Kootenay Native Plant Society

"The enormous municipal efforts devoted to growing or purchasing non-native annuals for parks and community spaces should be devoted to native plant production in the city’s greenhouses or to purchasing plants from local native plant nurseries. We would have the same beauty in our public plantings but with exponentially more ecological value. The native plant nursery industry would be kickstarted into economic health, not with government handouts but by cities putting their purchasing power in service of biodiversity."

Citizen Science Opportunity! Black Cottonwood Phenology The Columbia River system is extensively dammed, commencing in southeastern BC and northern Montana with four large dams that followed the Columbia River Treaty.... This Treaty is being renegotiated and in addition to flood control and hydropower generation, ecosystem function is a third priority. This could include the promotion of deciduous forests along the regulated rivers and around the reservoirs, which have relatively barren draw down zones. To develop dam operations to promote riparian forests, it is essential to coordinate the river or reservoir water level patterns with the phenology, or seasonal timing, of growth and reproduction of the cottonwoods and the other plants. However, there is limited understanding of the regional phenology and this project will provide this essential information. We will track: (1) flowering, (2) flushing, (3) seeding and (4) senescence of cottonwoods and other deciduous shrubs and trees. We will focus on the Columbia, Kootenay and Duncan rivers with the four CRT dams and invite tracking along the other regional rivers, including the other transboundary rivers. We invite contributions, providing: (1) observer, (2) date, (3) location, (4) observations and often (5) one or more photographs of the developing branches, trees and/or groves. If you would like to learn more or get involved, please contact Georgia Peck at: [email protected]

Local nurse Olga Hallborg counts biodiversity as one of the indicators of a healthy human community. We at KNPS have been proud to partner with Olga in making the pollinator pathway plantings at the Kootenay Gallery of Art a reality, and feel very fortunate indeed to have such a strong advocate affecting real change that benefits us all so greatly.

You are invited to the 2021 Kootenay Native plant Society Annual General Meeting! We will meet virtually via Zoom on Earth Day, April 22, 2021 from 7:00-9:00 PM. Registration link below. This year's AGM features a special guest presentation: When Plants Win: An Earth Day Celebration, delivered by the fabulous plant educator Lyndon Penner! Registration is free, but it is required - please follow the link below to register for Lyndon's talk. It has been a groundbreaking year f...or KNPS with the launch of our biggest native plant conservation project yet: the Pollination Pathway Climate Adaptation Initiative. Please come and learn about this exciting new project, and the ongoing work that we do to protect and promote the fantastic flora of the West Kootenay! The meeting is an opportunity for members of the public, volunteers, and friends to check in as we prepare for another year of the work we love. It is also an opportunity to welcome new directors and give thanks for the service of directors who are moving on. Program: 7:00 - 8:00 When Plants Win (including Q & A) 8:00 - 8:05 Quick Break! 8:05 - 9:00 KNPS 2021 Annual General Meeting Please register to receive your Zoom link at https://selkirk.zoom.us//u5MpdeCvrjkiGdQY3ublL_7Db5_FlXuSM If you've never used Zoom before, don't be intimidated - this is a great time to try it out! You can join in the fun through your web browser, no need to download the Zoom App unless you really want to. And if that really doesn't work for you, no problem - there is an option to join via telephone.

"Wildflowers for Pollinators: A Citizen-Science Meadowscaping Initiative" received Kootenay Lake Local Conservation Fund (CVLCF) funding in 2020. In the video linked below, Dr. Brenda Beckwith shares the challenges and triumphs of creating meadows in the Kootenays. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty8I2EFbKzM

The Kootenay Native Plant Society is seeking new directors! We are looking to expand the KNPS board capacity by engaging plant lovers (and plant curious people) who can complement our existing skills with other unique talents including: Financial planning and management. Creativity, community arts development, and/or arts grant writing. Graphic design and/or web development. Video storytelling and/or social media.... More information can be found at: https://files.constantcontact.com//f6634a09-dc30-48bf-8db9 See more