bc grasslands winter 2009-2010

“The voice for grasslands in British Columbia”

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Special Edition

CELEBRATING GRASSLANDSand 10 Years of Working Par tnerships

What a wonderful morning to be in the Lac du Bois grasslands, I thought. Onthis cool, crisp morning in November, snow had just started to gently fall anda strange silence spread across the rolling grassland hills northeast ofKamloops. I walked along an open trail with my camera and tripod drapedover my shoulder. While I’d been told there were wild sheep up here, I figured it was an unlikelyplace to find a big ram or two, as my only experience with wildlifephotography until then had been in the Rocky Mountains.I set down my day pack, pulled out a small thermos of coffee and enjoyed mytime away from life in the city. While looking over this unfamiliar landscape,it began to grow on me, and I dreamed of future visits, animals to discoverand photo opportunities.

Break over, I continued my search. Just as I walked over the next hill I wasdelighted to find six large rams bedded down as snow continued to fall.I could not have envisioned a better scene.

It was on that day that I realized the importance of this open and wild space.With each visit to the grasslands, a new wonder is revealed. I see beautythrough the lens.

Peter Sulzle is a wildlife photographer based in Kamloops who spendsmuch of his time in search of the area's wildlife. His past work has mainlybeen used by conservation and naturalist organizations. He now has aphotography column in SPIN news magazine and has begun a series ofwildlife photography videos. www.petersulzle.zenfolio.com

A Special Day in the Grasslands, by Peter Sulzle

C E L E B R A T I N G G R A S S L A N D SAND TEN YEARS OF WORKING PARTNERSHIPS

The Grasslands Conservation Council ofBritish Columbia (GCC) was established as a society in August 1999and as a registered charity on December 21,2001. Since our beginning, we have beendedicated to promoting education,conservation and stewardship of BritishColumbia’s grasslands in collaboration with ourpartners, a diverse group of organizations andindividuals that includes government, rangemanagement specialists, ranchers, agrologists,ecologists, First Nations, land trusts,conservation groups, recreationists andgrassland enthusiasts.

The GCC’s mission is to:• foster greater understanding andappreciation for the ecological, social,economic and cultural impor tance ofgrasslands throughout BC;

• promote stewardship and sustainablemanagement practices that will ensure thelong-term health of BC’s grasslands; and

• promote the conservation of representativegrassland ecosystems, species at risk andtheir habitats.

GCC Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE

CHAIRDavid Zirnhelt, Big Lake Ranch

VICE CHAIR Lauchlan Fraser, Kamloops

SECRETARY / TREASURERKing Campbell, Salmon Arm

PAST CHAIR Michael Pitt, Saskatchewan

Bill Henwood, North VancouverJim White, KnutsfordBOARD

Barry Booth, Prince GeorgeDarren Dempsey, KnutsfordWendy Gardner, KamloopsBruce Gordon, West VancouverJudy Guichon, QuilchenaMichael Kennedy, LillooetSonja Leverkus, Fort NelsonChloe O’Loughlin, VancouverMark Quaedvlieg, KeremeosDarrell Smith, InvermerePeter Stockdale, EnderbyHONORARY BOARD MEMBER

Bob Peart, Sidney, BCEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bruno Delesalle, Kamloops

Magazine ProductionPUBLISHERBruno DelesalleMANAGING EDITORCatrina Crowe

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COVER PAGE: In “Lady in Grass,”popular BC photographer and long-timeGCC supporter Chris Harris captures themagic of evening light in the grasslandsand the spirit of romance it can inspire.

FEATURESpage 8 BC Grasslands: The Mouse that Roared Don Gaytonpage 11 A Small Mouse in a Large Field: Environmental NGOs

page 11 Out of the Forest: The Creation of the GCC page 13 Keeping it in the Family with a Little Help from their Friends: The Frolek Ranch Lesley Neilson

page 22 For the Love of Grasslands: The GCC Model for Transformation Catrina Crowe

GCC IN BRIEFpage 2 Message from the Chair David Zirnhelt

page 2 Message from the Executive Director Bruno Delesallepage 38 GCC Programs and Updates

PARTNERSHIPS IN GRASSLANDS CONSERVATIONpage 4 Partnering for Rangeland Education Wendy Gardner et al.

page 5 A Travel Through Time: Towards a Grassland Research and Stewardship (GRAS) CentreLauchlan Fraser et al.

page 7 Grasslands: Past, Present and Future—BC Nature Rick Howiepage 11 Land Trusts: A Powerful Way to Protect Special Places Sheila Harrington

page 25 Partnership Profile: Ducks Unlimited Canada King Campbellpage 25 Partnership Profile: Ecological Restoration Allen Neal

page 31 Partnership Profile: City of Kamloopspage 31 Partnership Profile: Bulkly Nechakopage 32 Weeding Out Invaders Julianne Leekie

PERSPECTIVESpage 12 A View on Grasslands Conservation from a Ranch House Window Judy Guichon

page 17 Theory in Practice for Grassland and Forest Health: The Fipke Reserve Catrina Crowepage 18 Visual Perspective: Grasslands through the Seasons Kirsty Robbins

FLORA AND FAUNApage 26 Fauna: Homecoming for BC’s Burrowing Owls Dawn Brodie and Lauren Meads

page 29 Flora: Rough Fescue—A Grass with Great Potential Rick Tucker

OTHERSpage 6 Sage Resources: Grassland Visionaries of the Past

page 20 Map of BC’s Grasslands Owen Fritchpage 34 Get Outside: Connecting Children and Families to the Grasslands Bob Peart

page 35 In Memoriampage 36 Members’ Corner

Reminiscing about 10 years of conservation andworking partnerships fills me with both pride forwhat we have accomplished and excitement for what

lies ahead. In 1996, I represented Ducks Unlimited Canada and the

federal Interior Wetlands Program at a momentous meetingof minds at Big Bar Ranch. As I participated in the day’sevents, set up by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Societyto discuss the status of grasslands in BC and the need forconservation, I was completely unaware of how significantlythis meeting would influence my life and career. I recall walking into the dining room of the Big Bar

Ranch, shocked at the number of participants. There wereranchers, scientists, federal and provincial governmentrepresentatives and environmentalists. The air was filledwith an odd combination of positive energy, excitement,apprehension and tension. During the 1990s, there was agrowing public perception that livestock grazing was thenumber one issue impacting grasslands. Ranchers wereaware of this growing sentiment.

Laurie Guichon, a prominent rancher in the NicolaValley, attended the meeting with some apprehension. Hewas worried about meeting with “all these people whowere against everything!” Laurie, like many ranchers, wasconcerned about the Forest Practices Code and otherregulations that were making ranching more difficult. Iremember Laurie explaining how he wanted to be part ofthe discussion and the solution… if a “ship is going to setsail, I want to be on that ship.” Laurie’s quest was to makepeople understand ranchers and their business. Over a period of three years, Laurie and others were

increasingly impressed by the sincerity of the peopleinvolved and the openness of the discussion. The “environ-mental side showed a willingness to learn, and that is whatthe GCC is all about: getting to know the other side.” The ultimate outcome of the Big Bar discussion was the

planting of a seed, one which would soon blossom intoBritish Columbia’s leading grassland conservation organi-zation: the GCC.

Message from the ChairDavid Zirnhelt

Message from the Executive DirectorBruno Delesalle

The GCC’s tenth anniversary gives me a chance toreflect on highlights of the past decade and lookforward to the next one for the GCC. Professionally

and personally, I believe the progress already achieved ingrassland conservation will flow into the future.I see that there will be fresh opportunities for the GCC to

have impact through its focus on land use planning forgrasslands. While land use planning of the last two decadeswas driven in large part by the old-growth-forest debate, Ithink we are now ready to engage local and regionalinterests, as well as the provincial government and itsagencies, in giving attention to the grassland landscapes.The science and planning tools developed by the GCC havepaved the way to incorporate grasslands into official landuse plans in rural and urban interface areas. With morethan 30% of listed species calling the grasslands home, it isessential that we rise to this challenge. Another exciting area that applies previous GCC

research to emerging applications is in ensuring there isadequate investment in the natural capital that grasslandsprovide. Natural capital measures ecological goods andservices, such as the value grasslands offer in providingforage, filtering water and storing carbon from the air.These investments will be long term and may not bemeasured in dollars per acre now, yet they will have eco-nomic value for the future. And while the ecological and financial values of

grasslands are important, the spiritual values of the grass

landscapes will come to be recognized more and morepartly thanks to the work of artists. I would like to thankChris Harris, Rita Geisbrecht, Ordell Steen and KristiIverson for their efforts to produce the book Spirit in theGrass as a window into grasslands. The GCC wasprivileged to collaborate with Chris in this endeavour,which has opened the eyes of many to the beauty ofgrasslands and the animals who live within them.On a personal note, one of the reasons I joined the GCC

was to learn more about grasslands. Even though I grewup in them, I realized I needed to know more and be ableto guide my grandchildren into their beauty. We know thatchildren can, in turn, show us what we do not know andbe able to raise stewardship to a whole new level. My work with the GCC also took me to a journey to the

southern US to the Malpai Borderlands group, a group ofranchers working to conserve the grasslands in the desert.Their take-home message was that ranchers need to havetheir own science working in concert with other interestssuch as the major conservation organizations. I’m proudthat the GCC has taken the lead on such endeavours, suchas with the Grassland Monitoring Manual for BC.Finally, on personal note again, I dedicate this message

to the inspiration Bruno has provided during his term ofservice, wish him well, and thank him.

22 BC GRASSLANDS: WINTER 2009/2010

The GCC welcomes Bob Moody as our newExecutive Director.

Three years following the Big Bar meeting, in April 1999, Iembarked on an amazing journey. I began working with a diversegroup of people, the founding Board of Directors, many of whomwere at Big Bar in 1996, to establish and build the GrasslandsConservation Council of British Columbia. The GCC started as ahome-based operation in Kamloops with a staff of one and $13,000in seed funding. Over a period of 10 years, the GCC grew to 10 full-time staff, with revenues exceeding $1.3 million in 2008. It wastruly a decade of growth. Much was accomplished over that decade. Perhaps most notably,

the GCC embarked upon an ambitious mission to fill the informa-tion gap — finally placing grasslands on the provincial map. Theabundance, distribution and status of grassland ecosystems hadnever before been clearly defined or mapped. As a result, between1999 and 2004, the GCC successfully mapped grasslands through-out the province, laying the foundation for future mapping andanalysis. Since then, the GCC has modeled species-at-risk habitats,identified areas of high conservation value, delineated ranchlandswith associated tenure, completed ecological area assessments, andprovided local governments with tools for land use planning anddecision-making. Building on this work, the GCC is now collaborat-ing with scientists across the Pacific Northwest to model grasslandecosystems and their ability to sequester and store carbon. These initiatives have been driven by information gaps and the

growing need to bring science and information to the planning and

decision-making tables around the province. Such work is also drivenby the need to build a strong rationale and to strive for wise use, smartgrowth and, ultimately, conservation of BC’s imperiled grasslands. There are numerous other initiatives and successes outlined in

this special issue of BC Grasslands magazine. I will focus my final thoughts on our strengths. What makes the

GCC an effective organization? Simply put… we walk the talk, wethrive on and encourage diversity of people, ideas and philosophy,we are willing to listen, we bring people and organizations to thetable, we provide a forum for discussion of hard issues, and westrive for consensus on decisions and actions. In short, the GCC isan excellent collaborator and facilitator! The virtues that embody the GCC today are the same virtues that

Laurie recognized during the early days of the organization. Theyare the glue that has kept the GCC together and provided us withstrength and credibility. The GCC will continue to establish a leading role provincially and

will maintain momentum towards achieving ambitious grasslandconservation and stewardship goals: striving for healthy, life-sus-taining grassland ecosystems now and into the future. As this is my last message as Executive Director of the GCC, I bid

you adieu. It has been a pleasure working with you, our partnersand the many individuals who have consistently supported the GCCand its programs. What an amazing decade it has been, both mean-ingful and rewarding. Thank you.

A beautiful, graceful shore bird, the long-billed curlew spends its winters along the beaches and mud flats of Honduras and Costa Rica and thenbreeds and nests in the southern interior grassland and agricultural landscapes of British Columbia. The GCC selected the long-billed curlew to bea symbol for grassland conservation and part of its official logo in 1999. JARED HOBBS

How is knowledge on rangeland management shared? This is a challenge that is faced around the world; here is the storyabout one way we are responding in British Columbia. In 2006, anumber of agencies came together to form the BC RangelandManagement School Team, starting an inter-agency collaborationfor rangeland education through a series of BC RangelandManagement Schools. Today, the school is approaching its fourth year of operation with

seven collaborating agencies: the BC Cattlemen’s Association (BobFrance and Brooke Madley), BC Ministry of Forests and Range(Russ Horton), BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (Greg Tegart),Agri-Environment Services Branch of Agriculture and Agri-FoodCanada (Lavona Liggins), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DarrylKroeker), Thompson Rivers University (Wendy Gardner) and theGrassland Conservation Council of BC (GCC) (Bruno Delesalle).While the team members represent diverse groups, everyone leavestheir hats at the door and works collaboratively to share the princi-ples of rangeland management.

How did we come up with such a novel idea? We didn’t! Several years ago a few people from BC were introducedto an innovative multi-agency rangeland school operating inColorado. The long-term success of the Colorado school has beenbased, in large measure, on its commitment to extension educationthrough a multi-agency team. We borrowed heavily from ourfriends in Colorado and Oregon to develop one-day classroom andone-day field sessions adapted for BC. We exchanged materials,phone calls, mentoring and presentation support.

Has the school been working? Yes. In three years of winter and summer schools, we’ve had about700 participants, including ranchers, First Nations, consultants andstaff from various government and non-government agencies. Forone of the sessions, we present a one-day “Principles of RangelandManagement” classroom session, which covers plant growth, timeand timing of grazing, animal nutrition, and animal behaviour. Inthe summer, the team presents a one-day “Grazing Response Index(GRI)” field session, which applies the classroom principles of rangemanagement to an easy-to-use grazing management decision aid,the GRI. Since 2007 we’ve conducted twenty sessions in fifteencommunities between Fort St. John in the north, Cranbrook in theeast, Osoyoos in the south and Burns Lake in the west.The schools’ indicators of success are based on written evalua-

tions and other feedback received from participants. Some partici-pants come back again and again and report learning new thingseach time.

So, why has this school worked so well? The answer to this question has two parts. The first part is becauseof the terrific participation by those who attend. They bring differ-

ent backgrounds to the same place and have the time to discuss andlearn about rangeland management. The attendees, independent oftheir background, hear the same message at the same time in anopen forum where non-judgmental discussion is cultivated.The second part of the answer is due to the team members them-

selves and their supporting agencies. From diverse backgrounds, weshare a passion for BC’s rangelands, their management and the peo-ple responsible for their stewardship. We’re dedicated to workingcollaboratively and committed to continually improving the school.Most recently, we created a linkage with the GCC to support theextension of the Grassland Monitoring Manual for BC: A Tool forRanchers.Our vision is for “a dynamic, well-received extension program

supporting sustainable rangeland resources” and our mission is for“a provincial rangeland extension program based on scientific prin-ciples and practices”.

Where does the school go from here? Maybe to a location near you! Our goal is to keep spreading themessage of applying scientific principles and practices to sustain-able rangeland management. If you are interested in learning moreabout the Rangeland Management School or having it presented inyour area, please contact the BC Cattlemen’s Association at 1-877-688-2333 or Russ Horton, Range Extension Specialist, Ministry ofForests and Range at 1-250-371-3826.

