Celebrating 30 Years of Impact: Highlights from the 2025 CMI Researchers’ Forum

We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us in Revelstoke for the 2025 CMI Researchers’ Forum and 30-Year Celebration. It was an inspiring two days of connection, learning, and reflection on three decades of collaborative research in the Columbia Mountains.

From landscape dynamics and fire ecology to pelagic productivity, microbial biology, migratory species monitoring, and bat behavior, the diversity of talks this year reflected the incredible range of science happening across our region. The energy in the room reminded us how many dedicated people are working to better understand and sustain the landscapes we share.

We ended the first day with a packed evening plenary featuring two of CMI’s founders, Dr. John Woods and Dr. Bruce McLellan, who took us on a journey through 30 years of wildlife ecology. Their stories, from early fieldwork adventures to long-term grizzly bear monitoring, offered not only fascinating insights but also a sense of continuity and purpose that has defined CMI since the beginning.

Day 2 moved from presentations into the field as participants joined local experts to explore projects around Revelstoke. We learned about reservoir productivity, sustainable forestry practices, and the maternal roosting behaviour of northern myotis bats, living examples of research translating into management and conservation action.

Throughout the event, one theme was clear: our strength is in our community. CMI’s network spans early-career students, independent researchers, consultants, and agency staff, all contributing valuable perspectives. Together, we are advancing applied science and supporting sustainable resource management in the Columbia Mountains and beyond.

As we look ahead, we are excited to continue fostering these collaborations and to see how this vibrant community will grow and evolve over the next 30 years.

A heartfelt thank-you to all our presenters, field tour hosts, and attendees for making this milestone event so memorable. We also extend our gratitude to our event sponsors: Tourism Revelstoke, Downie Timber, Shearing Consultants Ltd., and Revelstoke Community Forest for their generous support.

Here’s to the next chapter of conservation, collaboration, and curiosity in the Columbia Mountains!

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