Submitted
On Thursday, January 25, 2024 at 7pm at the Elks Club in Kimberley, the Kimberley Nature Park Society Board of Directors will hold the society’s Annual General Meeting. The evening will include a short business meeting to approve the year-end financial statement and confirm and elect the Board of Directors. There will also be a short review by the President of KNPS’ activities during the past year, including our new Trail Guide and logo, and goals for the coming year, as well as time for questions and answers. The meeting is open to all, though only members in good standing may vote for the Board of Directors.
After the business meeting, we will hear a presentation from East-Kootenay-based . Ian has worked in many capacities over the years. Since 2021, he has been the BC Coordinator for Key Biodiversity Areas with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, identifying sites of high ecological importance around the province.
Ian’s previous positions include working on behalf of the Ktunaxa Nation Council for wildlife conservation throughout ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa. He has also worked for the Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program, has been a consulting ecologist in various capacities and taught undergraduate biology courses at College of the Rockies. Much of his work has focused on species at risk. Projects he has led include the East Kootenay Urban Deer Translocation Trial, Rocky Mountain Tailed Frog eDNA surveys and the BC Badger Recovery Team. Ian is on the Board of Directors with Kootenay Conservation Program, Columbia Outdoor School / Blue Lake Camp as well as long-time President of Symphony of the Kootenays. He lives with his wife, Kari, and two children who aren’t kids anymore. He enjoys photography and has particular difficulty walking past a flower with a camera.
One of the most effective ways to safeguard wildlife and wild places is through the improved management and protection of areas of special importance. Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are sites that contribute to the persistence of biodiversity nationally and globally. Found across land, freshwater, and marine environments, KBAs support rare and threatened species and ecosystems, as well as key natural processes, and are identified using a standardized, quantitative approach. KBAs are a relatively new international initiative led by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and Canada is one of the first countries to mount a comprehensive program to identify all of its KBAs. To date, some 200 KBAs have been identified in BC, including several in the Kootenays, drawing on the expertise of regional taxonomic experts, ecologists and other knowledge holders. KBAs will help inform land use planning processes, identify new protected areas and provide opportunities for meeting conservation targets.
Ian’s talk will focus on the importance of KBAs. He will describe the participatory process used to identify, delineate and review KBAs in Canada, and give an overview of the KBAs identified to date in BC and the Kootenays. There will be plenty of time for audience Q&A.
The evening will also include refreshments and snacks from Burrito Grill. Please stick around after the talk for an informal mixer to get to know our directors and fellow members.
If you’d like to get involved or nominate someone to stand for the KNPS Board of Directors, you must be a member in good standing. Members can check on their membership status and renew their membership at the AGM, and new members are always welcome. Copies of the brand-new Kimberley Trail Guide will also be for sale at the meeting. For more information, contact kimberleynaturepark@gmail.com.