Partnerships in Grasslands Conservation

Partnering for Rangeland EducationTHE BC RANGELAND MANAGEMENT SCHOOLby Wendy Gardner, Russ Horton, Darryl Kroeker, and Lavona Liggins, Rangeland Management School Team Members

Rangeland Management School Team (2008) with US Forest ServiceCollaborators near Vanderhoof, August, 2008 after a Grazing Response IndexField Session. Left to right: Russ Horton (MFR), Darryl Kroeker (DUC), Floyd Reed(USDA-FS (Ret.)), Greg Tegart (MAL), Haley Rutherford (BCCA) (foreground), WendyGardner (TRU), Lavona Liggins (ESB-AAFC), Dave Bradford (USDA-FS). LYNNETTE REED


BC GRASSLANDS: WINTER 2009/2010 55

Grasslands Research

There is an old saying on the prairieprovinces: “Anybody can love themountains, but it takes soul to love

the prairie.” From the perspective of BritishColumbians living in the land of mountains,we feel that this saying has deep resonancewith respect to BC’s grasslands. First, youhave to seek them out, which can be a chal-lenge on the less than 1% of BC’s land areawhere they exist. And then to fully respectthem, it is helpful to gain an ecologicalunderstanding of the plants and animalsthat live in them.

History of Grasslands ResearchThere is a long history in the province ofunderstanding its grasslands by lookingcloser through research, especially in thesouthern interior. For thousands of years,First Nations people, as stewards of the

land, experimented and gathered knowl-edge on the grasslands. Professor NancyTurner, of the University of Victoria, hasdocumented First Nations oral history onthe use of native plants and the manage-ment of the land. It is believed that the FirstNations used controlled burns to maintaingrasslands and increase plant productivity.The grasslands provided a supermarket offoods and medicines: the Ktunaxa ate theroots of the three-spot mariposa lilies, andmany First Nations in the southern interiorused the large-fruited desert parsleys for awide range of treatments, including as aninfusion to treat heart problems. European and Asian settlement in the

interior accelerated considerably with thegold rush of 1858.Ranchers drovecattle and sheep

north from the US territories to feed thelarge influx of prospectors. The interiorgrasslands were grazed, homesteads were-settled and land was cultivated. The govern-ment bureaucracy and transportation infra-structure that followed allowed for thedevelopment of the province of BritishColumbia. Although there was a “CattleRanges Act” as far back as 1876, range man-agement was limited. Heavy overgrazing bycattle and horses during the drought of the1930s created very poor range conditions.Professor Vernon (Bert) Brink described thearea which is now the Lac du Bois ProtectedArea as being largely cheat grass and pussytoes by then. In response to increased cattle numbers

and challenges with range management,the BC Forest Service instituted a

Grazing Division at Kamloops in1932, headed by Mr. George V.Copley. At the federal level, aRange Experimental Stationwas established in 1935 anddirected by Dr. S.E. Clarke andDr. E.W. Tisdale. The earlydays of range research includ-ed prominent scientists suchas Dr. Alastair McLean, Dr.Brink, Mr. Wilf Pendrey andMr. Leonard Marchand. Thelegacy of their work can befound in the generations of sci-entists they mentored, the

papers they published and a net-work of experimental sites, such as

fenced cattle exclosures dating backover 80 years.

Grasslands Research TodayGrasslands research continues in BC, partic-ularly in the southern interior, through theAgriculture and Agri-Food Canada RangeResearch Station, the Research Branch ofthe Ministry of Forests and Range, theMinistry of Environment, the Grasslands

by Lauchlan H. Fraser, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Departments of NaturalResource Sciences and Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers UniversityKarl Larsen, Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson Rivers UniversityWendy Gardner, Assistant Professor of Range Management, Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Thompson RiversUniversity

A Travel Through TimeTOWARDS A GRASSLAND RESEARCH AND STEWARDSHIP(GRAS) CENTRE

ABOVE: An exclosure on the Lac du Bois grasslands near Kamloops excludes cattle, allowingresearchers to compare conditions inside and outside the fence line over time. TERRY MCINTOSHRIGHT: Desert parsley, used traditionally for several food and medicinal purposes. TERRY JACKSON

Dr. Edward TisdaleWidely recognized as the pioneer of grassland classifica-tion in British Columbia, Dr. Tisdale was something of alegend in the ranching community around Kamloops; hewould show up in remote grassland areas in his blackhat and Model T, clipboard and plant press in hand. Aspart of his work as an agrologist for the Department of

Agriculture, he helped establish the Agriculture Canada Range ResearchStation at Kamloops in 1934. He left an irrefutable mark on BC’s grass-lands, the way they are studied and they way they are classified.

Dr. Vernon Cuthbert (Bert) BrinkDr. Brink worked with and learnt from Dr. Tisdale as theRange Research Station, where, he recalled, “We chartedhundreds or thousands of so-called metre square quad-tracts; on our knees we came to know the grasslands ofBC very well.” In 1939, he began teaching in theDepartment of Agronomy at the University of British

Columbia, where he taught one of the first courses on range managementin North America. Grasslands remained a passion for him; he was one ofthe early supporters of the GCC. Dr. Brink wanted to see education promoted as an essential part of

grassland stewardship. He believed that urban and suburban newcomersto the grasslands were “a population not antagonistic to, but largelyunaware of, the significance of open grassland to them and to the well-being of our province.” His work on behalf of conservation extendedbeyond grasslands. In 2009, his life-long efforts were recognized with theofficial designation of the Bert Brink Wildlife Management Area atMcGillivray Slough near Chilliwack.

Dr. Alastair McLeanAfter having studied under Dr. Tisdale, Dr. McLeanworked from 1948 to 1986 at the Kamloops ResearchStation, where he made his most valuable contributionsto the field of sustainable range management. Besidesbeing an accomplished and innovative research scientist,he was a dedicated conservationist, ambassador, and

philanthropist. He is remembered for being a mentor to countless aspiringstudents, always willing to share his wide range of knowledge.

Dr. Albert van RyswykRemembered as being “A real gentleman and an out-standing resource scientist,” Dr. van Ryswk had a longcareer as a research scientist at the Range ResearchStation in Kamloops. He worked extensively on soil fer-tility of rangelands, cultivated soils and wetlands. Hisinfluence before and after his retirement extended

across Canada, into the United States and abroad. Don Blumenauer and AlfBawtree of the Society for Range Management recall he “would get sowrapped up in what he was doing, he forgot all about going home forhours, and sometimes days, requiring some very innovative explanations!”

Laurie GuichonOne of the forces behind the creation of the GCC, Mr.Guichon continued a long-standing family tradition ofcaring for the land. His grandfather, Laurence Guichon,had been an early advocate for improvements to range-land management. As for his father, Mr. Guichon wrote,“He taught me to care about the fate of the land and the

life on it. He taught me to become a steward of the land that had beenpassed down in the family and will continue to be passed down as long as itexists.” Mr. Guichon’s presentation at the first grasslands symposium in 1996was influential in shaping the GCC, in that he helped convince environmen-talists that ranchers were part of the solution, not the problem. AgnesJackson, former vice-president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association, praisedLaurie Guichon’s “wonderful ability to bring groups together.” Even now, tenyears after his death, his influence continues with the next generation of hisfamily continuing the same grassland stewardship ethos in their ranching.

For more on these visionaries, please see earlier GCC magazines.

“… dedicated to the pathfinders of our ecological knowledge andunderstanding of grassland ecosystems in British Columbia. Theirvision looked beyond the dust, cheatgrass and grasshoppers, andset the course to restoring the biodiversity and beauty of ourgrasslands to pristine times. Their research, extension and teach-ing provided the foundation for scientific management of ourgrasslands. More importantly, they bestowed the gift of a lan duse ethic and love of grasslands that will lead us into the future.”From the dedication of The Grasslands of British Columbia by Brianand Sandra Wikeem

Conservation Council of British Columbia(GCC), the BC Cattlemen’s Association,Ducks Unlimited Canada and ThompsonRivers University (TRU). Kamloops is agrasslands community and serves as a cen-tre for the provincial government and theseother key organizations.Since the mid-1990’s, a group of

researchers at TRU has contemplated theidea of a Grasslands Research Centre. Withthis in mind, they, in tandem with the GCCand the other key organizations listed above,have taken progressive steps to form a

Grassland Research and Stewardship(GRAS) Centre. Kamloops remains the idealcity for such a facility. Now that TRU hasconverted to a full and independent univer-sity, its faculty has a strong mandate andcapacity to engage in research. They arealready engaged in a broad range of investi-gations related to the ecology, economicsand social/cultural attributes of the grass-lands. Further, TRU is the only post-second-ary institution in the province currently pro-viding undergraduate training in grasslandand range ecology and range management.

BC grasslands are a special ecosystem.They form an important part of BC heritageand are intrinsically linked to the culture andeconomy of the people of the province.While our understanding of BC grasslands isimproving, the ongoing threats from globalclimate change, biodiversity loss, economicuncertainty and food security means moreneeds to be done. It is therefore critical thatwe continue our grasslands research. Withthe formation of the GRAS Centre, we cantake a leadership role in the managementand stewardship of BC’s grasslands.


Sage ResourcesG R A S S L A N D V I S I O N A R I E S O F T H E P A S T

WWhhyy ggrraassssllaannddss??For many non-locals, the image of dull sagebrushand dusty grasslands comes to mind when youmention Kamloops. But what of the vibrant greenblanket of spring, woven with brilliant splashes offloral blossoms before curing to the tans of latesummer? Think of the palette of yellows thathighlight the riparian ribbons, the polygons ofaspens along the upper fringes of the grasslandsand the play of light and shadow as the daypasses.But it is not just the beauty of the landscape thatmerits grasslands being the focus of the BCNature 2010 Annual General Meeting andConference. There is value in confirming theimportance, fragility and tenuous nature of thesesteppe ecosystems.

UUnnddeerrssttaannddiinngg ggrraassssllaannddssGrasslands play a vital role in not just supportinga fascinating and specialized flora and fauna,but also in the growing need to feed people.Ranching and farming are intimately dependenton these romantic landscapes. Amongst themultitude of conflicting demands they mustbalance, local farmers and ranchers need tomanage grasslands for both their operations andfor wildlife. With so little grasslands in protectedareas, well-managed large ranch holdings arevital to the sustainability of grasslands and theplants and animals that depend on them.If the predictions for global warming come topass, what can we expect? Will these grassyplaces expand or contract? Will there be new orfewer opportunities to grow crops and animals,and will we have enough water? What willhappen to the wetlands that are scattered acrossthese dry places and support significant

populations of waterfowl and specialized wildlife,like spadefoot toads, tiger salamanders andalkali-tolerant invertebrates?

IInnssppiirraattiioonnss iinn ccoonnsseerrvvaattiioonn Despite our concerns and musings over thefuture of grasslands, we can look to pastconservation successes to inspire us. Decadesago, some people (such as those mentioned inthe “Sage Resources” article on page 6)identified threats to the grasslands and tookactions to address them. By the late 1930s,heavy grazing and economic demand had led tosome serious impacts. But in the followingdecades, range specialists worked closely withranchers and wildlife specialists. With constantencouragement from visionaries like Dr. BertBrink, they revitalized the province’s rangelands. Non-governmental organizations also do theirpart. Naturalists have worked hard to promotenon-destructive recreational practices. TheKamloops Naturalists Club participated in localresource management planning exercises tohammer out agreements that increased the levelof conservation and stewardship of grasslands.Club members are also involved on local weedmanagement committees, in city planning andother resource management activities wheretheir expertise is valued. Further, they aid DucksUnlimited Canada in annual waterfowl surveys inthe grasslands around Kamloops.Other vital organizations with grasslandsinterests have evolved. Many organizations andindividuals worked to establish provincialprotected areas, such as Churn Creek and Lac duBois, while private conservation organizationsmanage purchases and land donations thatelevate the level of conservation and

stewardship in some of the most special areas ofBC. Municipal governments are now integratingimportant data and advice provided by the GCCinto their planning processes. Whether conservation efforts are large or small,they all have significant impact. We have tworecent examples in the Kamloops area thatinvolve the Nature Conservancy of Canada(NCC). In both cases, members of the KamloopsNaturalists Club encouraged and providedresource data to support the decisions toconserve the lands. In one, the Frolek familyadded sizable portions of their land toconservation parcels (see story on page 13). Thesecond example is of the smaller but importantparcel of Rattlesnake Bluffs, rich in wildlife. Far-sighted visionaries Phil and Arlene Theimer hadbought the land to protect it from being quarriedand recently donated it to the NCC.

Rick Howie is a professional wildlife biologist andlong-time member of the Kamloops NaturalistsClub. He has led many tours of the grasslandsand has collected data on bird and wildlife inthese habitats for over 30 years.

Grasslands: Past, Present and FutureIn May 2010, the Kamloops Naturalists Club will host the annual general meeting ofnaturalists from across British Columbia – and the focus will be on grasslandsby Rick Howie, Kamloops Naturalists Club


BC Nature 2010 Annual General Meeting

GGrraassssllaannddss:: PPaasstt,, PPrreesseenntt aanndd FFuuttuurreeMAY 14 TO 16, 2010, KAMLOOPSJoin BC Nature to celebrate and learn about grasslandsthrough pictures and lectures and, best of all, bywalking in them, smelling them and feeling them. Alongwith ranchers, scientists and others dedicated to thelong-term survival of these scarce ecosystems, helpraise the profile of grasslands and the partnershipsnecessary to sustain them.

For more information, please see www.bcnature.org

TERRY JACKSON

Special Feature


BC GRASSLANDS:

The mouse that

Story and photographs by Don Gayton, M.Sc., P.Ag., FORREX

Alarge swath of the public, as well as the mass media, strugglewith the notion of grassland, seeing it as a mere shortage oftrees rather than the living presence of a vibrant, productive

ecosystem. But recently our little grassland mouse, representing apuny one percent of BC’s landbase, is beginning to roar; over the lasttwo decades, the public profile of grasslands has improved dramati-cally. Let’s have a look at this transition and the reasons behind it.When I moved to BC twenty years ago, I was in for a bit of a

shock. I came from Saskatchewan, where grass is taken for granted,as part of the fabric of everyday life. Starting a job with the RangeProgram, I quickly realized grassland management was a rumpactivity, tacked on to the coniferous body of the Forest Service. Andwhat was more, the only non-government grassland advocates werethe BC Cattlemen’s Association and the tiny BC chapter of theSociety for Range Management. The environmental hue and cry atthe time was all about coastal rainforest, and nothing about grass-lands. But then some quiet but tectonic shifts began to occur. The Nature

Trust of British Columbia, created in 1971, recognized early on that adisproportionate amount of parks, protected areas and other conser-vation lands were at mid and high elevations and that low-elevationvalley bottoms were barely represented at all. So they set aboutresearching and acquiring grassland and low-elevation wetland prop-erties. A key Nature Trust conceptual breakthrough was the acquisi-tion of the White Lake and the Hoodoos ranches, which were contin-ued as operating ranches, but with a nature conservation focus.These acquisitions gave birth to the term “biodiversity ranching.”Another upstart organization, The Land Conservancy of BC, also

recognized the ecological value of grasslands and secured a numberof properties in the Okanagan, East Kootenays and Chilcotin,including the Reynolds Ranch (now the Talking Mountain Ranch),which they also operate as a working ranch.The early and mid-90’s saw the genesis of the Cariboo-Chilcotin,

Okanagan-Shuswap and East Kootenay land use plans. Due to theefforts of tireless and outspoken advocates, grasslands became aplayer at the land use tables. As a result, the ecological and resourcevalues of grasslands were recognized to a greater or lesser degree inall three plans.

