Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society, Trails for Creston Valley Society, Creston Rod & Gun Club, Wildsight, and the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area are planning a day of fence decommissioning at south Kootenay Lake for the benefit of wildlife and connectivity, and a subsequent highway cleanup in the vicinity.
Old, derelict or unused fencing creates an often dangerous barrier for wildlife moving across the landscape. Fences can block important migration corridors, direct wildlife to unwanted or dangerous areas, and even directly harm or injure wildlife through entanglement. This initiative in collaboration with the Rod & Gun Club is part of Wildsight’s Wildlife Friendly Fencing initiative which is a brand new program that will work to remove old, abandoned or dangerous fencing in wildlife migration corridors and encourage the replacement of traditional fencing with wildlife friendly fencing.
Volunteers will split into teams, tackling different sections of fencing. One or two teams will work on cleaning trash along the highway. Fencing will be deconstructed using equipment provided, stacked in a designated area, and then taken to be recycled or disposed of.
Food and drink for volunteers will be provided. Representatives with Wildsight, Creston Rod & Gun Club, Friends of Kootenay Lake, Trails for Creston Valley, and the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area will be there to answer questions and provide educational resources.
The area of interest is a three kilometer stretch between south Kootenay Lake and Duck Lake along Highway 3A, with efforts concentrated at an 800m stretch of fencing south of Boulder Creek.
The meeting location is on highway 3A right at the south end of Kootenay Lake near Sirdar. There is a large pull-out area on the west side of the highway at the following coordinates:
49°17’04.6″N 116°39’16.0″W
49.284616, -116.654443
See the appended map for the location