Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship

06/17/2026

CAF has funding available for rotational grazing, cover cropping, and nitrogen management practices. See the link for more info.

This is your reminder to submit your application to the Climate Agri-Solutions Fund (CAF)!

CAF has funding available for BC and Yukon farmers to rotational grazing, cover cropping and nitrogen management practices.

Don’t wait, apply today! Learn more: iafbc.ca/caf/

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

06/17/2026

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought

The theme for this year's World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is Rangelands: Recognize. Respect. Restore.

Most of BC's rangelands are on crown land and provide food for both wildlife and livestock. They are sensitive areas that require mindful mangement to combat pressures such as fire, development, invasives, and water availabitlity. The Thompson Okanagan region is currently at drought level 3 ("very dry"), indicating that rangelands may experience strain on irrigation and pressure from wildfire.

To do your part, check your local water utility for current water restictions and drought information and always follow fire bans.

06/12/2026

Happy National Cougar Day!

As the largest cat species in Canada, cougars are impressive predators that you don't want to mess with. They have mastered the art of catching prey in a way that best matches their physical abilities. Smaller lung capacity makes them unable to sprint for long distances. This lends them more to be a stalk and ambush predator. If the prey is within distance, the cougar with take a couple of explosive steps and use their sharp claws and powerful jaws to kill their prey quickly. They eat almost exclusively deer but will sometimes prey on smaller mammals.

They usually take a couple of days to eat a whole deer, so they will attempt to hide the carcass from other predators with nearby material and will keep coming back to snack on it until it's all gone.

While cougar encounters are extremely rare, here are some safety tips for when you are hiking or if you encounter a cougar:
- Avoid hiking alone and make some noise as you walk
- Carry bear spray and be aware of your surroundings
- If you see a cougar, do not turn your back to it, instead look big, maintain eye contact, yell and back away slowly. Use bear spray if necessary

06/11/2026

Happy International Lynx Day

Big shoutout to our cute and majestic Canada Lynx today!

But it's hard not to mention and celebrate Canada Lynx without their main sidekick, snowshoe hares, just because of how much influence the hares have on every aspect of the lynx's life. For example the home range of lynxes can be influence by snowshoe hare abundance. With less snowshoe hares around, the lynx will need a bigger ranges so they have more room to hunt. There have even been recorded mass movements of Canada lynx from their normal boreal forest habitat into prairie lands due to shortages in hares.

Canada lynx will usually eat 1 hare every 1-2 days if it's a good year for hares. The lynx will have a better chance of catching the hare if it can pounce on it in one bound, which can be around 6.5m in length.

These two species were made for each other, even if there relationship isn't necessarily a friendly one

06/07/2026

Thanks to Okanagan Fruit Tree Project for hosting us for this workshop, and to Sitka Foundation for their support of this initiative!

Miss the workshop? Check out www.osstewardship.ca/resources for nestbox plans and https://www.farmstewards.ca/fruits-pests for information on attracting beneficial wildlife to your farm.

06/05/2026

You can tell a lot about the origins of your favourite aphid eating insect, the lady bug, by counting their spots!

If you count nine spots:
- four spots per wing and one shared spot near the head

You found the native nine-spotted ladybug! A once very common sight across the Okanagan, their populations have been declining due to being out competed by invasive species. Nine-spotted ladybugs are great pest controllers and thrive in open fields, orchards, and gardens (anywhere aphids are plentiful).

If you count seven spots:
-three spots per wing and one shared spot near the head

You have found the seven-spotted ladybug! Introduced to North America around the 1950s as a pest control agent, the seven-spotted ladybug is now the most commonly seen ladybug in the Okanagan region. While it does a great job at controlling pests, it often out competes native species and disrupts ecosystems.

06/03/2026

We are so honoured to be recognized for our work in wildlife habitat conservation, stewardship, and restoration! Thanks to all who voted for our organization in the environmental organization category for both Penticton now and Kelowna Now’s ‘best of’! Congratulations to all of the nominees- we’re grateful to work alongside each of you.