As a rookie in the Range Program in the early 90’s, I was told bythe Regional Manager to go over to the East Kootenays to help sortout a minor problem that had cropped up between the ranchers andthe hunters. This was like telling the newbie on the landscapingcrew to go find the sod stretcher. I soon found out the rancher/hunter feud was some thirty years old, quite nasty, and centeringaround—you guessed it—grass. Not enough of it, that is. In 1991the East Kootenay Trench Agriculture-Wildlife Committee(EKTAWC) was formed, and after a lot of initial wrangling, thismulti-sectoral group identified a key issue that was affecting bothranchers and hunters equally. That issue was fire suppression,which was allowing traditionally fire-maintained forests toencroach on the grasslands, resulting in substantially less forage forboth cows and wild ungulates. The pioneering activities of theEKTAWC led directly to the formation of the multi-ministryEcosystem Restoration Committee, which is coming to grips withthe forest ingrowth/encroachment problem on a provincial scale.As our understanding continued to evolve, grassland advocates

reached out to embrace the adjacent dry forests, realizing that thesetwo ecosystems share many attributes—frequent fire being one ofthem--and that they exist in a kind of dynamic tension with eachother. So the mouse grew in size.Another factor contributing to the rise of the grasslands was the

endangered species movement. As governments and land managersbegan to come to grips with endangered species, there was a belatedrealization of the importance of grasslands to these creatures. UBCbiologist Geoff Scudder showed that the highest density of terrestrialendangered species sightings—as well as the highest biodiversityvalues—were all on low-elevation grasslands and meadows. He alsoproduced the rather shocking statistic that 30 percent of all thespecies at risk in BC make use of grasslands for some or all of theirlife cycle. Not bad for that forgotten little mouse!The Agricultural Land Reserve has been a bone of contention

since its creation in 1972. It has definitely saved some productivegrasslands from development, but at the same time has hobbledranchers and diminished their financial options. The ALR’s 1998 SixMile Ranch exemption—permitting a working ranch to be sold andturned into an upscale residential/golf development—caused huge

ROARED

consternation. As ex-Minister of Agriculture Corky Evans has sug-gested, we have created the worst possible scenario for farmers andranchers, by having the lowest level of agricultural subsidies inNorth America, while at the same time limiting agricultural landsales through the ALR.

Reaching the MilleniumThe last years of the millennium witnessed the birth of theGrasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia (GCC), whichformally became a Society in 1999. The efforts of the dedicatedGCC staff and volunteers definitely pushed the grassland agendafurther into the limelight. Projects that the GCC initiated, in map-ping, monitoring and off-road vehicle legislation, to name a few,have had a major influence. The GCC’s priority grasslands mappingproject was a significant milestone. It showed us precisely whereour grasslands are, what kinds of developments we are losing themto and how much is left. This mapping project by rights should have

been done long ago by a provincial government ministry. The GCCwas able to get it done, for probably a third the cost of a govern-ment-run project, and now the various Ministries make ample useof the map products. Virtue in this case was its own reward.The creation of the GCC roughly coincided with the launch of sev-

eral other organizations that were to become important parts of thegrasslands conservation movement: the South Okanagan-Similkameen Conservation Program, the East KootenayConservation Program, FORREX and the Invasive Plant Council.And two existing organizations, the Columbia Basin Trust and theFraser Basin Council, shifted some of their focus towards grasslands.One should not forget the long-term and constant presence of

other grassland-friendly non-government organizations, such as BCNature and its local chapters, the Society for Range Management,

A classic South Okanagan plantscape—bluebunch wheatgrass,antelope brush and ponderosa pine. Anarchist area, east of Osoyoos.


the local Stockmen’s associations, Ducks Unlimited Canada, theNative Plant Society of BC, the volunteer wardens of grasslandEcological Reserves, the Friends of various grassland parks, andmany, many others. The three provincial government ministries—Forests and Range,

Environment, and Agriculture and Lands—have had a shifting anduneasy relationship with grasslands over time. Because their respec-tive grassland interests are not precisely aligned, the three min-istries act in a “checks and balances” relationship with each other,preventing any one ministry from acting unilaterally. The downsideof this is that a small and difficult portfolio like grasslands can easilyslip down ministerial priority lists. The status of grasslands has recently improved slightly within the

Ministry of Forests and Range, with Range being elevated fromProgram status to Branch level.

A Look AheadThe last twenty years have witnessed several very positive shifts ingrassland attitudes, projects and programs. As I look ahead to thenext twenty, I see three major challenges looming. One. The GCC has worked hard to get the ranching and the con-

servation community together, but despite some recent advances,the two communities are still uneasy bedfellows. The challengesfacing both sectors are big now, and they will become enormous inthe future. Ranching and conservation are both bit players in thegrand opera of BC politics, and in order to have any clout at all, thetwo sectors must move to full and active collaboration. This couldtake any number of forms, such as land co-management schemes,ecological cost-sharing, co-marketing initiatives, local food andfood security campaigns, public information efforts, and/or legisla-tive lobbying.Two. The pace of suburbanization, with its attendant losses of

valuable low-elevation grasslands, is intense and shows no signs ofabating. Even the recent downturn in the economy and the housingmarket was not sufficient to slow down new subdivisions and golfresorts. In the grasslands, it seems that real estate rules. Our chal-

lenges here lie largely at the municipal level, of influencing the localpolitics of development, encouraging smart growth principles andinstilling a sense of community respect for the biodiversity andagricultural values of local grasslands. The Green Bylaws Toolkit andthe GCC’s Planning for Change workshops are positive steps in thatdirection.Three. Climate change in all of its ramifications will be a major

force directing the fortunes of BC grasslands. The current pinebeetle invasion, which can actually be seen as a spinoff of climatechange, is already having an impact. As the pine beetle and climatewarming slowly roll back some of our low elevation, ingrown pineand fir forests, we will need to “steer” this ecological transitiontoward desirable native grass, forb and shrub communities andaway from alien species invasion. This will take incremental dollarsand a considerable management effort. Another climate change challenge is the mistaken notion that

trees are the only plants that can effectively sequester carbon. Weneed to do the science to prove that a healthy native grassland on adry interior site is going to sequester more carbon than a stagnated,pest-ridden forest on the same site. Another mistaken notion which must be countered is that ecosys-

tem restoration using prescribed burning puts excess carbon intothe atmosphere and that it produces unnecessary smoke pollution.The bottom line is that forests produce fuel, and in the dry interior,that fuel’s primary breakdown process is fire, which may occursooner, or may occur later, but will inevitably occur. As much as welike to dispute it, fire is part of life in any climatic area that is justbarely wet enough to grow trees. This will require partnerships notonly to research and implement ecosystem restoration, but also tocommunicate the value of fire to a wary public.As I look forward in my own life, I figure I’m good for another

twenty years, to pitch in and help all those keeping our grasslandmouse healthy and roaring.

Don Gayton is an ecologist with FORREX, based in Summerland. Inhis spare time, he writes obscure books.

Caterpillar of the elegant hera buckmoth,feeding on parsnip-flowered buckwheat in

the White Lake grasslands.

Most of BC’s local land trusts and oneprovincial land trust were formedfollowing a 1994 change to the BC

Land Title Act, which now allowed approvednon-government organizations to holdcovenants. This opened the door for many passionate

people to start local land trusts to stewardand legally protect natural features and eco-logical values of land in their communities.Land trusts are designated charities thathave the experience, policies and standardpractices that allow them to work with legaladvisors, donors and landowners to ensurethat their cherished piece of nature will becared for in the future. In addition to legallyprotecting land through conservationcovenants or acquiring land through pur-chase or donations, land trusts provide edu-cation and stewardship programs.In 1997, ten of these land trusts formed

the Land Trust Alliance of BC(LTABC), with the goal to net-work and share tools and know-ledge and be a collaborative uni-fied voice. From 1997 to 2003 theLTABC included all the landtrusts in the province: fourprovince-wide ones and 28 localand regional ones. We then

began to invite other stewardship and con-servation organizations, such as the GCC, tojoin us, because they work with and oftenpartner with land trusts on specific projects.In the last decade, a few new land trustshave formed in BC, so that the LTABC’s cur-rent membership is now close to 100.We’ve come a long way since 1997. Over

one million acres of private land have beenlegally protected in BC through the com-bined work of these land trusts and theirpartners. The value and benefits of protect-ing natural and cultural sites through educa-tion, restoration, stewardship practices andperpetual legal protection are being increas-ingly recognized by the public, governmentsand landowners. Join us to share the know-ledge and opportunities of these land trustsand regional conservation groups such as theGrasslands Conservation Council of BC. Congratulations GCC!


OUT OF THE FOREST: The Creation of the GCCScars on BC’s grasslands, from development, dirt bikes and over-

grazing, were uncomfortably visible to those who cared for grass-lands by the mid-1990s. Many with professional or personal

interest in them also knew they were suffering in less visible ways,from invasive plants, habitat loss and forest encroachment. To savethese landscapes, they believed grasslands needed to be brought outof the thicket of BC’s forest-dominated resource management agenda. After a series of casual conversations, often ending with “We must

do something,” they did do something in 1996. The beginning of astrategy galvanized around the grasslands of Churn Creek. In the cen-tre of the Cariboo-Chilcotin’s recently created Churn Creek protectedarea was Empire Valley Ranch. Many felt Churn Creek would not beproperly protected unless the ranch was included. So, in June 1996 the BC branch of the Canadian Parks and

Wilderness Society (CPAWS-BC) organized a Grasslands ConservationSymposium at the Big Bar Guest ranch, west of Clinton, to bringtogether people and groups interested in working on a long-termgrassland conservation campaign. The collection was certainlydiverse: environmentalists, ranchers, range ecologists, academics andgrassland user groups. Everyone expected controversy. Ranchers con-trolled about 80% of the grasslands in deeded titles; the main issue forenvironmentalists at the time was cattle. “The environmental organi-zations had in their minds that the number one threat to grasslandswas grazing,” said Bruno Delesalle, Executive Director of the GCC.

These feelings began to change when Merritt rancher LaurieGuichon made his presentation on ecologically sound ranching prac-tices and showed a film about ranchers’ efforts to manage the grass byusing cattle as a tool. Guichon convinced the environmentalists pres-ent that the only reason intact grasslands still remained at all wasbecause of ranchers like him, who supported a land ethic. That wasthe beginning of a relationship between environmentalists and ranch-ers, government agencies, First Nations and grasslands enthusiaststhat evolved to be the base of support for the GCC to this day. By the end of the symposium, the participants had developed a

“Conservation Strategy for BC’s Grasslands,” with a vision and objec-tives that extended beyond the issue of Churn Creek. Nevertheless,one of the first successes following the symposium occured in 1998when the province bought the Empire Valley Ranch and incorporatedthe working ranch into the protected area.While the original steering committee of the GCC was composed of

people connected to environmental organizations, by the time the firstBoard was formed, it had a professional and regional diversity that hascharacterized the GCC ever since. The Grasslands ConservationCouncil of British Columbia formed as a society in August 1999, fol-lowed by full charity status in 2001. And with that, BC’s grasslandshad their own champion.

Land Trust & Stewardship Seminar Series 2010

““BBuuiillddiinngg aa CCuullttuurree tthhaatt SSuussttaaiinnss LLaanndd””MARCH 18-20th AT THE NARAMATA CENTRE For more information, see www.landtrustalliance.bc.ca

There are an estimated 20,000 nonprofit societies inBC, employing more than 147,000 individuals, with1.5 million volunteers, and contributing $6 billion tothe provincial economy.* The workforce is larger thanthe combined employment in the forestry, fishing,mining and oil and gas industries. Its monetarycontribution is more than that of agriculture, forestry,fishing and hunting and on par with that of mining andoil and gas.All very impressive numbers indeed. So, even ifenvironmental non-government organizations(ENGOs) comprise only about 4% of nonprofits, thatmeans there are still about 800 groups in BC.However, that statistic alone doesn’t properly describethe impact ENGOs have on the province. For, althoughcomprising just 4% of the sector, they attract 19% ofthe volunteers and an estimated 9% of donations. Despite the proportionately generous level ofdonations, overall revenues for ENGOs are only 3%, or$37 million, because they receive comparably littlegovernment monetary support, relying for almost 90%of their revenue on earned income and gifts anddonations. And of all the NGOs, environmental onesemploy the fewest staff, just 2%. Since the early 1990s, governments have graduallywithdrawn from stewardship and conservationactivities. In stepping into the gap, but with limitedresources, ENGOs rely on dedication, creativity and,often, stubbornness to make the differences they do.* Figures are from the 2003 National Survey of Nonprofit andVoluntary Organizations, the latest such comprehensive study.

Land Trusts: A Powerful Way to Protect Special Placesby Sheila Harrington, Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia

AA SSmmaallll MMoouussee iinn aa LLaarrggee FFiieelldd:: WWhhyy EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall NNGGOO’’ss MMuusstt RRooaarr

Land trusts and their partners have legally protected over one millionacres of private land in BC since 1997

AsI sit looking out my office window atthe Nicola Valley, I’m struck again bythe incredible beauty but also the deli-

cate nature of this part of the world. Those ofus who live close to the land find MotherNature a very strict and somewhat capricioustask master at times. The last few years havebeen just such a time. The weather has beendry, which is normal for the interior and isthe very reason we have these beautiful opengrassland vistas. But the drought has been asextreme as any in my lifetime. We haven'thad good snow for 7 or 8 years now. By goodsnow I mean snow that retains moisture andwhen spring comes sends wonderful rivuletscascading down all these little gullies. Thepine trees in many areas have been aggres-sively logged and in others are standing dead,waiting for a passing lightening bolt toremove them from the landscape. Any areasgrazed after the middle of May of 2009 havehad no regrowth, except for a slight green-upin mid October. And now many of our cows have been bit-

ten by ticks, nothing new to those of us inthe dry interior, but this time, however, theticks have apparently transmitted anaplasmo-sis to our livestock. This disease, which hasno implications for humans, is already pres-ent on every continent. Canada has alwaystried to maintain an anaplasmosis-free status,contrary to our neighbours to the south. Theticks however don't declare their status asthey cross that 49th parallel. We are facedwith a quarantine in the Nicola Valley, whichis just about par for the course the way theyear has been going for our industry. And, of

course, there is the market which seemsto have been able to find new lows eventhough we all thought surely it had bot-tomed out in 2008.

The Next GenerationThis doesn't seem like a very cheerymessage, especially as it is just twoweeks until Christmas. Yet as I look outthe window, I see the grass on ourspring range sticking out through thesnow and the stack yards full of roundbales ready for the cold weather, and I knowmost of the cattle have been found and safelybrought home. I truly have much to bethankful for. Mostly I think of my family andthe fact that they are well and safe and thattwo of my children are becoming veryinvolved with the ranch. How proud theirfather, Laurie, would be to see them eager tocarry on. Allison is working to complete herHolistic Management Educators programand has already been as far east as Quebec todeliver her message. She plans to use andteach others to use holistic principles tomanage for economic, social and environ-mental sustainability. Michael is presently offin Australia for the winter learning about dif-ferent agriculture management practices inthat part of the world. They are keen to trytheir hand at new ideas. They have the hopeand enthusiasm that some of us oldtimersseem to lack some days. And so the Guichon family tradition will

carry on in the ranching industry at least forthe next while. We’ll continue to use livestockto harvest sunshine through foraging andproduce a high quality protein for humanconsumption with very little fossil fuel input.Hopefully that way we can afford to maintainthe integrity of this piece of grassland and tohold off the encroachment of urbanizationand intensification of agriculture that we seegetting closer all the time.

Joint EffortsIt’s in these efforts that we now rely on theGrasslands Conservation Council of BC and

the relationships formed through the councilto help us in the battle. The grasslands map-ping done by the GCC has provided atremendous tool for planners, particularly inlocal government. The increasing applicationof the tool by regional and municipal govern-ments is most encouraging. The use of themapping in work being done now in regardsto the species at risk will prove very benefi-cial. And the latest tool, the new GrasslandsMonitoring Manual for BC is very exciting.It’s a beautiful piece of work, the building ofwhich brought together a great deal ofexpertise from both government and theranching industry. It now remains to beintroduced to the people who are makingdecisions on the land through the RangelandManagement Schools, which have been acooperative effort by many organizations. There have been years of hard work put

into these and other efforts. Some of us havegrown old and tired during that time; others,and particularly the management and staff ofGCC, have put their heart and soul intodeveloping this organization. It has been ajourney of continual learning, and there isstill much to learn and to do ahead. But therelationships that have been pioneered bythis organization will be the foundation onwhich the work of the future will rest. Whentimes get tough, as they presently are, therecan be a danger of protectionism drivingpeople apart as we all try to survive. It will beincumbent on those of us who share thevision to work to foster our mission.

