A new East Kootenay regional wildlife and habitat advisory committee has been established in alignment with the provincial Together for Wildlife strategy and is providing recommendations to the Province of B.C. to benefit wildlife and habitat.

Members of the East Kootenay Wildlife & Habitat Advisory Committee come from hunting, trapping, academic, conservation, forestry, land securement, stewardship groups, ranching, agriculture and other backgrounds and were selected following a public call for members in late 2023.

“When the East Kootenay Wildlife & Habitat Advisory Committee meets, we come together as a unified voice for wildlife and habitat in the East Kootenay,” said co-chair Jim Turner, noting that the committee is a collaboration of diverse perspective-holders with extensive local knowledge.”

The committee’s primary goal is to improve wildlife and habitat stewardship. It does this by providing recommendations to provincial decision-makers, managers and stewardship staff responsible for the health and resilience of wildlife and their habitat in the East Kootenay.

“The committee is an advisor to the provincial government,” says co-chair Alan Duffy, “and since January 2024, the committee has made eight recommendations to the government and has provided advice to regional staff on priorities for wildlife projects.”

The committee’s initial recommendations to government are focused on several priorities, including:

protecting and stewardship of high-quality habitat; setting objectives for wildlife populations; establishing new long-term funding models for conservation; managing high-elevation mountain passes; responding to chronic wasting disease; and managing linear features for wildlife.

Additionally, the committee is exploring ideas to pilot new approaches to addressing migratory elk and bighorn sheep and reducing wildlife collisions on rail lines.

The committee is engaging with First Nation governments in the East Kootenay to align its work with the Nations’ traditional values and priorities, recognizing that each First Nation will define how or if it participates in the committee.

The committee is in the early stages and can be reached at [email protected]. It is currently developing its communications channels to share updates on the committee’s work and to hear from others about their priorities for wildlife and habitat in the East Kootenay.

Learn more at Regional Wildlife Advisory Committees – Kootenay-Boundary Region – Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca). See member info, and the committee’s initial recommendations to the province.

e-KNOW file photo

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers

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