What’s the Future of Grasslands and Rangelands in the East Kootenay?
- Start Date: May 01, 2025
- End Date: May 03, 2025
- City: Kimberley BC
- Venue: Kimberley Conference Centre and various field sites
- Registration is open, preliminary speaker list available, call for posters has been extended
Symposium description:
In the East Kootenay region of southeastern BC, there are about 46,415 ha of grasslands that occupy the benches and steep, south-facing slopes above the main rivers and some of their tributaries.[i], [ii] They stretch from the Canada/United States border, an area known as the Tobacco Plains, north to near Radium.[iii] These grasslands – land dominated by grasses where tree cover is low to absent – also include other grass-like plants, forbs (broad-leaved herbs), and shrubs. The majority (63%) of the grasslands in the East Kootenay are on provincial crown land. Of these, almost 90% (~22,800 ha) are under a grazing tenure.[iv] These areas are often referred to as rangelands – uncultivated lands that support grazing and habitat for hundreds of species of native wildlife and plant communities.[v] In addition to a broad array of ecosystem services and culturally significant relationships with native plant and wildlife communities, these habitats provide grazing for domestic livestock.
Humans have evolved in connection with grasslands and rangelands. Healthy grasslands are tied to Indigenous food sovereignty, and food security which is particularly relevant to hunting, ranching and farming. However, these grassland environments are threatened worldwide, with the loss of an estimated 50% of rangelands in the East Kootenay region since the 1950s.[vi] Grassland ecosystems also sequester large amounts of carbon, yet are particularly vulnerable to climate change.
The purpose of this symposium is to tell stories, share knowledge, and explore ideas and solutions for improving grassland and rangeland health in the East Kootenay. This event will explore the related implications of changing grasslands in the East Kootenay for wildlife and livestock forage, vulnerable grassland-dependent species, Indigenous and regional food security, wildfire risk reduction, and invasive species. To this end, a multidisciplinary group of scientists, First Nations, natural resource professionals, land managers, and ranchers will gather to discuss current land management challenges, initiatives, knowledge gaps, and the cumulative impacts to ecosystem health. The underlying assumption guiding this event is that if you improve grassland health through restoration, protection, and stewardship, then you improve conditions for wildlife, grassland ecosystems, and communities whose cultures and livelihoods are tied to these spaces.
This symposium will include presentations, panel discussions, field tours, and posters that share recent science, the current state of rangelands in the East Kootenay region, and case studies from other regions to help inform potential restoration and rangeland management practices. A key objective of this event is to produce a proceedings document that includes a summary of recommendations to improve ecosystem health and services.
Preliminary Speaker list & agenda
While we are still waiting on confirmations from some presenters, see here for a list of confirmed speakers thus far.
While it’s difficult to list just a few, here are some highlights:
- Edward Bork, University of Alberta, Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Science
- Don Gayton, MSc, PAg, rangeland ecologist and writer (retired)
- Mark Hebblewhite, Ungulate Ecology Laboratory, University of Montana
- Clayton Lamb, Wildlife Science Centre – Biodiversity Pathways
- Darrell Smith, Rangeland Stewardship and Programs Manager, Government of Alberta (former Range manager with Province of British Columbia in the East Kootenay region)
- Jared Cayenne, ʔa·knusti Gaurdian, Ktunaxa Nation Council
- Tiffany Traverse, Secwépemc/séme7 Indigenous Researcher, Land & Seed Steward, Braiding Knowledges Canada
- David Zehnder, Rancher, Farmland Advantage
- See presenter bios for the above listed here
Symposia agenda:
A detailed event agenda will be posted by the end of March, but in the interim participants can plan for the following:
- May 1: Plan for a full day and evening of engaging presentations, including an evening keynote talk. Check-in on this day will commence at 8:30am MT
- May 2: Another full day with a morning of presentations and an afternoon of strategic round table discussions
- May 3: Plan to be in the field with a team of facilitars from about 9am to 1pm MT
Who should attend this symposium?