Conse r va t i on P r o j e c t s Suppo r t ed b yt he Gu i c hon Ranch

The Laurie Guichon Memorial Interpretive Site at theLundbom Lake Commonage, south of Merritt

Ducks Unlimited Canada calls Guichon Flats “amongthe best places in BC for waterfowl & wildlife”

Work with the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society ofBC to reintroduce burrowing owls to the region

Personal Perspective

A View on Grasslands ConservationFROM A RANCH HOUSE

WINDOWby Judy Guichon, Guichon Ranch; Vice President, BC Cattlemen’s Association;

and Director, Grasslands Conservation Council of BC

RICHARD DOUCETTE


Special Feature

One hundred years ago a young couple arrived in Canada fromEastern Europe with little more than a deep and abidingwork ethic and the dream of a better future. They settled in

the Thompson-Nicola Valley, near what is today the sprawling city ofKamloops. Like many other new world immigrants, George andTeresa Frolek acquired a Crown grant for a quarter section (160acres) of grassland and the obligation to turn the property intoproductive farmland. At first the Froleks grew grain crops to satisfy the government’s

grant requirements, but the arid climate proved extremely ill-suitedto grain production. In a good year the plants would grow knee-high, and the harvest was more a harbinger of famine than feast.Eventually George and Teresa switched to raising cattle, and theseed of an empire was planted. While the Froleks began to find success in ranching, neighbouring

farmers failed to make a living off the land. Seeing the opportunity,

one of George and Teresa’s four sons, Alex, began purchasing thesefarmers’ land holdings. A visionary businessman, Alex Frolekdedicated his life to securing vast tracts of ranchland in theKamloops area for the family business. Today the Frolek CattleCompany is one of the largest ranching operations in the province,alongside the Douglas Lake and Gang ranches.

A Tough Row to HoeNo one who has ever thought about it would imagine ranching tobe an easy business. In recent times the industry has suffered thedouble-barrelled hit of rising production costs and diminishingmarket prices as a result of the 2003 Bovine SpongiformEncephalopthy (BSE) outbreak. Adding to the cost burden of BCranchers is the closure of many BC slaughterhouses, which isforcing many ranchers to ship their cattle to Alberta to be fattenedand slaughtered before being delivered back to BC markets.

Keeping it in the familywit h a l it t le h elp f rom f r ien d s

The Frolek family found a partnership in conservation that allowsthem to pass their ranch and heritage on to future generations.

by Lesley Neilson, Communications, Nature Conservancy Canada, British Columbia

TIM ENNIS/NCC


Even large, well-established and well-managed operationssuch as the Frolek CattleCompany have not beenimmune to thechallenges faced by theindustry as a whole. Afew years ago the familybegan casting about fornew options toperpetuate the viabilityof their ranchingheritage. The answer was not

immediately apparent.In fact, on the surface, itcould well seem counter-intuitive. But the idea todedicate part of theirranchland to habitatconservation came froma most trusted channel:a fellow BC rancher.

The Two RaysRay Van Steinburg’svoice exudes theconfidence of someonewho knows what he isdoing and has thehistory to prove it. VanSteinburg owns Pine Butte Ranch, a mid-sized ranch in the EastKootenay celebrated for the exemplary health and productivity ofboth its cattle and its grasslands. Ray Frolek is every inch a cowboy. With a face cured by decades

under the sun and topped by a weather-beaten cowboy hat, Ray is amaster of silent authority. He is the de facto head of the FrolekCattle Company, which he runs along with his brother Dennis andsister Lucille. Ray and Ray are colleagues, friends and enlightened stewards of

their land. “Mother Nature is our manager,” says Van Steinburg. “Pine Butte

has always worked to maintain the ranch as a viable workingoperation, while still working with – and enhancing – what MotherNature has given us.”In 2006, Van Steinburg inked a partnership with the Nature

Conservancy of Canada (NCC) that committed the whole of his529-hectare ranch to ecologically-sensitive land management andprevented development or fragmentation of the ranch. Theconservation agreement mirrored one developed two years earlierbetween NCC and Thunder Hill Ranch (near Invermere) which wasthe first of its kind in BC. In it, NCC purchases a portion of theranchlands, which is then leased back to the rancher, while therancher donates a conservation covenant on the balance of theproperty. This creative arrangement protects both habitat andfamily ranches.

It was this story that Ray Van Steinburg shared with Ray Frolekthat led the Frolek Cattle Company towards the answer to theirquestion.

Grazing for the FutureThe Frolek Ranch is unique not just for its size, but also for thehealth and diversity of its grasslands. The landscape of the ranchrepresents the best of the Thompson-Nicola Valley. The big sage-brush and bunchgrasses of the lower-lying grasslands gradually giveway to a mosaic of bunchgrasses and fescues at the higher eleva-

Conservation Agreement: DefinitionAlso known as conservation covenants, conservation servitudesor conservation easements, these are legal documents in whicha landowner agrees to the imposition of restrictions on activitiesthat would threaten the environmental value of the land. Aconservation agreement allows the owner to remain on the landwhile ensuring its protection from future development. Theowner can keep the land in the family, sell it, or donate itwhenever he or she chooses. Each agreement's restrictions arecustomized to suit that particular piece of property, and theowner enjoys a tax incentive by signing the agreement.

Definition as used by NCC

Ranch ing and Conser vat ion — In Ba lance


tions. Small lakes and ponds dot the landscape, creating wetlandhabitat for many birds and other wildlife. Further up the hills, openwoodlands of Ponderosa pine creep up to meet older Douglas-firforests. It’s exactly the kind of landscape that the NCC had identified

through their exhaustive conservation planning as a priority forprotection. So when Ray Van Steinburg called NCC to say he’d had along and well-received conversation with Ray Frolek about the PineButte-NCC partnership, the conservation group leapt at the oppor-tunity to contact the Frolek Cattle Company. Not long after, Ray Frolek took Barb Pryce, NCC’s Okanagan

Program Manager, out onto the portion of the family’s lands thatare nestled into the Lac du Bois Provincial protected area, north-west of Kamloops. “It was breathtaking,” says Barb. “The lake was so picturesque,

surrounded by aspen copses and open grassland. But what reallyimpressed me was how healthy the grassland was. The area had ahard history, back in the day, of overgrazing. I was pleasantly sur-prised to see how carefully the Froleks had tended the land andbrought it back to health.”The grasslands are healthy and robust thanks to the family’s for-

ward-thinking range and grazing management—in particular along rotation schedule that allows an area to fully bounce backfrom the cattle’s hungry wanderings (a rebound boosted by thenatural fertilizer left behind). Rather than being tapped out oftheir biological potential, the Frolek lands are teeming with native

biodiversity: Californiabighorn sheep, sharp-tailed grouse,American badger andthe Great Basin spade-foot toad – to namejust a few – are allspecies at risk thatneed grassland habitatto survive. “Taken as a whole,

the Frolek ranch is anintriguing mosaic ofplants and animals andecosystems,” says Barb.“From a conservationperspective, the size,condition and connec-tivity of these landsmake them absolutelyirresistible.” NCC embraced the

partnership. Aftermany serious negotia-tions to make sureeveryone’s interestswere being honoured,

NCC purchased 950hectares of the Froleks’Lac du Bois lands. Inaddition, the FrolekCattle Company donated

conservation covenants of another 2,200 hectares to the south ofKamloops. Both areas remain active cattle ranching areas, with theprotection of habitat and natural systems as the primary manage-ment principle.

Wolves at the DoorThis conservation partnership comes at a time when grasslands areunder escalating threats from development. Suburban sprawl,ranchettes and the removal of farmland from the Agricultural LandReserve threaten both native biodiversity and our cultural heritage.The pressure on ranches to sell off land to developers is intense.That the Froleks chose to find another way to keep their ranchthriving—through a conservation partnership—is a testament tothe depth of their commitment to the land. “This partnership has been an incredible opportunity to work with

a family that has a really strong land ethic,” says Barb. “They’ve beenaround such long time and are so established in this community. Forthem to trust NCC to this extent is such an honour.” The warm feelings are mutual. “Barb has become one of the family,” says Ray.

The Family Legacy Ray’s sister, Lucille Dempsey, is the keeper of the family history. “I remember when these were wheat fields. I can remember com-

ing over for the harvest and my grandmother cooking a large, largelunch for the combine crew.”

Ranch ing and Conser vat ion — In Ba lance Cowboys and northern harriers will both be found on theFrolek ranch well into the future, thanks to the Froleks’conservation agreement with the NCC . LEFT: NCC / RIGHT: TIM ENNIS

By definition Conservation Agreements require partners.NCC is grateful to all their partners who have helpedfurther grassland conservation in BC.

Frolek Ranch Funding PartnersThe Tula Foundation The Tula Foundation is a private family foundation that funds initiativesaimed at promoting health, productivity and diversity in communities,including both people and the natural environment. The Tula Foundationhas been a long-time supporter of NCC’s conservation work, particularly inBC’s grasslands and the coast. This partnership has contributed to theprotection of close to 7,800 hectares of BC’s most important naturalhabitat. www.tula.org

Government of Canada (through the Natural Areas Conservation Program)In 2007 the Government of Canada created the $225 million NaturalAreas Conservation Program to help protect biodiversity across thiscountry. NCC was brought on as the lead organization to carry out theobjectives of the program. Along with other organizations, NCC hassecured over 110,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands thanks tothe Government of Canada’s investment in conservation.

NCC's Other Conservation Ranching PartnershipsPine Butte Ranch Pine Butte Ranch sits in an important wildlife corridor knowngeographically as the Rocky Mountain Trench. The ranch nurtures one ofthe largest intact expanses of native grassland in the Trench, whichprovides vital winter habitat for herd of elk that pass through during theleanest months of the year. Now in his 80s, Ray Van Steinburg is passingthe reins on to his son, Ron, and Pine Butte’s long-time manager HughMcLuckie. (For more on the story, see BC Grasslands, Fall 2007.)

Thunder Hill RanchBrian and David McKersie are second-generation ranchers who haveowned and operated Thunder Hill Ranch since 1991. In 2004, theMcKersies partnered with NCC to protect the ranch’s diverse habitat thatsupports several species at risk, including American badger and acritically imperiled daisy-like flower called Hooker’s Townsendia. NCC iscurrently working with Brian McKersie, The Nature Trust of BC and the BCMinistry of Forests to restore the ecosystem on part of the ranch andsurrounding Crown land. This restoration work will also enhance grazingfor the Thunder Hill cattle.

Kootenay River Ranch, Tatlayoko Lake Ranch, LincolnCreek Ranch & Skinner MeadowsWhile not ranching partnerships like the above, these conservationproperties do mix ranching with conservation. All are entirely owned andmanaged by NCC, and except for the Kootenay River Ranch, are located inthe grasslands of the Chilcotin, in the remote Tatlayoko Valley. NCC leasespart of these lands to local ranchers, who graze their cattle on an NCC-prescribed schedule that protects the ecological integrity of thegrasslands. The Kootenay River Ranch is also undergoing extensiverestoration of the property’s historical grassland structure as part of NCC’sstewardship of the property.

Partnerships that work for the Nature Conservancy Canada

The combined efforts of the Frolek family and representatives of theNature Conservancy of Canada mean that over 3,000 hectares of landaround Kamloops will continue to support a family ranch and localhabitat and natural systems. NCC

She shares this memory and others while watching her grandkidsclamber around the original homestead built by their great-great-grandparents: two small wooden houses tilting dramatically askewafter decades of relentless grassland wind. The now-abandonedbuildings sit as a reminder of not only how humble the beginnings ofthis family’s empire, but also how difficult those early years musthave been. Lucille remembers spending the night in the old house here in the

dead of winter, and waking in the morning to a frozen world, bothinside and out. It took a brave soul to venture forth into the morningchill and rekindle the fire. But from all accounts the harsh winterswere just one in a long line of challenges faced by Lucille’s grandpar-ents as they built a new life in Canada. Keeping a strong connection with the past is what allows the

Frolek family to move forward into the future with strength andclear vision. Lucille’s son, Darren, represents the fourth generation ofFrolek Ranchers. “Our roots run very deep,” says Darren. “To be working on a field

where my grandfather and great-grandfather worked is veryhumbling.”Cattle ranching and ecological conservation have not always gone

hand in hand. But in the past few decades, a new breed of rancherhas emerged and, with them, an industry that can sustain both eco-nomics and biodiversity.


Theory in Practice forGrassland and Forest HealthFROM AN OPTIMAL FOREST TO AN OPTIMAL PARKby Catrina Crowe, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia

There’s something different about theFipke woodlot and grasslands. Touringthe property just north of Oyama, on

the eastern shore of Kalamalka Lake, withNeil Fipke, I didn’t feel I was in a southernInterior forest. Rather, it felt like a parkland.Where was the understory of clutter anddecay common in our forests? Where werethe crowded matchstick-thin trees? For thatmatter, where were the red, mountain-pine-beetle-attacked trees? Instead, we walked through a grove of

mature trees, healthy looking and spaced farenough apart there was ample room betweentrees for the sun’s rays to touch and warm meon a chilly October day. Bunch grasses cov-ered the ground. Walking out of the woodlotinto a meadow of grass, I gingerly steppedaround fresh evidence of cattle. Even afterrecent grazing, these grasses, too, lookedhealthy. Would you be surprised to learn thatthis is how Interior Douglas Fir forestslooked historically, before fire suppressionbecame the norm? When Neil’s brother, Charles, bought the

property to save it from being developed, heintended it to be a preserve, with little to nohuman interference. However, by 2005 treeswere dying because of an on-going drought.Then the mountain pine beetle arrived. Neil,who had been a forester in his working-for-pay life, told Charles, “You know you can’tpreserve it; it’s going to get destroyed on itsown.” Without natural fire cycles, the treeswere crowding and weakening one another,and the accumulated underbrush meant thatif there was a fire, it would be large.

Saving the trees for the forestSo, they set about saving the forest. Severalresearch reports and proposals later, theFipkes extended the management goalsbeyond preservation to include promoting

healthy ecosystems; protecting a range of val-ues (including biodiversity, riparian areasand wildlife movement corridors); reducingboth wildfire and bark beetle hazards; andenhancing forage for both wildlife and cattle. Over the past few years, they’ve imple-

mented many of the reports’ recommenda-tions for woodlot management, grasslandsand wetlands restoration and wildlife habita-tion enhancement. They used an innovativecable machine to remove trees from steepterrain without damaging the slopes,released root weevils to help manage theknapweed, spread dry grass seed mix andreduced the grazing period for cattle. In theprocess, Neil says, “We wanted an optimalforest, which turned into an optimal park.”

Working today for tomorrowWhile the improvements to the property arealready noticeable—a low incidence of “redattack” trees, 200 painted turtles sunningthemselves at one time on logs in the pondand grasses growing in height and density—the location of the land means that its posi-tive impacts potentially extend well beyondthe property line. Bordered to the east bythe Kalamalka Lake Protected Area andCougar Canyon Ecological Reserve, the 182-hectare Fipke property forms a contiguoussegment of undeveloped land betweenVernon and Oyama.Given that the prevailing winds sweep off

the lake, up the slopes of the Fipke land andover to the protected area and reserve, bycreating what is essentially a fire break, theFipke’s may well be protecting those areasfrom future catastrophic fires. Dick Gillman,the Property Supervisor, explains, “One ofthe things we did was to develop a forest fuelmitigation program, because it was recog-nized that the characteristics here are exactlythe same as those of the Okanagan Mountain

fire in 2003.… We took all the slash and for-est floor fuels, piled them and burned them.If there was a forest fire now, the intensity ofthat fire would probably be 5% of what itwould be if we had not done that.” By thin-ning the forests, the Fipkes have also reducedthe competitive stress on the remaining treesand increased their vigour to help preventoutbreaks of pine beetles.The location of the land also means it

might play a part in managing for climatechange in the future. Studies for the preparedreports found that the property is alreadysignificantly biologically diverse, with severalwildlife species federally and/or provinciallylisted as being of concern, including paintedturtles, gopher snakes, western rattlesnakes,western yellow-bellied racera, commonnighthawks and red-neck phalaropes. Sittingas it does in the southern Okanagan, the areawith the largest number of rare, endangeredand threatened species in BC, the propertycould, as Don Gayton of FORREX said in hisevaluation, “play a key role in the northwardmovement of newly adapted native species asour climate changes…The presence of alarge, healthy block of land such as the Fipkeproperty, containing a variety of habitats andbuffered on three sides, will be an incrediblyvaluable asset over time.” As an experiment,Neil has transplanted 120 desert plants tosouth facing slopes, in preparation for thenorthern movement of plants expected withglobal warming.The Fipkes’ move from preserving their

property to a program of restoration andwildlife management has had visible effectseven in the short-term. With its comfortablyspaced trees and few red needles, the site ofone family’s experiment in woodlot andgrassland health for today and tomorrowcould have significant long-term regionalbenefits.

