Action plan launched to protect wildlife corridor in the Okanagan

As the Okanagan Valley grapples with increased development, a plan has been designed to maintain and restore a wildlife corridor.

The corridor, 65 kilometres in length, is not only vital for facilitating wildlife movement, but it also holds immense cultural significance as a traditional food gathering spot for local Indigenous people.

“There are areas that are calving habitat for elk, moose and deer,” said Dixon Terbasket, a wildlife technician with the Okanagan Nation Alliance.

“There are different species on this land and the biodiversity of the whole strip of land around this urban part of Kelowna and the Okanagan (which), I think, needs to be preserved.”

The plan outlines a set of 15 strategic measures aimed at protecting and preserving natural areas for “tmixw” (all living things) between Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park and  Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park

“Food security for our membership is one of the big issues that concern access to the berries and the roots that grow out here into the land,” said Terbasket, adding water access is also very important.

Terbasket also warned of a potential decline in wildlife numbers if action is not taken.

The plan also aims to improve land-use planning and policies to address environmental challenges by utilizing syilx principles — initiatives that prioritize environmental sustainability and the significance of habitat connectivity.