Thanks to the generosity of the local community, The Nature Trust of BC has protected some of the rarest and at-risk ecological habitats in British Columbia for future generations, including creating a safe and undisturbed passage for wildlife to access water in the arid Interior landscape. 

8th October 2024, Southern B.C.: – Today, The Nature Trust of British Columbia, one of the province’s leading non-profit land conservation charities, is thrilled to announce they have successfully acquired and protected 11 hectares (27 acres) of vulnerable habitat in the Similkameen Valley, thanks to the incredible generosity of the local community and key donors. This new conservation area, Nighthawk Hill Grasslands, is in the picturesque and ecologically fragile Similkameen Valley near Keremeos, within the unceded and traditional territory of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (Sməlqmix), member of the Okanagan Nation (Syilx People). 

The new Nighthawk Hill Grasslands conservation area, located directly beside the South Okanagan Grasslands Provincial Protected Area, bridges the crucial link needed for wildlife to access almost 100 meters of the Similkameen River—about the length of a football field—safely and undisturbed in this very arid landscape, even during the hot Interior summer. The area is home to a diverse range of Species at Risk (SARA), including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. From the American badger to pallid bat, to the tiger salamander and sage thrasher, a wide array of wildlife find refuge in this unique landscape. 

Sage Thrasher. Photo by Glenn Bartley

More than just a beautiful place, this new conservation area contains temperate grasslands – one of the most altered terrestrial ecosystems on earth and endangered on most continents. Rare and endangered big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass ecological communities are prominent throughout the Nighthawk Hill Grasslands—bunchgrass ecosystems being some of the rarest land cover types in B.C. 

The conservation of Nighthawk Hill Grasslands marks an important milestone towards preserving the vulnerable and at-risk ecosystems across B.C., addressing the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. Thanks to this conservation effort, Nighthawk Hill Grasslands will remain a wild, undisturbed landscape, forever protected from development. 

The project was made possible by the Government of Canada, through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund. Thanks also goes to the dedicated donors and the Okanagan community, whose generosity and passion for nature made this conservation milestone possible.  

Common Nighthawk. Photo by Alex Thomson

QUOTES: 

“Thanks to the generosity of the Okanagan and Similkameen community, protecting Nighthawk Hill Grasslands is a meaningful step toward protecting B.C.’s biodiversity. These lush, thriving ecosystems will continue to provide vital habitat for hundreds of species from mammals and birds to amphibians and reptiles for generations to come,” said Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO, The Nature Trust of BC 

“Nighthawk Hill Grasslands are carbon storage superheroes, and the breeding grounds for threatened common nighthawks that migrate all the way to South America,” said Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO, The Nature Trust of BC 

“The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is proud to support The Nature Trust of BC in securing Nighthawk Hill Grasslands, conserving biological diversity and protecting crucial wildlife habitat. Through partnerships with local communities and partners, this acquisition protects more grassland habitat for many creatures using this land and the adjacent South Okanagan Grasslands Provincial Protected Area; this is a great achievement for habitat conservation in the region.” said Dan Buffett, CEO, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation 

FACTS: 

  • The conservation area is in the Similkameen Valley, southeast of Keremeos, west of Osoyoos, and within the traditional territory of the Lower Similkameen Indian Band (Sməlqmix), member of the Okanagan Nation (Syilx People). 
  • The protection of this land provides a unique opportunity to protect 122 m of Similkameen Riverfrontage and protect an important corridor for wildlife to access water in an extremely arid environment.        
  • Nighthawk Hill Grasslands is adjacent to a 435 hectare section of the South Okanagan Grasslands Provincial Protected Area – a 9,364 hectare conservation area.        
  • The conservation area is home to a diverse range of at-risk species under the Federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), including mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. There are nine designated Species at Risk.  
  • Commonly found SARA Schedule 1 mammals include the pallid bat, American badger, western harvest mouse, and nuttall’s cottontail. 
  • The conservation area contains a diverse range of SARA schedule 1 bird species, including the sage thrasher, barn swallow, common nighthawk, olive-sided flycatcher, yellow-breasted chat, bobolink, bank swallow, and Lewis’s woodpecker. 
  • The hot and dry climate attracts SARA Schedule 1 reptiles and amphibians, such as the western yellow-bellied racer, the western tiger salamander, the great basin spadefoot, the western rattlesnake, and the great basin gopher snake. 
  • Temperate grasslands are considered one of the most altered terrestrial ecosystems on earth and are endangered on most continents.  
  • Bunchgrass ecosystems are the rarest land cover in British Columbia and are at risk of being lost – only 6.9 percent are protected province-wide.        
  • South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program (SOSCP) ranked 100% of this land parcel as “very high” in importance for conservation, containing Red-listed ecological communities (big sage / bluebunch wheatgrass) and native grasslands. 

ABOUT: 

The Nature Trust of British Columbia is a leading non-profit land conservation charity with over 50 years of success protecting and caring for B.C.’s most critical habitats. Since 1971, The Nature Trust of BC and its partners have acquired more than 73,000 hectares (180,000 acres) of ecologically significant land to save vulnerable wildlife, fish and plants. 

The Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program (NHCP) is a unique partnership that supports the creation and recognition of protected and conserved areas through the acquisition of private land and private interest in land. To date, the Government of Canada has invested more than $470 million in the Program, which has been matched with more than $982 million in contributions raised by Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the country’s land trust community leading to the protection and conservation of more than 800,000 hectares of ecologically sensitive lands. 

 LEARN MORE: 

Visit: www.naturetrust.bc.ca 

Follow us on Twitter: @NatureTrustofBC  

Become a fan on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NatureTrustofBC/  

Follow us on Instagram: @NatureTrustBC  

IMAGES: 

Here 

CONTACT:  

The Nature Trust of BC 

Alicia Arruda, Account Manager 

Naturetrust@yulupr.com 

604-558-1656