Learn more about your wild neighbors!
Anarchist Mountain is an amazing place, with breathtaking landscapes and wonderful recreation opportunities, as well as world-class wine and agricultural products just 5 minutes away. As an additional bonus, it is also located in a region with more plant and animal diversity than anywhere else in the country! The South Okanagan area is home to hundreds of species of birds, thousands of kinds of plants, and innumerable species of insects and pollinators like butterflies and bees. Unfortunately, there are also more endangered and threatened species here than anywhere else in the country too, and this is due almost entirely to a staggering loss of habitat due to human development. Some habitats are over 90% gone, which means the species that live there are at risk of disappearing too.
As an Anarchist Mountain landowner you are in an excellent position to help with this issue! What can you do?
1. Report sightings of endangered and threatened species
Because of the lighter development pressure on Anarchist Mountain, many endangered species can still be found here. Animals like Williamson’s Sapsuckers, American Badgers, and Desert Nightsnakes are seen here on a semi-regular basis, in comparison to other areas in the Okanagan where they are rarely sighted at all. Knowing where endangered species still live can help local biologists make better decisions about how to help them.
To learn more about identifying local endangered and threatened species on Anarchist Mountain, and what to do if you want to report your sightings, sign up to below receive an Information Packet!
2. Be a steward of wildlife habitats on your property.
Through our Wildlife Habitat Steward (WHS) program, OSSS is able to partner with local landowners to support them in caring for the wildlife habitats on their properties. We can provide information on a multitude of topics, advise on invasive plant management, complete wildlife surveys, and sometimes assist with habitat enhancement and other similar projects as well. Land use (farming, tourism etc) is not affected – the WHS program works alongside any current operations to help implement best management practices.
Interested in learning more about any of the above topics?? To sign up to receive an info-packet about endangered species or the Wildlife Habitat Steward Program, click here: https://forms.gle/V42JJgzjTJsHf8CbA
Guest post by Valerie Blow of the Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society. OSSS is a is a local nonprofit that partners directly with local landowners and communities to support and assist them in caring for important wildlife habitats in the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys.