After a century of wetland draining, ditching and destruction, community groups across the province are getting involved in wetland restoration.
Around 85 per cent of Okanagan wetlands have been lost.
“We are recognizing the importance of wetlands to biodiversity and ecosystem services, by recreating or enhancing them,” said Don Gayton, a Summerland ecologist.
One successful project took place on the grounds of the KLO Middle School in Kelowna, where students, teachers, parents and the business community collaborated to daylight a portion of Fascieux Creek, which previously ran through a culvert adjacent to the playing fields.
The creek is now a naturalized outdoor classroom.
Shimshon Obadia, a postgraduate student at UBC-Okanagan, has followed the KLO Middle School project, and will present a video on it at the Old Summerland Library, Tuesday, April 19, beginning at 7 p.m. The public is invited.
Following Shimshon’s presentation, Gayton will present a potential wetland daylighting project for Summerland.
The evening event is co-sponsored by the Okanagan Basin Water Board and the UBC-O Eco-Art Incubator program.
For more information call 250-494-1858.