tubes with holes in them and buried under the gravel in Summit Creek in the hope that they will hatch and make their way to Kootenay Lake in the spring. 

KCDCS was there to see the excitement and listen to members of the Creston Rod and Gun Club, Lower Kootenay Band, Creston's Mayor and the areas Federal MP, talk about the importance of the Kokanee to the creek and the area.

"This is a huge moment for our valley and a moment that I hope we remember," Creston Mayor Arnold DeBoon told the crowd gathered creekside on Friday. "And in three years we will see red fish again in these creeks."

To read a full press release, go here.
Get Your FREE Membership now to show support for our programs!
To increase support and awareness for KCDCS' mission, we are offering free Memberships! Join the over 1,200 Members and show support for environmental education in our region! This helps us to obtain grants and sponsorships to move us forward!
Join us on social media for fun and interesting information on the wetland, wildlife, programs and progress at KCDCS!