Wildsight

06/02/2026

It is well worth looking up this great story by The Tyee's Ben Parfitt today for an in-depth look into B.C.'s flawed forest tenure system.

On paper, logging licences give companies like Canfor an “allowable annual cut” that entitles them to log vast swaths of publicly-owned forests each year.

The higher those allowable cuts are, the more valuable those licences are to the companies that hold them, writes Ben.

But what if Canfor and others aren’t logging at rates close to what their licences say they can? If they sell such licences, what should those licences be valued at? And what role should the B.C. government play as the party that issues those licences and must approve any future sales?

06/01/2026

The Syilx Okanagan Nation has formally petitioned the federal Government of Canada under Section 80 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) to issue an Emergency Order to protect critical caribou habitat.

"The continued logging of critical caribou habitat is inconsistent with Syilx Forestry Principles and Standards, yet the province continues to authorize logging in these core areas,” says Councilor Jordan Coble, Chair of the Syilx Nation Natural Resource Committee. “The key issue is the lack of meaningful habitat protection — only 35% of core habitat for the Columbia North herd is currently protected.”

We're grateful to the leadership of the Syilx Nation for taking this important step towards a future with more protection for endangered herds like Columbia North.

Media Release - The Syilx Okanagan Nation has formally petitioned Canada under Section 80 of the Species at Risk Act for an Emergency Order to protect critical Southern Mountain Caribou habitat.

Click here to read the full media release: https://syilx.org/the-syilx-okanagan-nation-files-under-section-80-of-the-species-at-risk-act-to-protect-styilca%cc%93%c9%82-southern-mountain-caribou/

05/31/2026

Old-growth forests take centuries to mature. Healthy watersheds evolve through complex relationships — from megafauna to microorganisms — over decades. Like the landscapes we work to protect, the future we envision takes time to build, and sustained commitment from donors like you to achieve.

By including Wildsight in your planned giving, you will be helping to build that future.

To learn more about how you can leave a legacy for the wild, visit our webpage https://wildsight.ca/legacy-giving/

05/30/2026

Our Youth Climate Corps crew spent a day planting 250 native fireweed plugs and a handful of ponderosa pines in the Kimberley Nature Park recently to support regrowth on a 'landing site'.

Landing sites are where logs are brought for sorting and processing during forestry operations, and they're often difficult to replant because the ground gets so compacted that it makes for challenging growing conditions.

We're grateful to the Kimberley Nature Park Society for leading this work and allowing our YCC crews to support the effort each season!

05/28/2026

At first glance, you might assume a burned forest is devoid of life. But a few minutes spent in one can be all it takes to realize you are witnessing the renewal of an ecosystem.

Burned forests can support many species, including Great Grey Owls, which live in these landscapes for up to two decades post-fire. Great Grey Owls are drawn to burned forests in part to hunt the rodent populations that often boom after new plant life emerges.

At a time when BC is pushing to increase how much timber it harvests — including by incentivizing salvage logging in burned forests — it's important we remember the ecological value these ecosystems hold.


Photos by

05/26/2026

The Youth Climate Corps Kootenay crews jumped right into the 2026 season with some hands-on learning!

Under the guidance of Loki Tree and Forest Service, the young adults were taught how to safely use chainsaws and manage fire risks as they prep for wildfire mitigation work this spring.

Following the training, both West and East Kootenay crews are now in the Creston Community Forest taking on a second round of mitigation work started by last season's YCC crews.

Visit wildsight.ca/programs/youthclimatecorps to learn more about YCC!
Youth Climate Corps Creston Community Forest

05/25/2026

Historical and contemporary repeat photography from the Mountain Legacy Project reveals how half a century of mountaintop-removal coal mining has altered the geography of the Elk Valley.

Where mountains once stood, there is now open air. Where alpine grasslands once provided important winter habitat for Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats, there are now slate-grey terraced slopes. Where clear streams once flowed through valley-bottom ecosystems, they are now buried under millions of tonnes of waste rock blasted from the ridgelines above.

Read more in our latest blog at https://wildsight.ca/2026/05/14/where-mountains-once-stood/

05/23/2026

🏃‍♀️🌲🏃‍♂️ Wildsight’s old-growth run is back for its second year! 🏃‍♀️🌲🏃‍♂️
Join us for a 7-kilometre fun run through a spectacular old-growth stand and learn all about the Inland Temperate Rainforest on Revelstoke’s doorstep.

During the run, conservation specialist Eddie Petryshen will be sharing his in-depth knowledge about the fascinating ecology of this ancient forest.

We welcome runners of any and all abilities!
Register at https://wildsight.ca/events/old-growth-run-revelstoke-2/?source=FB+-+Post

05/22/2026

Happy World Biodiversity Day from Canada’s most biodiverse province! (It’s us, B.C. 👋)

There are more types of life in B.C. than anywhere else in the country — from lichens and fungi, to flowers, trees, birds, bats, fish and mammals. And how lucky are we that many of them live here, in the old-growth forests, wetlands, waterways, alpine landscapes and grasslands of the Kootenay-Columbia region?

Want to get out and appreciate some of the amazing species that call this region home? Coming up on our Events calendar we’ve got a turtle talk and bioblitz happening in Revelstoke tomorrow, a bat count in Golden in June, and an old-growth run in the Inland Temperate Rainforest.

Head to the Events page on our website for more details: wildsight.ca/events

📸s by Steven Gnam, Siobhan Williams, Cory DeStein, Trevor Haldane, Jared Hobbs, Eddie Petryshen

05/20/2026

In support of the landowners and Quesnel residents who are championing this issue, Wildsight wrote a letter to the province and licensees in December of last year. Yet the B.C. government and Ministry of Forests decided to ignore their own experts and science in the name of keeping the forestry industry happy.

In the case of logging in core Southern Mountain Caribou habitat near Quesnel, this involved the Ministry of Forests even disregarding urgent recommendations from a fellow Ministry: the Ministry of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship.

We need to continue to push for real protections for our southern mountain caribou. Send a letter to Canada asking them to map critical habitat for Southern Mountain Caribou — the critical first step to protecting this disappearing species. Letter writing tool: https://secure.wildsight.ca/caribou?source=cbc+fb

Photo by Cory Destein