CMI symposiums attract people from a variety of disciplines and professions. This event will inform and gather Indigenous community members and representatives, scientists and ecologists, agricultural leaders, land and resource managers, government decision-makers, and community members (i.e., hunters and ranchers). Additionally, this symposium will be of use to post-secondary students studying and monitoring grassland ecosystems and rangelands.
Call for posters and displays has been extended to April 8, 2025
Posters that tie into the following call themes are welcomed:
- Rangeland ecosystem dynamics and monitoring: relationships between rangeland health and productivity in so far as being able to provide the values we all benefit from;
- Vegetation ecology for the rangelands in the East Kootenay area and comparable areas including grasses, grazing plants, and culturally important plants;
- Role of forest management for grassland health;
- Rangeland-dependent ungulate ecology including nutrition and interactions between wildlife and livestock;
- Water systems and hydrology in grassland ecosystems of the East Kootenay;
- Invasive species threat and management in rangelands and grassland ecosystems;
- Species at Risk conservation in rangelands and grassland ecosystems;
- Fire ecology and cultural fire in rangelands and grassland ecosystems;
- Best practices and case studies of adaptive management in rangeland ecosystems;
- Climate impacts, resilience, and management responses for grassland and rangeland health;
- Food security and ranching considerations for healthy rangelands and grassland ecosystems in the context of UNDRIP.
All presenters are asked to refer their presentation back to the central question of the symposium:
What practical recommendations do you have that would improve the maintenance or enhancement of grassland ecosystem health and related ecosystem services of the rangelands in the East Kootenay?
If you would like to submit a proposal, please send title, abstract (max. 300 words), a short bio, and full contact information to the Columbia Mountains Institute. See the submission guidelines prior to submission.
Note that all presenters will need to register for the event unless otherwise arranged, and submit a written summary of their presentation for a proceedings document by May 9th, 2025. The proceedings will be available as a free PDF download on the CMI website.
Registration
Non-member rate: $375
*CMI member and presenter rate: $325
*You can renew membership/become a member within the registraion process. See more about CMI membership here
Where to stay
Participants of this event are welcomed to make their accommodation bookings at the Trickle Creek Lodge, located beside the Kimberley Conference Centre at the base of the local ski hill. See here for available discounts and booking instructions.
Our event partners and sponsors
Event partners: CMI is pleased to work with these agencies in hosting this event:
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers; BC Range Branch; BC Parks;, BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship; EcoMosaic Environmental Consulting; Farmland Advantage; Grasslands Conservation Council of BC; Ktunaxa Nation Council, Phyla Consulting, Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resources Society, Shuswap Band, and VAST Resource Solutions.
Event sponsors: CMI is grateful to the following organizations for their financial support of this event:
Columbia Basin Trust, Wild Sheep Society BC, VAST Resource Solutions, Keefer Ecological Services, and the Kootenay Conservation Program. Event sponsors and commercial exhibitors are encouraged to contact CMI after reviewing the information found here.
i. Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia. 2017. British Columbia’s Grassland Regions. Kamloops, BC URL: https://bcgrasslands.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/gcc_e-book_bcs-grassland-regions.pdf
ii. Wikeem B. and S. Wikeem. 2004. The Grasslands of British Columbia. Grassland Conservation Council. Kamloops, B.C. 282 pp. + appendices. URL: https://bcgrasslands.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/bcgrasslandsfinal2004ver3.pdf
iii. Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia. 2017. British Columbia’s Grassland Regions. Kamloops, BC URL: https://bcgrasslands.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/gcc_e-book_bcs-grassland-regions.pdf
iv. Grassland Conservation Council. 2004. BC Grasslands Mapping Project: A Conservation Risk Assessment – Final Report. URL: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/acat/documents/r54174/BCGrasslandsFinalReport_RyanHolmes_1675194232347_9B0941A112.pdf
v. Rangeland Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. Springer, Cham. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-34037-6_1
vii. Blueprint for Action (2006); Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Steering Committee: http://www.trenchsociety.com/setup/content/Blueprint_for_Action_2006.pdf
IMAGE: Glen Wainman
