The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society (OSS) can help you work with wildlife on your property. Wildlife provides many benefits to farms including pollination, composting of organics to provide nutrients for crops, filtration of water and pest management.
Wildlife Habitat Stewards are voluntary caretakers of important wildlife habitats on their owned or managed properties. They drive stewardship, conservation and enhancement efforts on their properties. Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship partners with Wildlife Stewards and provides them with recognition, technical support in habitat enhancement projects, management plans, and assistance with implementation of best management practices for wildlife on their properties.
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society (OSS)
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship is a grassroots environmental non-profit that exists to promote voluntary conservation, stewardship and enhancement of important habitats on private lands and within the communities of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys.
Resources for Agriculture and Wildlife
Contact:
Phone: 250.770.1467
Email: info@osstewardship.ca
Species at risk are animals, plants, and ecological communities that are in danger of disappearing from the wild. They are identified both by the Federal Government and the Province of BC.
Species at risk that occur on agricultural lands in the Okanagan include the Yellow Breasted Chat, Lewis’s Woodpecker, Western Painted Turtle, American Badger, Tiger Salamander, Great Basin Spadefoot Toad, Barn Owl, Barn Swallow, Pacific Water Shrew, Western Screech Owl, Great Basin Gophersnake, and Western Rattlesnake.
Species At Risk on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL)
Species at Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL) initiative is focused on working with the agricultural community to facilitate recovery of species at risk on agricultural lands through voluntary stewardship actions related to critical habitat for species at risk.
Contact: Bob France, SARPAL Field Coordinator
Phone: 1-877-688-2333
Email: SARPAL@cattlemen.bc.ca
Wildlife Management
How to Build Fences With Wildlife in Mind. A landowners and ranchers guide to wildlife friendly fences (not appropriate for orchards & vineyards). Publication of Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Note: these bear resources are not linking to anything on the website. Have attached a bear pamphlet, it just needs to be linked
SOS Bears and Agriculture – Fast Facts July08. Recommendations for managing bear occurances on agricultural properties.
Bears on your Property – English, Bears on your Property_Punjabi: English & Punjabi language pamphlets on bear management for agricultural properties.
Snake snake safety and management guides
Snake Smart, 6 page brochure on snake identification and management.
Working in Snake Country
Creating Surrogate Habitat for Snakes in Agricultural Settings
Snake Barrier Fencing, for properties where rattlesnakes are encountered frequently.
Snake Smart – English, Snake Smart – French, Snake Smart – Punjabi, Snake Smart – Spanish: two page rattlesnake identification and safety pamphlets.
California Big Horn Sheep: two page brochure on farm management near native sheep habitat, ensuring that wild animals do not come into contact with domestic sheep and other farm animals.
A Landowner’s Guide to Coexisting with Beavers.
Pocket Gophers, their ecology and management.
It Ain’t Easy Being Green – Okanagan Amphibians at Risk: identification guide and tips for agricultural land owners on how to help local amphibians.
Species at Risk on agricultural land
Species and Ecosystems at Risk Brochures – Ministry of Environment