Perspectives


Autumn grasslands of the Churn Creek Protected Area in the Chilcotin region and winter scenes of Lundborn Commonage.

These images are an integral part of research for an art project Kirsty is currently working on. Grassland Fables, a mixed media art project funded by a BC ArtsCouncil Grant, explores and reflects upon the unique, fragile and biodiverse nature of grassland ecosystems and the pressures they face. Field studies, journaling

records, natural history research and photography documentation are combined to form the basis of inspiration for a series of mixed media artwork. To learnmore about this project as it progresses visit: http://kirstyrobbins.ca.

GRASS L ANDS T HROUGH THE S E ASONS

Visual Perspective

BC GRASSLANDS: WINTER 2008 1199

by Kirsty Robbins

TOP: Spring flowers grace the grasslands of Lundborn Commonage, near Merritt. FLOWERS, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Mariposa lily, shootingstar, harebell, brass button, three-flowered Avens (also known as old-man’s whiskers for its appearance as a feathery seed head), common stork’s-bill (Erodium cicutarium), longleaf phlox (Phlox longifolia),and squaw current .

For the Love of GrasslandsTHE GCC MODEL FOR TRANSFORMING DIFFICULTY INTO OPPORTUNITYby Catrina Crowe, Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." ALBERT EINSTEIN

PHOTO J. KEVIN DUNN

The Grasslands Conservation Council of BC wasn’t looking fordifficulty when it published the “Impact of All TerrainVehicles” edition of the BC Grasslands magazine in 2002. But

the phone was soon ringing. What the GCC had seen as a balanceddiscussion of the issues around all terrain vehicles (ATVs), otherssaw as biased one way or the other. Rather than dismiss theirprotests, the GCC saw an opportunity to bring the many interestedstakeholders together to find a practical, usable solution. Three years later those stakeholders, as members of the Coalition

for Licensing and Registration of Off-Road Vehicles, presented thegovernment with 47 recommendations for registration, licensingand management of off road vehicles (ORVs) in BC. Just this lastfall, the government announced it will implement expanded regula-tions. An issue that no one would tackle a decade ago had gainedsuch prominence that Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister KevinKrueger recognized, “There is a broad consensus that it is time for

[new] ORV regulations; we have a common vision and a solid blue-print for action.”

Working partnerships work Behind that very short summary of a convoluted, complicated andsometimes contentious process is the story of how the GCC worksfor the conservation and health of BC’s grasslands. It’s based on amodel that’s behind all the GCC does, including the mapping ofBC’s grasslands, the Grasslands Monitoring Manual for BC: A Toolfor Ranchers, and the Priority Grasslands Initiative. The focus of themodel (as illustrated on the facing page) is on partnerships thatwork through facilitation and collaboration towards consensus forthe common good.The GCC adopted this model early and enshrined it into its strate-

gic plans. To achieve its vision of “healthy and life-sustaining grass-


land ecosystems in British Columbia,” the GCC is guided by the fol-lowing principles: • Respect each other’s interests, values, goals and aspirations • Foster trust and promote inclusiveness • Solve issues in a collaborative manner • Strive to reach decisions by mutual consent

By returning again and again to these principles and its mandate,the GCC can adopt neglected issues that need attention and worktowards a result which most interested parties support and grass-lands benefit.

ORV Coalition And so it was with the ORV Coalition. Back in 2004, in speakingwith and, more importantly, listening to those who felt the maga-zine misrepresented the problem of ORVs, GCC Executive DirectorBruno Delesalle suggested that they and all interested parties meetto explore the issue. So, the GCC hosted a meeting where almost everyone invited—

ATV groups, the ranching community, environmental groups andgovernment—came. At least 28 people sat around the crowdedtable. Delesalle admits he felt some nervousness when he askedeach of the participants to give their perception of the issue. Therewere certainly some differences of opinion. For the environmental-ists, ORVs damaged land and ruined nature’s quiet; for the ranch-ers, although they found ORVs useful for work, other users brokefences and interfered with cattle; and for the ORV associations, irre-sponsible riders gave all ORV riders a bad name. However, as they went around the table, Bruno felt himself relax.

He was repeatedly hearing common themes. As Bruno recalls, “Weagreed that grasslands and wetlands are important. We all agreedthat there are some bad apples that are creating a bad image prob-lem for the motorized community. And we all agreed that we want-ed to do something about it.”Having recognized a commonproblem—being unable to iden-tify bad apples— they thenformed the ORV Coalition towork for the common good. Given the diverse back-

grounds of the members of theORV Coalition, it’s a testamentto their hard work and focus onoutcomes that in just threeyears they were able to assemble47 mutually-agreed-upon rec-ommendations to deliver togovernment. Bev Felske, of theQuad Riders Association ofBritish Columbia and co-chairof the Coalition, reflects, “Whileenvironmentalists and motor-ized recreationists didn’t agreeon all things, we did agree onthe major things. What welearnt over the years is that if wetalked, we could work togetherand learn from one another.”

In looking back, Tasha Sargent, the GCC Stewardship Coordinatorand the other co-chair of the ORV Coalition, believes four thingswere vitally important in the success of the Coalition. Clear andconstant communication—through a hired facilitator, regular meet-ings, emails, and posted updates on the Coalition’s website—keptparticipantsengaged andinformed. AStatement of Co-operation andMutual Support,adopted andsigned by eachgroup member,set parameters,kept discussions from becoming overly heated and encouraged thegroup to focus on the common good. Raising political support wasessential, as government was needed to implement the recommen-dations. Finally, Tasha found “persistence was key.” With persist-ence, the Coalition could keep communication flowing, discussionsfocused and political entities engaged through changes in personneland ministerial responsibilities. What they also learnt was that their lessons in persistence and

consistency were needed for the next stage, in ensuring that the rec-ommendations didn’t fall from the political agenda. The Coalitionjoined the ORV Advisory Committee with the government andother affected stakeholders to bring the recommendations to legis-lation. Another four years passed, with constant reminders to thegovernment of previous promises and of the growing need for sucha regulatory change. Even today, despite the government announcement in November

2009 that new rules will be implemented in the next two years, theCoalition isn’t resting. Their con-tinued persistence is required toensure that the promised regis-tration is actually implemented.

Mapping our grasslands While the ORV Coalition mayhave brought together the mostdiverse group of participants ofall the GCC projects, the sameprinciples of collaboration andpersistence were required fromthe beginning. Ryan Holmes, theGCC’s first GeographicalInformation System (GIS) ana-lyst, says that at the meeting in1996 that led to the formation ofthe GCC, it was recognized that“we didn’t have a good idea ofwhere BC’s grasslands were.” Itwould be difficult for the organi-zation to conserve grasslands if itdidn’t know where to find them.

Special Feature


The GCC Model for Working for Grassland Conservation

“What we learnt overthe years is that if wetalked, we could worktogether and learn fromone another.”

And with that, the first major GCC project—the BC GrasslandsMapping Project—was born along with the organization. Complications began immediately. The GCC’s founders had

thought the organization would simply need to compile and reviseproducts already available in government offices. However, Ryan

recalls that itwas quicklyapparent thatalthoughproducts suchas open-rangepolygonswere good,“they would-n’t give uswhat weneeded.” And

what really was the definition of grasslands? The gaps in knowledgeneeded to be filled before the mapping could begin. So, Ryan gathered maps, research, data and specialists in regional

ecosystems. He consulted with ranchers, forage experts, conserva-tionists and government officials. “The part I enjoyed most was get-ting to visit big, beautiful private ranches,” says Ryan. Once Ryan took the gathered information to a technical group of

biologists and ecologists, the assessments would begin. Defininggrasslands was the most complicated part of the process. Are grass-lands defined by how they look now as compared to how theymight have looked historically? Is land that is now agriculturallydeveloped “naturally” grasslands? Experts in fire ecology referred tothe issue of encroachment. In areas where trees had encroachedonto what were once grasslands, should that land still be consideredopen grasslands, as that’s what they might potentially be again? After a long process, the technical group agreed to a definition

based on the Ministry of Forests and Range’s long-time definition ofnon-forest to classify open grasslands as lands with 10% or less oftree crown closure (the percent of canopy overlying the groundbelow) and open forest as those with 10-30% of tree crown closure,based on the current status. The project was completed in 2004, with the mapping of native

grasslands, species at risk locations, land status (private, Crown,protected, etc.), amongst other information. The time was wellworth it. The open and collaborative process ensured that govern-ment, wildlife, recreation and range management interests all haveconfidence in the mapping.

Priority Grasslands Initiative Once we had assessed and mapped BC’s grasslands, we had a solidbaseline of information to help us with our next question. Weknow we can’t conserve all grasslands; population, developmentand agriculture growth won’t allow for that. But given that reality,how can we ensure that land use has the least impact on grasslandsand species at risk that rely on them? With this question in mind,the GCC launched the Priority Grasslands Initiative, which pro-vides a scientific basis for planning and decision making aroundgrassland areas. This time, the technical team included regional and urban plan-

ners, as well as scientific experts, to develop the methodology for

the project. Including planners was very important, because if theproduct wasn’t useful to them or didn’t offer them workableoptions, there’s little likelihood that the findings would be imple-mented. As is so often the case, reaching agreement on definitions was the

most difficult part of the process. The word “priority” itself mightsuggest to some that grasslands not so labelled are available fordevelopment or fragmentation. Of course, that’s not at all what ismeant by the word. So, the team began to use the phrase “grass-lands of high ecological value” to indicate that all grasslands haveecological value that must be taken into consideration when plan-ning. Amongst the values identified are species at risk, ranchingand forage, recreation and First Nations heritage.

Grasslands Monitoring Manual Because of the essential values in grasslands for ranching and for-age, the GCC collaborates with ranchers in most of its projects.Roughly 90% of BC's grasslands are grazed by domestic livestock,so for grasslands stewardship to truly be successful, ranchers mustbe engaged. But a great problem for ranchers is how to monitor thecondition of their grasslands over time while managing the moun-tain of paper work required of them by government, along with allthe other demands on their time.In 2004, the BC government adopted a new Forest and Range

Practices Act, which included revised range management require-ments. The GCC saw it as an opportunity to address the need forbetter monitoring tools.The GCC brought together a Technical Advisory Committee that

included representatives from the cattle industry, government andacademia. Each group had its own set of concerns and perceptionsand often its own language. What could have been a difficult situa-tion instead was used to create a stronger product. It ensured thatthe science behind the manual is not only sound and answers theranchers’ needs, but it’s communicated in such a way that the man-ual is practical and useful to ranchers. We can’t say the process was easy, as Bruno can attest, “It was, at

times, difficult and fraught with differing perspectives, emotion andstress. But we worked through it and at the end of the day we agreedon the science, a methodology and a manual.” After six hard years,we launched the Grasslands Monitoring Manual of British Columbia:A Tool for Ranchers. And again, by keeping the dialogue flowing andengaging all participants, we have a product that will make a realdifference to the management and health of BC’s grasslands.

Working Together for the Common GoodAnd it is for the health and future of BC’s grasslands that the GCCmodel for working together for a common good is so important.For it’s when we come together, talk, wrestle with issues and even-tually reach consensus that we can make change and have a realimpact. With the GCC’s on-going projects, such as Planning forChange and Ecological Area Assessments, and recently launchedones, including in Natural Capital and Species at Risk, the modelwill continue to prove its worth. When we and our partners focuson our love of grasslands and the creatures that live in them, ourindividual differences and needs dissolve into the common goodand that which appears difficult becomes possible.


It’s when we cometogether, talk, wrestle with

issues and eventuallyreach consensus that wecan make change and

have a real impact.

Ducks Unlimited Canadaby King Campbell, P. Ag, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Head of BC Agriculture Programs

Historically, fire played an integral part in themaintenance of ecosystems in British Columbia’sinterior. However, today we see the results ofdecades of wildfire suppression, with the absence ofprescribed fires or the application of any otherinterventions or disturbance processes that wouldact as an adequate surrogate for the role of fire.Trees encroach onto historic grasslands, and there isexcessive in-growth of trees in previously openforests. Province-wide this ecological change has affectedhundreds of thousands of hectares, reducingecosystem resiliency to climate-change pressures anda host of other related negative trends in open forestand grassland ecosystems. These trends include: • reductions in available First Nations traditionalplants and ecosystem values;

• increased risk of catastrophic wildfire, whichincludes impacts to air quality;

• degraded native grassland integrity andassociated critical wildlife habitats;

• reduced timber quality and increasedsusceptibility to insects and disease;

• reduced quantity and quality of forage for wildlifeand livestock;

• increased risk to community watershed health; and• reduced recreational and aesthetic values.

Ad hoc efforts to address these issues have occurredthroughout the province, but until recently there hadbeen no effective coordinated approach. A multi-sectoral Provincial Ecosystem Restoration (ER)initiative, led by the Ministry of Forests and Range’sRange Program, commenced in 2006. The ERinitiative is gaining momentum throughout theprovince thanks to the efforts of the many partneringgroups, such as the GCC.

Currently, the GCC sits on three ER steeringcommittees, covering six forest districts. They havealso been the recipient of grants in excess of$500,000, which have been used by ER steeringcommittees for treatment projects. Through theirinvolvement, the GCC has been able to provide theirexpertise in multiple resource value accounting tothe ER team leaders to support the prioritizing oftreatment areas.

Ecological Restoration is recognized internationallyas a key component to recovering and maintainingthe health, resiliency and sustainability of the world’secosystems, including BC’s open forests andgrasslands.

For further information on the Ecological Restorationprogram, please visit

www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/Restoration

A prescribed “mildfire,” as opposedto a wildfire, at Whiskey, nearCranbrook. A mildfire mildly burnsthe surface, grass, shrubs etc, butleaves the mature trees mostlyunscathed. GREG ANDERSON

The GCC has been a tremendous force in the conservation of grasslandecosystems in BC for the past ten years. Its commitment to mapping the BCgrasslands has been its single most important contribution to landmanagement in the province. The mapping has continually improved alongwith analytical techniques to increase the depth of knowledge aboutspecific sites and to evaluate their significance in relation to many regionalattributes and potential risks. The combination of the GCC mapping techniques and the Ducks UnlimitedCanada (DUC) decision-support system for identifying high valuewatersheds and individual wetlands are very valuable for establishingpriorities in grassland/wetland conservation in the province. These toolsare also important for educating the public and landowners about thescope of these grassland features in their communities and the degree towhich they are under threat. More importantly, our local governments nowhave access to map products that can be used as a tool during thedevelopment planning process to minimize the impacts on high valuegrasslands and wetlands.These tools for targeted conservation were not readily available ten yearsago. The GCC has led the strategic completion of programs to develop themechanisms, deliver the products and ensure practical application of theinformation for the benefit of the province. The mapping techniques arewelcome by anyone working in grassland/wetland conservation. The success of any organization is dependent upon the quality of theindividuals and the strong relationships they can forge with others during

the performance of their work. GCC staff has successfully partnered withmany individuals and organizations to achieve outcomes in the last tenyears. The program accomplishments are numerous and they have beenmade possible by passionate individuals achieving specific deliverables,amongst a very wide range of time consuming issues and difficult financialtimes. Ducks Unlimited Canada has shared office space with GCC staff foryears, and we have been fortunate to work closely with dedicated GCC staff.GCC and DUC staff have shared success in environmental conservation,and our strong working relationship has also resulted in successful fundraising for cancer and children in need. I trust the next ten years will bring similar success in conservation andbenefits for the waterfowl, wildlife and people of BC.



