East Kootenay Invasive Species Council - EKISC

10/13/2026

A big thank you to the Columbia Valley Community Foundation (CVCF) for supporting EKISC’s Columbia Valley Invasive Species Action Project!

Thanks to this generous support, we’ve been connecting with local youth, residents, and outdoor enthusiasts to raise awareness about invasive species and how we can all help prevent their spread.

From introducing Saddle Academy students to invasive species identification and management, to chatting with gardening enthusiasts at Wildsight Invermere’s Earth Day Fair, to getting our hands dirty at a community w**d pull near Dutch Creek, this project has created lots of opportunities to turn awareness into action! We even teamed up with the Columbia Lake Stewardship Society and local volunteers to remove 13 bags of invasive plants, helping protect the natural spaces we all love.

We’ve also had some great conversations with local anglers on Columbia Lake about aquatic invasive species, learning from their experiences and sharing practical prevention tips to help keep our waterways healthy.

The Columbia Valley is home to some pretty incredible wild spaces and favourite places, and protecting them takes a community effort. We’re so grateful to CVCF for investing in local conservation and helping us build stronger connections, grow environmental awareness, and support healthier ecosystems across the valley.

Thanks, CVCF, for helping us spread the word, not the w**ds!

10/10/2026

Think that pile of pulled w**ds is harmless? Think again!

Some invasive plants can survive being pulled, composted, or moved, and improper disposal can help them spread to new places.

Before you toss those w**ds, know what you’re dealing with and dispose of invasive plant material properly. A little extra care can help keep invasive species out of our parks, forests, and wild spaces.

Learn more about how to be PlantWise here: https://www.ekisc.com/plantwise 🌱

10/06/2026

At the East Kootenay Invasive Species Council’s (EKISC) Annual General Meeting on September 29, we were pleased to present our 2026 Golden Shovel Award to the citizens of the City of Kimberley.

Since 2010, EKISC has presented the Golden Shovel to an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to invasive plant management or awareness in the East Kootenay. Over the years, we’ve recognized dedicated volunteers, conservationists, community organizations and individuals who have gone above and beyond to help protect our local landscapes.

This year, we decided to recognize something a little different: an entire community.

The story began with a post on a Kimberley community page expressing concern about bluew**d. That initial concern was followed by reports, conversations and, eventually, action. Kimberley residents rolled up their sleeves and started pulling bluew**d, with truckloads of pulled and bagged plants eventually making their way to the transfer station.

The award was accepted on behalf of Kimberley residents by Chelsea Tully, the Regional District of the East Kootenay’s Invasive Plant Technician and a Kimberley resident herself.

“This response is a great reminder of just how important citizen science and community reporting are when it comes to invasive species,” said Katie Reid, EKISC’s Executive Director. “We can’t be everywhere at once, and often the people who live, work and recreate in an area are the first to notice when something doesn’t look quite right.”

A photo, a location, a report or a conversation with a neighbour can be the first step in getting an invasive plant identified and managed before it spreads further, Reid added.

And while pulling one plant might not feel like a big deal, those individual actions add up. When a whole community starts paying attention, sharing information and pitching in, the impact can be significant.

Bluew**d is a good example. It’s a striking plant, but its presence in the wrong place can have impacts on native plant communities and biodiversity. Early detection and community involvement can make managing these kinds of infestations much more achievable.

The Golden Shovel is our way of saying thank you to the people who take the time to notice, report, pull and care. To the citizens of Kimberley: thank you for turning concern into action and showing what community stewardship can look like.

And we’re not planning to stop here. EKISC is looking forward to carrying this momentum into June 2027, when we hope to host a community bluew**d pull in Kimberley and bring even more local w**d warriors together.

If you spot an invasive plant, don’t assume someone else has reported it. Take a photo, note the location and let someone know. That small action could be the start of something much bigger.

Congratulations, Kimberley, on your 2026 Golden Shovel Award. We can’t wait to see what we can tackle together next.

10/06/2026

10/03/2026

We love that BC Parks works to protect representative and special natural places across British Columbia for world-class conservation, outdoor recreation, education, and scientific study - and we really love getting to work alongside you to help make that happen here in the East Kootenay!

Through BC Parks’ support, EKISC is able to deliver invasive plant surveys, treatments, monitoring, data management, and education and outreach throughout East Kootenay provincial parks. Together, we’re working to better understand where invasive species are found, respond to priority infestations, and reduce the risk of new species being introduced and spread.

And our work together isn’t just about managing w**ds! We love getting out into parks to chat with visitors at boat launches and day-use areas, lead educational walks, share prevention resources, and help people learn how they can be part of protecting the places they love.

We’re also proud of our ongoing collaboration on boot brush stations and signage, and keeping EKISC resources stocked at park kiosks, gatehouses, and visitor information points. From Clean Drain Dry and PlayCleanGo to Buy Local Burn Local, these resources help put invasive species prevention information right where people need it, as they’re heading out to enjoy the outdoors.

A huge thank you to the BC Parks team for being such an important partner in this work! We’re proud to work together across jurisdictions to protect the incredible parks, waterways, forests, and wild spaces of the East Kootenay. 💚

09/30/2026

For the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we’re stepping away from our desks and spending some time outside, reflecting on the land we’re lucky to work on and the people and communities who have cared for these places since time immemorial.

As an organization that works closely with First Nations across the East Kootenay, we recognize that land is much more than a place to work, recreate, or conserve. For Indigenous peoples, relationships with land are deeply connected to culture, language, knowledge, identity, food systems, and community. Those relationships have been sustained through generations of stewardship, reciprocity, and respect.

Invasive species are one of the many pressures affecting these relationships. They can alter ecosystems, impact culturally important plants and animals, affect traditional harvesting and food sources, and change the landscapes where knowledge and traditions are practiced and shared.

For us, this is another reminder that invasive species management is about more than plants and ecosystems. It’s about people, places, and the relationships that connect them.

Truth and Reconciliation Day is an opportunity to listen, learn, remember, and reflect on the ongoing impacts of the residential school system and the work that remains on the path toward truth, healing, and reconciliation. We’re grateful to the Indigenous communities and knowledge holders we have the privilege of working alongside, and we recognize that meaningful reconciliation requires ongoing learning, relationship-building, and action.

Today, we’re taking some time to be outside, listen to the land, and reflect. 🧡

If you’re looking for ways to spend today listening and reflecting, there are several community gatherings taking place:

Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it & City of Fernie
📍 Fernie City Hall | 501 3rd Ave
🕙 10 AM - reflection and remembrance

ʔaq̓am
📍 St. Eugene Mission | 7777 Mission Road
🕙 10 AM - guest speakers, commemorative walk, and lunch

ʔAkisq̓nuk
📍 ʔAkisq̓nuk First Nation Band Hall
🕑 2 PM

The Invasive Species Council of BC has also developed a valuable resource exploring 19 invasive species and their known impacts on Indigenous communities in British Columbia. It’s a good reminder that the impacts of invasive species can extend well beyond ecological change -https://bcinvasives.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Indigenous_Communities_Fact_Sheet-WEB.pdf

We remember the children who never returned home, honour Residential School Survivors and their families, and continue to listen, learn, and work toward reconciliation 🧡 🧡

09/27/2026

09/24/2026

Don't even get us started. 🙄