Planting Beach Trees
The Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) has, for over 30 years, worked in the southern interior of British Columbia to protect and preserve habitat for all living things. Natural lake shorelines, with their ribbon of native plants benefit wildlife and animal movement; protect properties from flood and erosion; and support ecological processes essential to clean, drinkable, swimmable, fishable water. Purchasing lakeshore for conservation is prohibitively expensive, so SILT is exploring other ways to spark widespread voluntary care of lakeshores to benefit all living things, including people.
SILT has partnered with Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation to pilot the highly successful Love Your Lake (LYL) program for the first time in British Columbia, at Vaseux Lake and along the shore of Okanagan Lake in the District of Summerland. The LYL project will provide lakeshore landowners with a free, personalized and private evaluation of their shoreline, with specific actions for how to voluntarily protect and re-vitalize the shoreline to improve lake health while still maintaining their waterfront view.
Shoreline property owners will receive information about the program including an introductory letter and a values survey. Shorelines will be assessed by boat on a property-by-property basis by trained people using a standardized protocol and datasheet. Following the assessments, each shoreline property owner will receive another letter, typically in the spring, with a personal online access code needed to download their free report. The report will contain information about the state of their unique shoreline and suggestions of voluntary actions they can take, specifically tailored to their shoreline, to improve the health of their shoreline. Lake organizations and project partners will receive a lake summary report which generalizes the data over the entire assessed area and identifies community stewardship opportunities applicable to the entire lake shoreline.
I believe this is a great project to help home owners on Skaha Lake look at ways they can contribute to the lake’s health. I appreciate that the funder(s) have seen the value of this project and supported it, particularly given the number of residences on the shores of Skaha Lake. I look forward to receiving the report on our property along with any recommendations and working with our neighbours to improve and enhance the lakeshore. We have tried to do things already such as encouraging reed growth and building a dock with a flow thru surface to let light through the surface to the water. Any additional suggestions regarding the foreshore, plants, etc. will be helpful. It was also great to receive information about the study in advance and to have the opportunity to talk with the individuals while they were in their boat taking pictures.
- R.C., Kaleden
All information contained in the individual shoreline property reports and lake summary reports is non-regulatory. All organizations involved in the LYL program take privacy issues very seriously.
This year, SILT will also be supporting the creation of up to three public shoreline restoration demonstration sites in various areas where landowners and others can see how lakeshore restoration works. SILT and the LYL program hope that both aspects of the project will continue in future years on other lakes. Funding and in-kind support for the LYL project has been provided by the South Okanagan Conservation Fund, the LYL Program, SILT, local government and other contributors.
Love Your Lake Project Reports
Click the Logo to open report
Useful Resources & Links for Shoreline Property Owners
Provincial Shoreline Management Information:
Dock Rules and Applications: General Permissions Available or contact Front Counter BC 1-877-855-3222
Shoreline Development: Requirements under Riparian Areas Regulation
Septic Systems: Installing, managing and maintaining them
Retaining walls and erosion control structures: Regulations under Water Sustainability Act and Approval for Work in and about a Stream.
Government Contacts:
Province of BC, Best Management Practices
Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen 101 Martin Street, Penticton, BC Canada V2A 5J9 – Toll Free in BC and Alberta: 1-877-610-3737 Phone: 250-492-0237
District of SummerlandDistrict of Summerland Location: 13211 Henry Avenue, Summerland BC Canada; Mailing Address: Box 159, Summerland BC V0H 1Z0 Phone: 250-494-6451
Organizations to help with Water issues, Shoreline Stewardship and Conservation:
Vaseux Lake Stewardship Association
Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society
Vaseux Migratory Bird Sanctuary: Information about the sanctuary, and restrictions related to public use of the area.
South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program resources for landowners https://soscp.org/caring-for-your-space/
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society: ideas about how to add value for wildlife to your property.
Southern Interior Land Trust
Okanagan Basin Water Board
Other Useful Websites:
Climate Change: Climate Change Guide for Landowners
Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Shoreline Management: Lakeshore Living in the Okanagan
Living with Wildlife in BC: Resource materials to address conflicts with wildlife
Native Plant List: Okanagan Xeriscape Association
Click here To download a complete copy of all these links
The Southern Interior Land Trust Society has worked closely with The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations to administer contracts for ecosystem restoration work throughout the Okanagan Shuswap districts.
The ecosystem restoration (ER) projects have been targeted at areas within fire maintained ecosystems that have experienced ecological impacts from fire exclusion or beetle infestation. The general objectives of ER are to restore designated areas to an ecologically appropriate fire maintenance condition, in accordance with tree stocking standards for open range and open forest sites. Then, to maintain the restored ecosystem.
Areas of ER projects include: Eneas Creek; Summerland Bald Range; Satellite Hill; Woodward & Southfork; Trout Creek.
John Holdstock was treasurer for the Okanagan Region Wildlife Heritage Fund Society (now SILT) from its founding until his sudden death Dec. 25, 2010.
He was a leader in guiding the formation and development of the ORWHFS, and was a past-president of the B.C. Wildlife Federation, as well as serving in a variety of positions in related organizations for more than 50 years.
In his memory, a number of organizations where he played a key role collaborated with his survivors in creating the John B. Holdstock Scholarship, to help people succeed in their efforts toward a career in furthering his aims—to conserve healthy habitat for fish and wildlife throughout the province.
The funds are administered by the B.C. Conservation Foundation and details, including an application form, are available on the website at: www.bccf.com
The fund welcomes donations to the capital that makes it possible to provide annual scholarships to candidates judged worthy by a team made up of major contributors.
Every year, a student exhibiting the goals and traits considered important to the contributing partners is helped along his or her way with a scholarship of $1,000.
Okanagan River is recognized internationally for its value as a spawning area for salmon and trout. It is also crucial for wildlife since it is the only river in the south Okanagan – one of Canada’s most biologically diverse,species rich and endangered ecosystems. In the 1950s the river was straightened and confined between dykes to control flooding and allow for agricultural and urban development. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the riparian habitat was lost. National Geographic now considers the Okanagan the third most endangered river in Canada. The Okanagan River Restoration Initiative (ORRI) improved a 1km section of the river that is vitally important for fish and wildlife. Six riverfront properties were secured and the dykes adjacent to these properties were relocated so that the river could flow back into its historic path and restore the original floodplain. ORRI was a very complex undertaking involving 23 government and non-government agencies in both Canada and the United States. ORWHFS played a critical role providing administration, guidance, and financial help throughout the project. SILT (ORWHFS) was particularly helpful in securing several of the properties necessary for the project. Download the Brochure Here.