Ecological Restorationby Allen Neal, Ecosystem Restoration, Provincial Strategic Planning Leader, Range Branch, Ministry of Forests and Range

Anaham Ponds north of Alexis Creek BC. DUC constructed 15 km offence to protect the lake, wetlands and grasslands. KING CAMPBELL

Homecoming for BC’s Burrowing OwlsREINTRODUCING THIS UNIQUE BIRD TO BC’S GRASSLANDSby Dawn Brodie and Lauren Meads, Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of British Columbia

As one of the Burrowing Owl Society of BC’s two educationalowls, Rocky plays a very important role. She visits schools andattends events, raising awareness of burrowing owls and theirneeds and of the work of the Burrowing Owl Society.LAUREN MEADS

Fauna

Pilot and Rocky. They sound like the names of cartoon charac-ters, don’t they? But while they are certainly characters andanimated, they aren’t cartoons. They are in fact the newest

members of a thriving program to reintroduce burrowing owls toBritish Columbia. Pilot and Rocky’s role in the program is to repre-sent their wild counterparts to the public. Pilot is the gregarious male that loves it when everyone is talking

and enjoys having his head scratched. Rocky is the quiet female thatacts more like wild burrowing owls, keeping to herself and whilingaway the day looking for food and grooming herself. This unlikelypair is able to share the burrowing owl story.

Disappearing Owls Burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia) are small owls that call thenatural grasslands of North and South America their home. They arethe only owls that nest in the ground, hence their name “burrowing.”The owls take up residence in burrows abandoned by othermammals such as coyote, badger or marmot. When they firstestablish a burrow, both the male and female remodel the inside bykicking out old dirt and dragging in shredded cattle manure inpreparation for egg laying. Preferring to hunt at dawn and dusk,they often spend the day loafing around their burrows or perchedon fence posts. They hunt primarily a variety of rodents such asdeer mice, pocket gophers and voles. They also dine on grass-hoppers, which is appreciated by the ranching community. Duringperiods of abundant prey, the male owl will cache extra rodents toprovide for his mate and upcoming large brood. Food caches of upto 38 rodents have been recorded!While it is normal for the male to mate with one female during

the season, occasionally an over-confident male will mate with twofemales at the same time. That was the case this past season with amale providing food to two broods in separate burrows and suc-cessfully fledging 11 juveniles.The burrowing owl is very much a continental bird. In BC, the

grasslands of the Thompson-Nicola region were historically one ofthe summer homes for these unique owls. Other sites for burrowingowls in Canada can be found in grasslands in Saskatchewan and

Alberta, where they are currently struggling to maintain viable pop-ulations. In the winter, the BC owls migrate south to Washington,Oregon, California and even as far as Mexico. Sadly, they’ve beendisappearing in all their habitats. In Canada they are listed asendangered, and in British Columbia they were deemed extirpatedin 1980. Why have these owls become endangered, especially in British

Columbia? Many modern-day changes have created conditions unfavourable

to burrowing owls:o Loss of habitat, development of land o Loss of prey species (rodents, grasshoppers)o Loss of burrowing animals to dig holes (badgers, ground squir-

rels, marmots)o Poisoning of prey species (agriculture spraying etc.)

Re-Introducing Burrowing Owls to BCIn 1990, a captive breeding re-introduction program was initiatedin partnership with the BC Ministry of Environment and a group ofcommitted volunteers. The Burrowing Owl Vineyard, of Oliver, BC,is a major contributor to the program. Then in 2004, the BurrowingOwl Conservation Society of BC (BOCS) was formed in response tothe need for captive breeding, husbandry, field activities, educationprograms and further scientific knowledge. BOCS works with theBurrowing Owl National Recovery Team to bring back burrowingowls in BC.The first and largest breeding facility began at the BC Wildlife

Park in Kamloops, followed by another facility at Port Kells, BC.The breeding facilities maintain a founder population of burrowingowls to produce genetically diverse juveniles, which are released asone-year olds. Each spring 50 pairs of yearling owls are placed intoartificial burrows in suitable habitat within the Thompson-Nicolaregion. Currently the society monitors 11 active sites located on private

ranch land between Kamloops and Merritt. Since 1991, the societyhas built and installed over 700 artificial burrows. The artificialburrow system is constructed with landscaping buckets and 3m

QUICK FACTS ON BC’S BURROWING OWLS:• 965 captive-raised owls released from 1991-2009

• 968 wild-born juveniles from 1991-2009

• Average number of eggs per nest: 6-12

• Stands 21 - 28 cm tall; Weighs 160-240 g

• Burrowing owl prey: meadow voles, deer mice, pocket gophers, grasshoppers, smallbirds, frogs, small snakes and other insects

• Main predators: red-tailed hawks, Swainson’s hawks and northern harriers

CHECK OUT MORE AT: www.burrowingowlbc.org

long pipe buried deep in the ground. Largerocks are place outside the entrance to discour-age digging by persistent coyotes. At these sites, about 45 soft-release cages

were erected in April of each year to house bur-rowing owl pairs for two weeks. Research byAimee Mitchell (M.Sc., 2008) proved that thesoft-release cages increase reproductive successand site fidelity and soften the transition fromcaptivity to the wild. The 4x4x4-foot enclosuresare made of a PVC frame with mesh that fitover the burrow entrances. We remove thecages after two weeks, by which time themajority of pairs have initiated nesting and/oregg production. Our job as the field monitors is to document

the behaviours of the released yearling owls, aswell as to count eggs, band juveniles and radiotrack owls. We feed the owls a diet of farmedmice while the soft-release cages are up and offersupplement feeding throughout the breeding season. During the 25-day incubation period, the male has the sole responsibility of hunt-ing for the female. The six to twelve chicks hatch over several days, resulting in the

smallest juvenile being unable to compete with its older and largersiblings. These ‘last-ones-to-hatch’ (LOTH) can be successfullyhand-reared and fostered into other wild nests. For successful brood rearing, both female and male need to be

excellent hunters to provide up to 30 rodents per day for their fastgrowing offspring. After eight weeks, the juveniles are fledged andlearn to hunt on their own in preparation for their fall migration. We band all wild-born juveniles with a US Fish and Wildlife alu-

minum band and a green/black alpha-numeric band. Thegreen/black band is unique to BC burrowing owls; therefore theycan be identified along their migration route and wintering

grounds. BC owls have been sighted fromWashington to California.

The Outlook for BC’s Burrowing OwlsThe good grassland stewardship practices ofthe private landowners involved in the burrow-ing owl re-introduction program ensure forag-ing opportunities for cattle and owls. The locallandowners of the Thompson-Nicola region areinstrumental to the survival of the BurrowingOwl in BC. They have contributed to the suc-cess of the recovery program and are essentialto its future. Ongoing work for burrowing owl recovery in

BC will focus on the following:o Increasing knowledge of migration routeso Expanding public education of grasslandsecology

o Continuing to monitor and survey releasedand returning owls

o Supporting landowners and ranchers intheir stewardship efforts

Protecting our existing grasslands is paramount to the survival ofburrowing owls. You can also contribute by reporting any sightingsof burrowing owls by contacting the Burrowing Owl ConservationSociety of BC (www.burrowingowlbc.org). With the ConservationSociety, the public, our volunteers and the ranchers, we can ensurethat these enigmatic little birds are found within British Columbiafor years to come.Dawn Brodie: R.A.H.T., Burrowing Owl Field Research Director.Dawn has worked with Burrowing Owls since 1990 and is also aworking cowboy for Sugar Loaf Ranches Ltd.Lauren Meads: MSc, Burrowing Owl Field Researcher. Lauren hasworked with other endangered species such as African Painted dogs,Northern Spotted Owls and Northern Ground Hornbills.

TOP: Adult burrowing owl. BOTTOM, left to right: Clutch of wild burrowing owl eggs; Pilot, one of the education owls, teaching children about the Burrowing OwlProgram; Soft-release cage, with burrow entrance within the cage. The lid with a rock on it to the front of the cage allows Society members to check on theunderground nest. CAGE PHOTO BY DAWN BRODIE; ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY LAUREN MEADS



To have a great potential is said to be agreat burden, and rough fescue has agreat potential. Beautiful to look at,

coarse to touch, rich in taste, poor in propa-gation, yet persistent, the fescue is a com-plex plant. It’s also an important plant, forforage, wildlife habitat, biodiversity andsequestering carbon. A large plant thatgrows in tussocks, or clumps, rough fescue’srange and importance is often overlookedbecause its former prominence has beengreatly reduced by harmful grazing prac-tices and overly dense forest cover.Run your hand down the leaf stem, and

you will feel the roughness that gives thisgrass its name. Large healthy tussocks ofrough fescue can grow up to 75 cm in diam-eter and a metre tall. Their size builds upover the years on an accumulation of litter,litter which is also used as homes for smallmammals, birds, many other creatures andlichens. If on disturbed sites or in shadedforests, it can survive as a residual plantwith two or three 10-centimetre-long leaves.Once established, and protected from

severe disturbance, fescue plants can sur-vive for many decades. In that time theirseed production is sporadic. In some years,a plant will produce hundreds of seeds onmany-metre-tall seed culms, or stems; how-ever, in most years, it will generate only afew culms with a few seeds. The seeds gen-erally tend to be poor at germination andestablishment.

Distribution in BCRough fescue once occurred throughout thesouthern interior and in the Kootenaytrench between the valley floors and1,200m in elevation. It has not yet beenfound in the Chilcotin or Cariboo grass-lands. On undisturbed grasslands between800m and 1,200m in elevation, it’s the dom-inant grass species. At lower elevations, itdominates cool slopes and forms mixedgrasslands with bluebunch wheatgrass on

warmer slopes. On open-forested sites up toabout 1,200m, it can form mixes with pine-grass and big bluegrass. Once forests havedeveloped a dense tree cover, rough fescueis not able to grow. Throughout its rangethere are patches that remain with propergrazing, small reminders of past splendor.

Historical SignificanceThe scientific names for rough fescue havebeen inconsistent over time, so tracking itsearly history in the province can be a prob-lem. Rough fescue, mountain fescue andplains rough fescue are at times consideredthree species, while other references refer toall of them as rough fescue. However, as thebiology of each of these three species differssignificantly, care is needed in interpretingreports, since the findings for plains roughfescue may not be relevant to our rough fes-cue, for instance.

In BC, little was written about rough fes-cue in the early days of European settle-ment. By the 1920s, one government reportshowed that it had diminished throughoutits range. Harsh livestock grazing practices(too severe, too frequent, and for too long),combined with similar heavy wildlife use insome areas, too little rest during the grow-ing season and, to a lesser extent, landclearing for crop production, buildings androads all contributed to its decline. Rough fescue’s attractiveness contributes

to its vulnerability, in that being highlypalatable, it’s often heavily grazed by live-stock and wildlife. Its growth and propaga-tion patterns also contribute to its vulnera-bility. Its growing point is higher than manyother grasses, and when a grass blade isgrazed below its growing point, a new bladehas to start from below ground, greatlyincreasing recovery time. Rough fescue’s

ROUGH FESCUEA Grass with Great Potential

by Rick Tucker, Range Agrology Specialist, BC Ministry of Forests and Range

Flora

Rough fescue recovering on a site formerly heavily grazed by cattle and elk, now rested fromlarge herbivores. RICK TUCKER D

RAWING: NICOLE BRAND


low seed production with poor establish-ment means it is difficult to replace old ordamaged plants with new seedlings. Earlyinitiation of growth exposes it to grazersthat are hungry after a winter’s diet, whenfew other plants are green. Its susceptibilityto the impacts of grazing was recognizedearly in the range research community, butpractices to allow recovery are only slowlybeing adopted.

ImportanceFORAGE: Many of the same factors that

make rough fescue vulnerable also make itimportant as forage. It greens up early andproduces a lot of forage that is highlydigestable with moderate nutrient content,making it very desirable to livestock andlarge wildlife. CARBON SEQUESTRATION: The fact that

rough fescue has a very high root-to-shootratio is of interest in this time of climate

change and concerns about carbon storageand sequestration. The considerable rootmass allows the plant to remove a largeamount of carbon dioxide from the air andstore it as organic matter in the soil. It’s anexcellent species to use for sequestering car-bon as an offset to carbon released into theatmo-sphere by the burning of fossil fuels.WILDLIFE HABITAT AND BIODIVERSITY: When

the leaf growth of rough fescue dies, it col-lects at the base of the plant as litter, whichpersists for many years and plays severalcritical roles. The litter protects the soil sur-face from excessive heat and evaporationand creates a home for small animals, nest-ing sites for birds and a microclimate forinsects and biological soil crusts. The large root system and spreading leaf

growth of rough fescues allow it to domi-nate undisturbed sites, greatly reducing thecover of minor species to such an extent

that a healthy rough fescue sward has verylittle other vegetation. It forms a uniquehabitat that potentially contributes uniquespecies, such as soil microbes and insects,to global diversity . When the dominance ofrough fescue is broken by disturbance andless desirable species prosper, the potentialof the site to contribute to biodiversity isreduced.

ChallengesOnce a rough fescue site is altered by a distur-bance, such as poor grazing practices by live-stock or wildlife or soil disturbance bymachinery, it takes many years of propermanagement to restore it. Recovery with graz-ing requires that the plant be grazed lightlyand given a long rest (usually at least one fullgrazing season) before re-grazing. During thedormant season, moderate grazing on frozenground could also be practiced.

ThankYou!

With warmest wishes, the GCC thanksDucks Unlimited Canada for our ongoingrich and rewarding partnership.

BARRY JUSTICE



The Urban Face of Partnership:City of KamloopsGCC partnerships take many forms. The GCC prepared EcologicalArea Assessments (EAA) for the City of Kamloops that the Cityincorporated into their planning processes. For the GCC, theassessments took us in an exciting, innovative direction. Theygrew out of the partnership-building aspect of our Planning forChange Initiative and allowed us to highlight the quality of ourPriority Grasslands Initiative mapping.The first EAA the GCC completed was for an area of Kamloopsthat had already been identified for development. RandyLambright, the Planning and Development Manager of the Cityof Kamloops, explained that the City, in its Official CommunityPlan, recognizes that identifying environmentally sensitive areasis critical to its future growth. “When we came to the AberdeenNeighbourhood Plan,” he said, “we knew that there were some vast areasthat potentially had some environmental issues. So when I first talked to theGCC, I asked them to not necessarily focus on grasslands but consider theenvironment as a whole.” Lambright recalls that the development community was originally concernedthat the GCC were environmentalists who would attempt to “freeze” the land.In the end, Lambright found, “The GCC was able to clearly present scientificrationale for its ecological assessment and recommendations that we coulduse to balance conservation and development within the area already slatedfor development.”

The second EAA the GCC conducted was for the Lac du Bois area ofKamloops, which isn’t identified as a future growth area in the Community

Plan. In this case, the City contacted the GCC to provide an environmentalassessment of the area so they already know what’s at risk in the area aheadof any potential development considerations in the future.

The City has since incorporated the two reports into a proposed City-wideDevelopment Permit Area, which highlights specific areas in the City that areenvironmentally sensitive and creates a development permit for those areas.Then, if development is ever considered, the developers will go through aprocess of providing options for the ecosystems that are potentially at risk.

According to Lambright, the value of working with the GCC is that it’s “anenvironmental group that recognized there are competing values in planningand that conservation does not operate in a vacuum.”

In a province where grasslands are scarce at the best of times, theones in the northwest are almost a secret. But precisely becauseof their rarity and remoteness, the grasslands in this regioninclude some of the best-protected and most endangered in ourprovince. Yet even here grasslands to be susceptible to climatechange, forest encroachment and invasive plants. Northwest BC has two significant low-elevation grasslandlandscapes, in the Stikine River valley and at the western edgeof the Nechako Plateau, with small pockets of grasslandscattered in the Bulkley and mid-Skeena valleys and by theYukon border. The dry, south-facing valley-bottom ecosystemsare of exceptionally high value for wildlife, especially in winterand early spring.Historically, grassland ecosystems were primarily maintained byboth natural burning and fires set by First Nations. However, with thesuppression of wildfires, land development, disturbance and fragmentation,wetter climates and changes in grazing pressures, most of these grasslands aredeteriorating in size and condition. The remaining grasslands are experiencingencroachment by shrubs, aspen and other trees, as well as invasions of non-native species. So, at various times, grassland interests, government, consultants andnaturalists, come together to initiate projects to increase the resilience andhealth of the grasslands. Grassland restoration studies have been conducted

within parks, such as Uncha Mountain Red Hills Provincial Park, and on landtrust properties, such as at Hubert Hill (Toodienia), which was purchased bythe Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. There are presently plans to identify, rank and prioritize sensitive andendangered ecosystems in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, with aninitial focus on high-risk grasslands, wetlands and floodplains. Theinformation is to be used primarily to assist local governments in planningdevelopment around communities and to protect important ecosystems andwildlife as this development proceeds.

