Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program (OCCP)

10/08/2026

Hello! Our first community planting day at McLean Creek is next Thursday, and we’d love your help 🌱!

We are working with Penticton Indian Band (PIB), En’owkin Centre, the Nature Trust of BC, and other community partners on a collaborative restoration project at McLean Creek, located within the Vaseux-Okanagan Falls Biodiversity Ranch.

We’ll be putting native trees and shrubs in the ground along the creek to bring back streamside habitat at the ranch.

🗓️ Thursday, October 15, 10AM to 2PM

Bring gloves 🧤 if you have them (we’ll have spares). Wear sturdy boots and dress for the weather, because we’ll be outside all day.

🔗 Sign up through the link below, and we’ll send meeting details to registered volunteers.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQswp6HA22IugeyCyMSIANlDfehATqrvTdk_XLdyUClJe1KQ/viewform

09/30/2026

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We honour residential school survivors, their families, and the children who never made it home.

Reconciliation is also about land. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action include commitments to implement UNDRIP, reject the Doctrine of Discovery, and require free, prior and informed consent for projects on Indigenous lands. Many of these commitments remain unfulfilled.

September 30th isn't a day to perform. It's a reminder that the work continues tomorrow and every day after.

Swipe through to learn more and find ways to take action. 👉

Follow our partners at the Okanagan Nation Alliance (IG: ) to learn from syilx voices about the land, culture and ongoing work in this territory.

09/14/2026

🌱 Come help restore McLean Creek this fall, working with our partners at En’owkin Centre, Penticton Indian Band, Nature Trust BC, and Ponderosa Education Community.

We are working together to restore riparian habitat along McLean Creek at the Vaseux–Okanagan Falls Biodiversity Ranch by planting more than 2,500 native shrubs and trees.

This work will help improve habitat for wildlife and species at risk while strengthening the health and resilience of the creek corridor.

And this fall, you can be part of the restoration! Hands-on opportunities to plant, learn, and contribute to the restoration of McLean Creek are being planned now.

📍 Vaseux–Okanagan Falls Biodiversity Ranch
More details on dates and how to get involved are coming soon - stay tuned!

08/12/2026

Only 2 days left to help protect Myra-Bellevue Park 🌲

BC Parks Foundation has a rare chance to acquire one of the last privately owned properties within Myra-Bellevue Park: 80 acres of mature forest that anchor the Okanagan Mountain-Kalamalka wildlife corridor, the last functioning low-elevation corridor in the region. The Wilson 5 Foundation is matching every dollar donated!

We're at 86% of our $800,000 goal, with the campaign closing in two days on August 14.

Every dollar donated is doubled. Help us close the gap:

Donate today to protect another piece of Myra-Bellevue Park.

07/13/2026

⏰ DEADLINE TODAY at 4PM on Kelowna's North Glenmore Expansion

Council is deciding whether to extend Kelowna's Permanent Growth Boundary for a 1,600-hectare expansion in North Glenmore (13,000 homes, 30,000 residents, 50 years). It's the first major change to the boundary since the 2040 OCP.

The Growth Boundary exists to protect surrounding agricultural and rural land from urban sprawl. This would be the first major change to it since the 2040 OCP was adopted, and it raises real questions about the city's commitment to compact growth and long-term environmental stewardship. Council voted 6–2 to send this to Public Hearing. If you have concerns about what this means for surrounding land and ecosystems, now's the time to share them and express your concerns!

Written submissions due TODAY by 4PM → [email protected] (name + civic address required)

Public Hearing: Tomorrow, July 14, 4PM — Council Chambers, City Hall

05/21/2026

Water shapes every part of life in the Okanagan. Our lakes, rivers, wildlife, agriculture, communities, and our future.

This week, the Syilx Okanagan Nation formally declared a Watershed Emergency across the region in response to worsening drought conditions, declining snowpack, ecosystem stress, and growing threats to water security.

The impacts are already being seen across local watersheds: warmer water temperatures, drying creeks and wetlands, increased wildfire risk, and stress on fish and wildlife populations. Protecting water is an environmental issue, and also a collective community responsibility we must all take accountability for.

As we head into another hot, dry season, it's a reminder that every action matters:
-Reduce unnecessary water use
-Choose drought-tolerant landscaping
-Respect lakes, rivers, and wetlands
-Help reduce wildfire risk
-Support watershed restoration and stewardship
-Healthy watersheds support all living things, now and for future generations.

We stand with the Syilx Okanagan Nation in recognizing the urgency of protecting siwtk" (water) and the ecosystems that depend on it.

Read the full press release from Okanagan Nation Alliance here: https://syilx.org/the-syilx-okanagan-nation-declares-a-watershed-emergency/

04/22/2026

Earth Day is here and it's a great time to reflect on what Earth Day means to all of us. Every year on April 22nd, awareness is raised about environmental issues and inspiring actions to protect our planet.

Since its start in 1970, Earth Day has grown into a global movement encouraging individuals and communities to make sustainable choices that ensure a healthier planet for future generations. Earth Day focuses on fostering a deeper connection with the natural world.

At OCCP, we believe everyday is Earth Day. Every single day that we are alive, we make an impact on the planet and we get to choose what impact we make. Caring for the planet is not something we do once a year, it's something we weave into everyday life. In the choices we make, the things we notice, and the future we help create.

And most importantly, everyday is Earth Day on Indigenous land. This year, the Okanagan Nation Alliance is uplifting the Syilx Nation Community Guardians for Earth Day.

"Indigenous Guardians are the land and water protectors our future depends on. They are the continuation of responsibilities that have existed some time immemorial. Rooted in Syilx law, knowledge, and relationships to the land, guardians care for watersheds, monitor ecosystem health, protect cultural sites and ensure decisions that honour future generations." - ONA

Today is a reminder of who has always led this work and who continues to show what it means to care for land and water over the long term.

Photo Credit: Lindsay Lalach