![](https://www.friendsofkootenaylake.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_2487.jpg)
30 Sep Fall maintenance at Duck Bay with Selkirk Students
On Friday September 27th, the FOKLSS team enlisted the help of 19 students from Selkirk College’s Integrated Environmental Planning program to complete maintenance at Duck Bay Wetland
These second-year students helped our FOKLSS team fulfill our project goals for year two of the Duck Bay Wetland Education and Restoration Project. Over this one hour workshop, students planted 20 native species, built 6 birdboxes and weeded 180 square meters of wetland area!
Students were able to gain insight into how non-profits plan and implement restoration projects in a short presentation by FOKLSS staff, and guest facilitator/project partner Gregoire Lamoureux of the Slocan River Streamkeepers. Gregoire offered his extensive knowledge of wetland restoration and supplied beautiful native species that the students planted around the wetland. FOKLSS Program Manager Claire Pollock-Hall and Environmental Manager Camille LeBlanc walked the students through the history of Duck Bay and the work FOKLSS has done to create a space that provides habitat, protects water quality and acts as an outdoor classroom for wetland education in Nelson.
Year two of this project was intended to involve more planting, maintenance, and installing of bird boxes at the site. Students were divided into three groups that rotated through three stations; building birdboxes, weeding the bioswale, and planting native species around the bay.
This is the second year that Selkirk has been involved with this project and once again we had a great time learning together and enjoyed helping connect passionate students to work that makes a difference and promotes their learning. Our team couldn’t have achieved as much as we did in one hour without their enthusiasm and knowledge. This group had recently completed their own restoration projects at Hugh Keenleyside Reservoir, and were able to cross reference and apply their own experience to this volunteer project. Big thank you from FOKLSS to Gregoire, the IEP group and their instructor Doris Hausleitner for joining in this project.
Students making wood duck and swallow bird boxes.
Infilling an open patch at the west end of Duck Bay.
Pulling a huge alfalfa plant to make room for the native rushes that were planted in the bioswale.
Thank you to our funders,
And supporters