Partnering in Remote Corners:Bulkley Nechako

Anita Norman and Leanne Helkenberg working amongst grasslands of UnchaMountain Red Hills Provincial Park near Uncha Lake. Both Lodgepole pine in theforeground and trembling aspen in the background encroach upon the grasslands. ADRIAN DE GROOT

Some of the grasslands of Lac du Bois, northwest of Kamloops, are within the City’sborders. This view from Lac du Bois overlooks the western end of Kamloops alongeach side of the Thompson River just upriver from the Kamloops Lake. TERRY MCINTOSH

Weeding

Collaborative actions help protect BC’s grasslandsby Julianne Leekie, Communications Coordinator, Invasive Plant Council of BC

Out Invaders

Out Invaders


Standing quietly in one of British Columbia’s grasslands canrenew the senses—just listen as the wind rustles through thecoarse strands. If you search closely, you’ll notice a thriving

ecosystem. But an even closer inspection reveals an unfortunatetruth: invasive plants endanger these unique, fragile landscapes.

Invasive plants establish quickly, sometimes causing irreparabledamage. Being non-native and not having natural predators here tohold them in check, invasive plants can out-compete native grass-land plants and deplete food sources and shelter crucial to the sur-vival of local wildlife.

Through province-wide cooperation and coordination, theInvasive Plant Council of British Columbia (IPCBC), a non-profitorganization, works to minimize the negative ecological, social, andeconomic impacts of invasive plants. Partnerships between theIPCBC, Regional Weed Committees, all levels of government, pri-vate industry, and the concerned public are putting a damper onthese aggressive invaders.

One innovative program, “Action Now” Hot Spots, initiated in2009, created short-term employment for over 100 displacedresource workers across the province, with some of the crews oper-ating on grasslands. For example, crews in the South Cariboo andChilcotin region inventoried 1,500 hectares of invasive plants onover 140 sites and treated 10 hectares on over 75 sites. These crewstargeted invasive plants impacting grasslands, including spottedknapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula),and sulphur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta). Grassland species impact-ed by invasive plants in these areas include native bunchgrasses,such as bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegnaria spicata), junegrass(Koeleria cristata), and Stipa species. To protect these vulnerablespecies and sensitive ecosystems, the focus of the Hot Spots pro-gram is to identify invasives before they are established and takeaction quickly to reduce their spread.

Even with such programs as “Action Now” Hot Spots, collabora-tive partnerships with groups and individuals are essential. To helpin early detection, the Spotter’s Network provides people across BCwith critical information to identify, locate, and report invasiveplants. This initiative offers informational workshops to communitygroups and is designed to increase stewardship actions and improveearly reporting of invasive plants. Local grassland and stewardshipgroups can access free presentation tools that cover basic knowl-edge and identification, aquatics, and agriculture and rangeresources. By participating, local groups develop more ‘eyes acrossBC’ to be on alert for new and spreading invasive plants in BC’s sen-sitive grasslands.

Julianne Leekie has contributed photography, media relations, writing,and graphic design services to the Invasive Plant Council of BritishColumbia since its inception in 2002. An avid gardener and outdoorenthusiast, Julianne has a keen interest in helping to ‘spread the word,not the weed’ while exploring the many parks and natural areas thatmake BC a beautiful province to call home.

Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia (IPCBC)

WWhhaatt ddeeffiinneess aann iinnvvaassiivvee ppllaanntt??The Invasive Plant Council of BC defines the term "invasive plant"as any invasive alien plant species that has the potential to poseundesirable or detrimental impacts on humans, animals orecosystems. Invasive plants have the capacity to establish quicklyand easily on both disturbed and undisturbed sites and can causewidespread negative economic, social and environmentalimpacts. Many invasive plants have been introduced to BC withouttheir natural predators and pathogens that would otherwise keeptheir populations in check in their countries of origin. For thisreason, invasive plants also commonly referred to as "alien," "non-native," "exotic" or "introduced" plant species.

BBCC GGrraassssllaannddss’’ MMoosstt UUnnwwaanntteedd IInnvvaassiivvee PPllaannttss

Spotted Leafy Sulphur knapweed surge cinquefoil

Learning together so we can work together to reduce the spreadof invasive plants onto BC’s grasslands. J LEEKIE


To learn more about the IPCBC and its programs, become amember, or join local efforts,

call 1-888-WEEDSBC or visit www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca.

J LEEKIE

B STEW

ART

R MUELLER

FACING PAGE: INSERT Hot Spot and SWAT (Strategic Weed Action Team)crew removing invasive plants near Penticton in the summer of 2009. L SCOTTLARGE PHOTO A beautiful view of upper grasslands marred by knapweed inthe foreground. J LEEKIE


Connect ing Ch i ld ren and Fami l ies to the Grass lands

"Now go outside and play."With these five words my parents wouldsend me outdoors to explore a world ofbugs, birds, tree houses and whatever else Idiscovered along our backyard creek. Littledid I then realize how that time outdoorsset in place a love and wonder for naturethat has guided my life and my work. Little did I also realize how unusual such

unhindered exploration would be to child-ren of the next generation. In the past 20 to30 years, without society realizing, ourlifestyle

changes have led to powerful, pervasive andoften detrimental effects on children.Children are becoming less and less con-nected to the natural world, with 80% ofthem being raised in urban settings and90% of their time being spent indoors.When I was young about 70% of childrenwent outside to play; now that figure is clos-er to 5%! The implication of this reality fora child's physical, mental and social healthis immense.The outdoor experience for children has

changed dramatically. As we have movedindoors, screen spaces have replaced greenspaces. Access to and use of television, com-puters, the Internet and hand-held deviceshas so overtaken a young person's life thatthey now spend close to six hours a day infront of a screen of one type or another.Combine this screen time with increasedparental fear, structured recreation, lessplay and tighter supervision, and you canquickly see the forces that are keeping chil-dren from playing outdoors. An averageteenager today is unable to name the threemost common birds in his or her backyard. As for grasslands, many children think

that grassland landscapes no longer have a

role in their urban lifestyle. However, forabout 1.5 million years of evolution, mod-ern humans and their immediate ancestorslived in open grassland landscapes. Thislandscape was our source of livelihood,inspiration, physical and emotional being—and it held the forces that shaped us ashumans. The natural world honed our skillsby rewarding those best suited for survival.It should be no surprise then that our ties tograsslands are deeply rooted in our genes,even if we are not always aware of thestrength of these connections. And becausehuman response to nature is 'hard-wired,' itis not going to go away.

GETTING CHILDRENBACK OUTSIDE

• Encourage families to include outdoorplaytime in the nearby grassland parks(see sidebar on next page).

• Encourage urban planners to designand build neighbourhood parks thathighlight the grasslands in a way that isattractive to children.

• Facilitate the ability for parents to visitneighbouring ranches and Crown landsto learn and appreciate the importanceof grasslands to our history, culture andenvironment.

• Encourage the school system tohighlight the contribution of grasslandsto the environment, the economy andsociety through field trips andrefocused curriculum.

• Encourage family activities that build arespect and wonder for naturalgrasslands.

• Encourage various levels of governmentto bring nature back into our cities andto encourage urban design that leadschildren and families back outside.Georgina, left, and William MacKenzie learn

that it’s never too early to learn the spirit ofgrasslands exploration, with mum or alone!CATRINA CROWE

If I had influence with the good fair

y

who is supposed to preside over the

christening of all children, I should

ask that her gift to each child be a

sense of wonder so indestructible

that it would last throughout life.

RACHEL CARSON

by Bob Peart, GCC Honourary Director

OUTSIDE!gET

Children and Grasslands


Erik Berglund was connected to thegrasslands already before birth, as hisparents, in a VW Bug with room for alarge golden retriever and a tent, spentmuch of 1964 and 1965 searching outthe Chilcotin and Southern Interiorrangelands."Looking for a ranch!" they explained,

when puzzled neighbours, on a quietWest Vancouver street, wondered abouttheir frequent expeditions.Urban and Ann-Charlotte Berglund,

recent immigrants from Sweden, fell in lovewith the grasslands landscape at first sight:the bunch grass, the soft lines, the clear blueand pastels, the gently rolling and openhills. Erik was a baby when they moved tothe Whiteford Ranch at Upper Nicola (nowChutter Ranch) in June, 1966. He was totedaround outdoors every day, with diaperchanges among balsamroot and saskatoonshrubs, and picnic feedings by a beaverdam, a slip wire gate, under a ponderosapine or beside a lake. With a father being one of the early knap-

weed alarmists in the Nicola Valley, Erikand 3-year younger sister Jessica weretaught how to recognize and dig up the nox-ious weeds. The knapweed outings were ofcourse not as fun as bulrush play fights onfrozen ponds, or rolls down bunchgrassyhills, where ticks lay in wait. From childhood, Erik learned to appreci-

ate the diversity of flora and fauna of the BC

grasslands, and he grew to respect theirfragility. As a teenager he often hiked theSouthern Okanagan’s grasslands with hisNewfoundland dog Frehley. Influenced by afavourite Biology teacher, HaroldBaumbrough at Penticton High School(graduate1983), Erik completed his B.Sc.(first class) Biology Major at the Universityof Victoria in 1987.Erik was intrigued by insects, by tree

leaves’ change of colour, by the mystery oflife and he was a natural teacher, alwaysready to support and explain. Before hisshort life ended, at the age of 43, April 2009,Erik had tried out both medical school andteachers’ college. He found his bliss inArchitecture and graduated from UBC witha Masters of Architecture degree in 1999and in 2005 became a Registered Architectwith the Architectural Institute of BC.Ann-Charlotte Berglund

Erik Berglund

The grasslands of BC have recently lost several champions. Their backgrounds, profes-sions and interests varied and they didn’t necessarily know one another, but theyshared a love for the outdoors and an appreciation for grasslands. For some, grass-

lands shaped their everyday lives and work; for others they offered a respite from the world. Because of their work, ranchers have intimate relationships with rangelands. While work-

ing daily on the land, Roy Jackson, of the Napier Lake Ranch, was conscious that well-man-aged grasslands benefited wildlife, as well as cattle. For Norman Wade, his long connectionwith the BC Angus Association extended his influence beyond his ranch work. Some, such as Erik Berglund, grew up right in the grasslands. Others came from away

but made the grasslands their home. Jeff Wheeler moved to BC as an adult but was sooninvolved at a very direct level when he launched the Naramata Conservation Society. ForLeslie Holmes, an outsider’s eye, adventurous spirit, pilot’s licence and career as an agricul-tural appraiser gave him several unique perspectives on the province and its grasslands.Some of these champions left us far too early; all left us with much still to offer. Through

their work and hobbies, and in inspiring others, they’ve left their legacies as imprints onBC’s grasslands, and for this, we thank them.

In Memoriam

EXPLORING GRASSLANDPARKS NEAR YOU

Getting into the grasslands can be easy.All these parks are in urban centres orwithin minutes of their boundaries.

Cache Creek: Elephant Hill Park

Fort St. John: Beatton River Park

Kamloops: Kenna Cartwright Park Peterson Creek Park

Kelowna:Knox MountainRose Valley Regional Park

Penticton: Okanagan Mountain Park

Southern Okanagan: Anarchist Protected AreaOsoyoos Desert CentreSouth Okanagan Grasslands ProtectedArea

Spences Bridge/Ashcroft: Epsom Park

Vernon: Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park

Williams Lake: Williams Lake River ValleyTrail

As a parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle,connecting children to nature can be as sim-ple as taking the young child outside andsharing the experiences that you had whenyou were a child. Go for a walk in a nearbypark, a hike in the grasslands or a horse ride.Not only will it be fun for them and you—it’llresult in healthier, happier and more awarechildren. And just as important it will engen-der in them a spirit of wonder and caring. Of critical importance for inspiring young

people to appreciate nature is for the pres-ence of adults who model a respect for natureand share their love for being outside. If wewant today's children to be the 'grasslandleaders' of tomorrow, it is important that theylearn to cherish the grassland landscape andunderstand how the grassland web-of-lifeworks. Organizations like the GCC must pro-vide that leadership and speak out about theimportance of getting our children back out-side into the grasslands.

Bob Peart is also Chair of The Child andNature Alliance (www.childnature.ca)


MEMBERS’ CORNER

GCC Fraser River Raft Trip

The Fraser-Chilcotin River grassland corridor is universally recognized as one of the great-est and least disturbed temperate grasslands on this planet. Extending as a continuouscanyon grassland landscape through British Columbia’s Cariboo-Chilcotin region, it runs

north-south from Sheep Creek, west of the town of Williams Lake, to just north of Lillooet, 185km to the south. As grasslands enthusiasts, many GCC members have had a raft trip throughthis remarkable corridor on their wish lists for several years; in 2009, we finally managed to put14 members, mates and friends into rafts and onto the river between August 10th and 14th.

Day 1 – From Sheep Creek Bridge to Chilcotin Confluence Putting in at the SheepCreek bridge, we floated down the Fraser River through narrow canyons incised deep into theplateau lavas and late glacial sediments. As we travelled down to the confluence with theChilcotin River, past Riske Creek and along the eastern edge of the Junction Sheep RangeProvincial Park, we were captivated by the striking variations in geology, grasslands andwildlife. The scattered grasslands rapidly increased in size as we moved south, ultimately co-alescing into continuous grassland between Riske Creek and the Chilcotin confluence. Wildlifesightings were frequent: bald eagles, golden eagles, Lewis’ woodpeckers, mule deer, bighornsheep, coyotes, migrating salmon, numerous songbirds and even one mountain goat.

EXPLORING SOME OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST GRASSLANDSStory by Michael Kennedy, GCC DirectorPhotographs by Bill Henwood, Senior Planner, Marine Program Unit, Park Establishment Branch, Parks Canada

OWEN FRITCH, GCC

Day 2 – To the ‘Cathedrals’ The second day started at theChilcotin confluence with a guided exploration of the grasslands upto the terrace and over the slopes, where the grasslands rise untilthey merge with the Interior Douglas Fir forest. Ordell Steen, anoted ecologist and long serving GCC board member, provided thevery informative introduction. The day evolved into a floating semi-nar on grassland ecosystems and canyon landscapes, with spell-binding examples sliding by in an endless parade. Particularly strik-ing was the incredibly narrow Iron Canyon, south of Sheep CreekBridge, which reaches 45 metres in depth. Having travelled pastDog, Gaspard, Canoe, and other tributary creeks, we camped thatnight at the ‘Cathedrals’ across from Lone Cabin Creek at the south-west corner of the Churn Creek Protected Area. While we saw but a few present-day humans along the way, there

was much evidence of people from earlier times whohad come to the region for numerous reasons. Therewere many First Nations sites, including somemarked by petroglyphs, many winter shelters left byChinese placer miners and remains of log cabins ofminers and ranchers. BC’s interior heritage passed usby as we floated down one of the province’s earlythoroughfares.

Day 3 – Layover Day After two days of explor-ing the landscapes of the canyon bottom, we enjoyeda layover day that allowed us to rise above the waterlevel to grasslands on the higher terraces. With theday given over to hiking up the canyon slopes, wepassed through grasslands almost to the forests’lower edges and into the vertical Eocene volcaniccolumns that make up the ‘Cathedrals’ landform. Forthe truly energetic, another expedition reached theLone Cabin Creek confluence in the late afternoon.The views of tawny grasslands rising thousands offeet in elevation reached from horizon to horizon,edged by narrow forested ridge tops.

