kltf news
click on image to read 2024 chair report
annual community celebration
Toni Appleby joined us and gave a workshop on how to make Ponderosa pine baskets. She discussed the basket-making tradition and outlined the process of foraging to collect them (Ponderosa Pines have long needles), dying them different colours, and finally, soaking them to make them pliable enough to bend and secure with embroidery thread. She brought many baskets with her as examples of the craft, and we all admired them greatly.
People who participated in the workshops left with rudimentary examples and a strong desire to practice more. It was a wonderful workshop. The tactile nature of manipulating the pine needles into a usable shape was a meaningful connection to how Indigenous peoples found in nature the necessary products to meet their own needs.
Leona Mintz also joined us and gave a guided tour of the property that focused on Indigenous medicinal plants. It was a fine day with sunshine and a slight wind and almost no bugs to speak of.
Leona led people, in two separate groups an hour apart, on a walk across the land and shared her knowledge of the plants and told stories of how Indigenous peoples traditionally use them.
And finally, after a shared lunch, the sun continued to shine and all the attendees gathered in a circle that was mowed into the field to share time with some members of All My Relations First Nations Dance Troupe who had travelled from Kamloops to be with us.
Three dancers, Bernice, Tyler, and Junior, each performed traditional dances for us, with Bernice explaining each dance and the significance of each dancer’s regalia.
The KLTF 2nd Annual Bird walk was a great success. Thirty-two people attended the event and with Elsie Stanley as our guide, together we identified 18 different bird species including the ruby crowned kinglet, warbling vireo, yellow-rumped warbler, and the northern waterthrush.
roof replacement and spring workbee
At the end of April 2024, several KLTF board members and volunteers helped local contractor Andy Hagenhuth to replace the 44 year old metal roof on the community spaces building.
This much needed upgrade was made possible by the generous donation of Katie Ohe, sister-in-law, of the late Frank Kiyooka.
In addition to the roof replacement this spring, KLTF hired a local arborist to remove some of the old, decaying aspens that surrounded the building as part of our efforts to prevent damage from potential wildfires and wind storms.
Several KLTF members came out to support the land trust for our annual spring workbee at the end of April. Volunteers helped to remove and donate firewood, clear fallen trees/shrubs from the walking trails, tend to the garden beds, and build a new “bridge” over the slough.
click photo to read 2023 newsletter
Robson Valley wetland/riparian land acquisition
KLTF has successfully acquired a 72 acre (29 ha) property for land conservation in the Robson Valley. The parcel of land, situated in Tête Jaune Cache, BC is located on the unceded traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples including the Secwépemc, Lheidli T’enneh, and Rocky Mountain Cree. It has important ecological significance as a wetlands/riparian area that is part of the natural flood plain of the Fraser River: “…gravel-bed river floodplains are the primary arena where interactions take place among aquatic, avian, terrestrial species from microbes to grizzly bears and provide essential connectivity as corridors for movement…” -F. Richard Hauer et al. (Sciences Advances June 2016) This land is home to a wide variety of plant and animal communities and provides connectivity for species such as the grizzly bear, lynx and many migratory birds.Two species at risk, the western toad (special concern) and the great blue heron (special concern) have been observed on the land.
Environment and Climate Change Canada established wetlands as a high priority conservation habitat. Wetlands improve climate change resilience, acting as carbon sinks and providing services such as natural flood mitigation, preventing erosion, recharging ground water acquifers, and potential to slow wildfire progression.
This conservation project was made possible by the late Ann and Frank Kiyooka, whose vision for their land inspired the project; the Kiyooka family who donated the equity of the property, the Government of Canada land acquisition grant through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program and Land Trust Conservation Program, and individual private donations.
The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation of protected areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $440 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than $870 million in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the country’s land trust community, leading to the protection and conservation of more than 700, 000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands.
To our donors and our sponsors, THANK YOU!
Bird survey 2022
Land Assessment 2022
On a sunny calm day in early June 2022, KLTF hosted its first ever bird survey on the property in Tête Jaune Cache. With the generous help of local bird enthusiast, Elsie Stanley, and the handy Merlin phone app, we identified over 45 bird species in one morning. It was very exciting to listen to the bird song and to occasionally catch a glimpse of several species.
In late May 2022, Registered Professional Biologist Duncan McColl, conducted a land assessment of the Tête Jaune property. In his report, he indicated a lot of evidence of wildlife activity, from ungulates, bears to birds. To read the full report, click on the link below.
flora and fauna of the Kiyooka Land Trust
video survey of Tête Jaune property
