READ ABOUT CONSERVATION TARGETS FOR THE REGION

The south Okanagan Valley is an important conservation area for both common species and species at risk, nationally in Canada and provincially in British Columbia. The area is also an important low elevation corridor from the Great Basin north…

SOSCP FUTURE DIRECTIONS REPORT NOW AVAILABLE

The South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program (SOSCP) was created in 2000 as a partnership of 20 government and non-government organisations collaborating to conserve the unique species and spaces found in one of the most ecologically…

Thank you Bryn!

Thank you Bryn! After 14 years on the job, our Program Manager Bryn White has decided to conclude her contract, and will be leaving SOSCP at the end of April 2020. Bryn has been at the center of this 20-year partnership for most of that time. If…

Climate projection report for Okanagan Basin released

Climate change is having an impact on industry, ecosystems, and communities across the Okanagan. Wildfires, drought, and flooding already challenge local infrastructure and pose health risks to communities. The three regional districts in the…

SOSCP 2017-2019 Program Report now available

Details of SOSCP partner activities over the past two years are available in the most recent edition of the SOSCP Program Report. The report contains activities as they pertain to the six pillars of the SOSCP vision and mandate, highlighting…

South Okanagan Conservation Funds Approved for 2020

Nine South Okanagan Conservation Fund Projects Approved for 2020  During the call for proposals in September of 2019, 12 applications seeking $244,889 from the South Okanagan Conservation Fund were received. Of these proposals,…

South Okanagan Conservation Fund Seeks Technical Advisors for 2019

The Regional District of Okanagan – Similkameen (RDOS) is seeking applications to serve as volunteer members for the South Okanagan Conservation Fund Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). Committee members will be appointed by the RDOS Board.…

SOSCP is Hiring - Land Use Biologist

The South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program (SOSCP) is seeking a dynamic and skilled professional to help local government partners advance their ecological goals and encourage biodiversity conservation practices in the Regional District…

RDOS Seeks Technical Advisory Committee for South Okanagan Conservation Fund

  The Regional District of Okanagan- Similkameen (RDOS) is seeking qualified individuals to volunteer as a member for the newly established South Okanagan Conservation Fund Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The South Okanagan Conservation…

RDOS Receives Award from Peers for Establishing Conservation Fund

The South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program (SOSCP) is pleased to announce the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) Board has received an award to acknowledge and celebrate local governments for their efforts in protecting biodiversity.…

South Okanagan Conservation Fund One of the Biggest Accomplishments of Year Says RDOS Chair

Looking back over 2016, RDOS Board Chair Karla Kozakevich said a decision near the end of the year was one of the biggest accomplishments for the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen. Kozakevich, is the Area Director for Electoral Area E…

Conservation Fund for the South Okanagan Receives Public Assent

The Alternate Approval Process to establish the environmental conservation bylaw completed last Monday at 4:30 pm with less than .1% of eligible electors in opposition.  "I am very happy to announce the public approval of the bylaw that…

Building a Resilient Okanagan Community Research Forum, Dec 5th, Kelowna Yacht Club

The Okanagan Research Forum: Building a Resilient Okanagan Landscape,  will be hosted by the UBC Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES) and the UBC Institute for Community Engaged Research (ICER), in collaboration…

OSCA AGM Dec 3rd at 2 pm - Shatford Centre Penticton

Join the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance (OSCA) for their AGM, Saturday December 3rd at the Shatford Centre in Penticton at 2 pm. Come learn more about what OSCA has done this past year and what is in store for 2017! Meadowlark Festival,…

Conservation Fund Given Third Reading at RDOS Board

On July 7th 2016, the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen Board gave third reading to the service bylaw to establish a Conservation Fund for the South Okanagan region. This is a significant step in the establishment of the fund. The bylaw…

City of Penticton joins Regional Conservation Fund

At the City of Penticton Council meeting Monday June 20th, Penticton Council vote unanimously to join in to participate in a Regional Conservation Fund for the South Okanagan that will raise and allocate dedicated funding for conservation…

Comment Now on Proposed Motorized Rec Site at Oliver Mountain

The referral period for the proposed motorized recreation site at Oliver Mountain has just been initiated.  All comments on the proposal should be directed to Ian.McLellan@gov.bc.ca prior to July 7, 2016. Here is the FTP link with the RSTBC…

RDOS Director Makes Motion to Establish Conservation Fund

At the April 28th RDOS Planning and Development Committee meeting, Area F Director Michael Brydon made a motion to establish a Conservation Fund that would be a sub-regional service in the South Okanagan. The proposed fund would requisition…

The Nature Trust of BC Rocks it Out with Final Antelope-brush Purchase

The Nature Trust of BC has reason to celebrate. First, the conservation organization turns 45 this year. They have been successfully protecting land in BC for a long time, including focusing significant efforts here in the South Okanagan.…

Working towards Healthy Shoreline Habitat

Come join three South Okanagan experts and learn how waterfront property owners can use landscaping to protect their shorelines and help improve local water quality and habitats. Before Europeans settled in the Okanagan and built cities on the…

Let them out! Daylighting our creeks and restoring our wetlands. A proposal for Summerland

After a century of wetland draining, ditching and destruction, community groups across BC are getting involved in wetland restoration. After losing 85 percent of our Okanagan wetlands, we are recognizing the importance of wetlands to biodiversity…

Deadline Looming for Public Input on new ESDPA's in Okanagan Rural Areas

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen has been working with the SOSCP to review and update Official Community Plan bylaws that reduce the impact to the environment during the process of land development. This includes updated mapping…

RDOS Area F Public Information Session: New Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Conservation Fund

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) will be holding a Public Information Meeting for residents and property owners in Electoral Area “F” regarding an introduction to Environmentally Sensitive Development Permit (ESDP)…

Public Input Sought for New Environmental DP Areas and Conservation Fund In Area C

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) will be holding a Public Information Meeting in order to provide an overview to residents and property owners in Electoral Area “C” regarding proposed changes to Environmentally Sensitive…

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Hiring

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) is a non-profit charitable foundation which invests in projects that maintain and enhance the health and biological diversity of British Columbia’s fish, wildlife, and habitats. We are a proposal-driven…

Update on Penticton Restoration Project

The Penticton Creek Restoration Project is moving ahead as planned, with final placement of river rock, removal of silt and water to be released from the bypass tunnel to the main creek bed later this week. The City of Penticton hosted a hard…

Generous Donation to SOSCP

  SOSCP was presented with a significant gift from Lake Breeze Wine Farm in Naramata. Lake Breeze has committed all of its patio sparkling water sales to the conservation partnership and presented Bryn White, SOSCP Program Manager with…