Day 4 – From the ‘Cathedrals’ to Leon’sCreek Once again on the river, we left the plateaucanyons upriver and we moved into the mountainsthat bound the classic Cariboo-Chilcotin landscapeto the south. The canyons (French Bar, Chisholm,High Bar and a host of lesser ones) become deeperand more complex and the rapids more dramatic. Aswe moved south, smoke haze from some of the for-est fires that were so numerous that summer beganto fill the canyons. Rounding the bend toward Leon’sCreek, we saw thin plumes of smoke rising from theeastern slopes of the river valley in the Edge HillsProvincial Park, signaling the presence of the light-ning-generated Kelly Creek fire that ultimatelyburnt most of Edge Hills and much of its neighbourto the northeast, Marble Range, before the fire sea-son ended with the fall rains. Despite the reach ofthe fires, the grasslands along the river didn’t get hit.

Day 5 – The final run down to Lillooet After a night ofoccasionally waking to the pinpoint glows of spot fires on thecanyon slope opposite our campsite, the merry crew breakfasted,packed and pushed off for one last day on the river. It was a dayfilled with the deepest, narrowest canyons of the trip, as well as thebiggest rapids. In fact, the Bridge River Rapids, the largest in BCbetween the Rockies and the Pacific Ocean, are of such a size as tobe originally known as The Falls. For these, all but two of us hikedaround, while the guides ran the rafts through. The nearer we cameto Lillooet, the more we could see the coastal influence graduallymaking its effect felt, as forests again break up the grasslands. Thismarking of the southern extent of the Fraser-Chilcotin RiverCorridor also brought us to an unwilling end of our floating grass-land symposium.


MEMBERS’ CORNER

PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM FACING PAGE: Looking west over terraces above the FraserRiver to the south end of the Empire Valley Ranch/Churn Creek Protected Area.Running the river at the southern end of French Bar Canyon. A well deserved rest atbase camp across from the Churn Creek Protected Area.

GCC Programs


After much anticipation and with greatenthusiasm, we launched the GrasslandMonitoring Manual for BritishColumbia: A Tool for Ranchers. Thispractical, easy-to-use manual by ranch-ers for ranchers will help them maintainhealthy grass from year to year, even asclimatic conditions fluctuate and opera-tional needs shift.

Another long-term effort paid off thisfall, with the BC government’sannouncement that it will implementexpanded regulations for all ORVs,including registration and licensing, hel-met use, youth safety and environmentalmeasures. It was a very welcome devel-opment after 7 years of hard work by theCoalition for Licensing andRegistration of Off-Road Vehicles, co-chaired by the GCC. (For more on thestory, see page 22.)

Building on the success of the ThompsonBasin Ecosection Grassland Portfolio, theGCC is extending the GrasslandEcosystems Framework component ofthe Priority Grasslands Initiative to theOkanagan, Similkameen and Boundaryregions. Developing on the earlier prod-uct, we’re refining the process and land-use decision-making support tools toeven better meet the needs of plannersand policy makers.

The Planning for Change Initiative isdrawing on the results it’s already seeingfrom workshops held over the past fewyears to develop a new series of work-shops with First Nations governments.

Following the two highly successfulEcological Area Assessments deve-loped for the City of Kamloops, momen-

tum is building to apply the model to theEast Kootenay region.

With the launch of the GrasslandsNatural Capital Initiative, the GCC isworking to capture the true values of theecosystem services grasslands provide,beginning with carbon storage andsequestration. The goal is to providegovernments with a full-cost-accountingframework for making land-use deci-sions and to potentially create economicincentives for large-scale landowners toretain natural grasslands.

The first product of the initiative, TheValue of BC's Grasslands: ExploringEcosystem Values and Incentives forConservation, identified key prioritiesfor the GCC to focus on. Based on theserecommendations, the GCC is evaluatinghow grasslands contribute to mitigatingclimate change by capturing carbondioxide from the atmosphere and storingit as carbon in their roots and the finan-cial benefit of this service.

The GCC and its partners are applyingan ecosystem approach to the recoveryof species at risk (SARS) in theGrasslands Species at Risk ActionPlanning project. With this project, theyare designing and implementing holisticaction plans for grasslands ecosystemsand species. The plans will help improveour understanding of SARS and proposepriority actions for grassland managers.The committee has already drafted oneaction plan for the Fraser River Basinand is anticipating the development offive more draft plans. The plans will beimplemented with the assistance of con-servation partnerships.

CURRENT INITIATIVES PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Education & Outreach• 10th Anniversary Celebration, June 12

• BC Grasslands Magazine, Summer 2010,“Planning in Action”

• BC Grasslands Website

Sustainable Ranching

• Grassland Monitoring Extension Initiative

• Ranchland Tool Kit

Grassland Ecology & Science

• Priority Grasslands Initiative

• Ranchland Mapping Project

Land Use Planning &Community Stewardship

• Grasslands Natural Capital Initiative

• Coalition for Licensing and Registration ofOff-Road Vehicles

• Ecological Area Assessments - Kamloops

• Planning for Change Initiative

Species at Risk (SAR) Initiative

• Grasslands Species at Risk and RecoveryAction Planning and Implementation

GGrraassss llaanndd MMoonnii ttoorr ii nngg MMaannuuaa llEExxtt eennssiioonn WWoorrkksshhooppss

To benefit fully from the Grassland MonitoringManual for BC: A Tool for Ranchers, please join us atone-day training sessions to be held around theprovince. The workshops are held in conjunction withthe BC Rangeland Management School.

May 5 Kelowna May 11 South OkanaganMay 18 KootenaysMay 28 KamloopsJune 8 Cariboo Chilcotin

For further details, please seewwwwww..bbccggrraassssllaannddss..oorrgg//mmaannuuaall..hhttmm

The GCC will continue to work on exist-ing programs but will build new capaci-ty to deliver on the SustainableRanching Program, emphasizing thecritical link between intact workingranches and the long-term health ofgrassland ecosystems in BC. The GCCwill encourage the use of tools and

strategies that will support healthy,vibrant ranching operations. At thesame time, the GCC will actively workwith the ranching community andgovernments to address and mitigateeconomic and other forces that lead tothe fragmentation, loss and degradationof grasslands.

EMERGING PRIORIT IES

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PPRROOGGRRAAMM FFUUNNDDEERRSS BC HydroBC Ministry of Agriculture and LandsBC Ministry of Environment BC Ministry of Forests and RangeBeef Cattle Industry Development FundFuture Forest Ecosystems Scientific CouncilGovernment of CanadaHabitat Conservation Trust FoundationHabitat Stewardship ProgramInvestment Agriculture Foundation of BCThe Real Estate Foundation of BC and Communitiesin TransitionThompson Rivers UniversityTula FoundationVancouver Foundation

AANNDD SSPPEECCIIAALL TTHHAANNKKSS TTOO .. .. .. • All GCC members and donors, whose continuedsupport help make our program a success;• Our many dedicated and hardworking volunteers whodonate their time and energy to help the GCC grow andprosper; • The Ministry of Forests and Range and the IntegratedLand Management Bureau for providing the GCC officespace and infrastructure for our Priority Grasslands andSpecies at Risk initiatives;• Pulse Group Media & Communications for donating theirtime and expertise to helping with our annual campaign; and• The photographers who have been so generous overthe years in allowing us to use their photographs tobring the beauty of BC’s grasslands to a wider audience,with special thanks to Chris Harris, Jared Hobbs, RichardDoucette, Peter Sulzle and J. Kevin Dunn. We also warmly thank the families and friends of ErikBerglund, Leslie Holmes and Norman Wade for theircontributions to the GCC in memory. Their donationshave been directed to the conservation and stewardshipof BC’s grasslands.

TTHHAANNKK YYOOUU TTOO TTHHEE SSPPOONNSSOORRSS OOFF TTHHIISS IISSSSUUEEOOFF BBCC GGRRAASSSSLLAANNDDSS .. .. ..BC Ministry of Agriculture and LandsBC Ministry of Forests and RangeGovernment of CanadaInvestment Agriculture Foundation of BCTD Friends of the Environment FoundationThe Real Estate Foundation and Communitiesin Transition

Greetings to New GCC StaffBailey Teteris, Financial Officer

Thank you to Ken Berglund - The GCC would like to offer a special thanks to KenBerglund, who generously volunteered many hours of his time and his GIS mappingexperience to the GCC team. Ken’s work on Ranchlands Mapping in the Thompson/Nicola region is helping the GCC to demonstrate how “keeping working ranches work-ing” can ensure the continued integrity of the grassland ecosystem – and vice versa!

Thank you to Ryan Holmes - We’d also very much thank Ryan Holmes for presentingon our behalf at the BC Land Summit last spring. In taking the initiative, and then put-ting in considerable time preparing and lively and informative presention, he helpedraise the profile of grasslands to land use planners and decision makers from around BC.

While studying Economics for his Bachelorof Business Administration degree at TRUin Kamloops, Bailey enrolled in a few land-use classes which tweaked his interest inenvironmental issues. Not knowing whatparticular industry to work in, he foundhimself enrolled in the CGA program tomake use of the flexibility an accountingprofession offers. After experimenting inthe banking and then the oil & gas industryin Calgary, Bailey and his wife followed

their hearts back to Kamloops. Initiallyworking for a large accounting partnershiphe found himself still looking for a careerwith meaning. Envious of the work some ofhis friends did with the Ministry of Forest& Range, he hoped for a similar path.Opportunity knocked and joining the GCCproved to be a great fit. Bailey feels he’sfound an organization that suits his ambi-tions and meets his desire to give some-thing back to the community.

Volunteers’ Corner

Out and About with the GCC

Outside and indoors, there’s always work to be done on behalf of grasslands. TOP Thecommunity-driven Lac du Bois clean up in April 2009 attracted 300 Kamloops volunteers,who along with volunteer contractors removed over 200 tonnes of garbage from theseecologically sensitive grasslands. SHANNON CLARK BOTTOM A planning workshop at Thompson Rivers University for the proposed GrasslandsResearch and Stewardship Centre. CATRINA CROWE

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Those GCC staff who are based in Kamloops now sittogether in the same office. Our address hasn’tchanged, but we have gathered together on one floor.Come visit us soon!954 A Laval Crescent, Kamloops, BC V2C 5P5 Telephone: 250-374-5787

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GUIDING US TOTHE FUTURE

The GrasslandsConservationCouncil of

British Columbia'sStrategic Plan 2009-2014 sets out thefuture direction ofour organization. Asour Chair, DavidZirnhelt, says, it"represents the workof staff and Board

members to bring together new ideas to move theGCC forward towards its vision of 'working togetherfor the conservation of BC's grasslands'."This plan will guide the GCC over the next five

years to achieve its mission of being a network ofindividuals and organizations working together toensure healthy, life sustaining grassland ecosystemsthroughout BC.


Please visit www.bcgrasslands.org tosee the full document.

In the past year, Biodiversity BC(BBC) released The BiodiversityAtlas of British Columbia, a com-

prehensive map-based overview ofthe province’s natural environmentand the most significant threatsaffecting it. The Atlas is a companionreport to Taking Nature’s Pulse: TheStatus of Biodiversity in BC. That sci-ence-based report concluded thatthere were 23 major concerns facingbiodiversity in BC. The Atlas buildson these findings by identifyingwhere the most important elementsof biodiversity occur, as well as themost significant threats.HectaresBC.org, another new tool,helps those without GIS experiencework with geospatial data.In January 2010, BBC launched a

new report, Staying the Course,Staying Alive. The report articulatesthe connection between the scientificassessment of biodiversity and thetraditional knowledge and practiceshanded down through multiple gen-erations among Pacific NorthwestCoastal First Nations. As of December 2009, the funding

for the BBC initiative ended.

However, one more product, a poster,will soon be released. The membersof the BBC Steering Committee willcontinue on an ad hoc basis to main-tain the work already achieved andkeep contacts fresh. When the oppor-tunity arises in the future, they’ll beready to revive BBC. The commit-ment of the members impresses andreassures Marian Adair, the Chair ofBBC. She believes “the compellingenergy of a number of people work-ing together for a common cause willtake us all forward.”For Adair, a highlight of BBC was

the generous integrated partnershipsdeve-loped based on a collectiveunderstanding of the need for con-serving biodiversity. She recalls, “Thechemistry between those on the steer-ing committee and with the 50 scien-tists who contributed to the studiesmeant that the results were greaterthan the individual pieces; the sumwas indeed greater than the parts.”

www.biodiversitybc.org

PUBLICATIONS

TThhee OOkkaannaaggaann VVaalllleeyy BBiirrddiinngg TTrraaiill.. A collaboration of Okanaganarea Naturalists’ Clubs

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BBiirrddss ooff IInntteerriioorr BBCC aanndd tthhee RRoocckkiieess,, by Richard Cannings et al.

For details, please see www.bcgrasslands.org

BioDiversity BC: Continuing to Work Together for a Common Cause

UPCOMING EVENTS

Deadline for public comment on proposed addition ofspecies to the Species at Risk ActEnvironment Canada • March 1

Land Trust & Stewardship Seminar Series 2010, “Buildinga Culture that Sustains Land”March 18-20 • Naramata Centre

BC Nature AGM • Grasslands: Past, Present and FutureMay 14-16 • Kamloops

Meadowlark Festival • May 20-24

Fraser Assembly, hosted by the Fraser Salmon andWatersheds Program • May 26-27 • Merritt

BBCC CCaattttlleemmeenn''ss AAssssoocciiaattiioonn CCoonnvveennttiioonn aanndd AAGGMMMay 27-29 • Williams Lake

BBCC IInnssttiittuuttee ooff AAggrroollooggiissttss AAGGMM && CCoonnffeerreennccee June 3-5•Fort St. John

GCC 10th Anniversary Grasslands CelebrationJune 12• Kamloops

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK UPDATEThe Conservation Framework was launched in 2008 to help address Biodiversity BC’s reportTaking Nature’s Pulse. The provincial initiative uses scientific criteria to set priorities forspecies and ecosystems of special concern and determine the most appropriatemanagement actions for their conservation. To date, the Conservation Framework hasassessed more than 3000 species and 600 ecosystems; another 2600 are expected to beassessed in the next three years. The GCC, as one of the organizations involved in testing theframework; through our grassland species at risk project we are pioneering its application toregional action plans. www.env.gov.bc.ca/conservationframework

O F G R A S S L A N D I N T E R E S T

International Yearof Biodiversity

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BC Grasslands MagazineISSN 1496-7839

© Grasslands ConservationCouncil of British Columbia

BC Grasslands is intended toserve as a platform for informingreaders about GCC activities andother grassland programs acrossBC and Canada, as well asproviding a forum on grasslandecology, range management,grassland conservation andstewardship.

BC Grasslands and the GCCwelcome submissions of letters,articles, story ideas, artwork andphotographs for each issue.

BC Grasslands reserves the rightto edit submissions for clarity andlength. However, every effort willbe made to work withcontributors to ensure contentremains unchanged.

Contributions, comments andinquiries can be made to:

BC GrasslandsGrasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia954A Laval CrescentKamloops, BC V2C 5P5

Tel: 250-374-5787 Fax: 250-374-5821 E-mail: [email protected]

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENTNO. 40672540

RETURN UNDELIVERABLECANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:Grasslands Conservation Councilof British Columbia954A Laval CrescentKamloops, BC V2C 5P5

This magazine was printed onCougar Opaque, which contains10 percent post-consumercontent and no elementalchloride.

Publication Agreement #40672540 In our next issue…The Summer 2010 BC Grasslands will focus on“Planning in Action.”

We encourage you to submit articles, photos andother artwork by May 31, 2010.

For more information, please contact us at 250-374-5787 or [email protected].

GRASSLANDS FOREVERLeave a legacy to BC grasslands. Your gift to theGrasslands Forever Legacy Endowment Fund will ensureyour continued support of BC's unique and life sustaininggrasslands. Help current and future generations enjoy BC’sbeautiful grassland landscapes and cultures.

Your contribution to the Endowment Fund will support neededconservation, stewardship and research activities. Togetherwe can ensure that the diverse grasslands of BC and thebiodiversity they support are here for your grandchildren andtheir children.

Learn more about the Endowment Fund and how you canhelp keep BC’s Grasslands Forever:Call 250-374-5787 or go to www.bcgrasslands.org

Help keep BC’s

for you

for your children

for your grandchildren

RICHARD DOUCETTE PETER SULZLE

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bc grasslands winter 2009-2010

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