Progress in 2014 1

Working for the future we want Progress in 2014

Progress in 20142

Real progress on environmental sustainability continues as a major public concern in

the Kootenays, Canada and in fact, around the world. The West Kootenay EcoSociety forged ahead this year with strong programs that work toward sustainability and keep it in the public eye in our local community.

The West Kootenay EcoSociety celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Since 1994, the work and success of this grassroots organization have been growing steadily.

Planning and development for a growing range of environmental work in the future was also important in the year as the West Kootenay EcoSociety planned more staffing for local participation and, in the big picture, developed a broader, longer-term plan for a new Regional Sustainability Network.

This report on Progress in 2014 gives us a picture of the range and impact that a community organization can have.

An amazing amount of activityOur programs again covered a wide range, all the way from 40 market days, several high profile films, speakers, the edible garden tour, and several strong ongoing partnerships. It was the 8th year for MarketFest which has become a signature summer fun event in Nelson. The Cottonwood and Baker Street markets connected over 270 local producers with thousands of customers. Our Kootenay Rideshare project website had 40,000 unique visitors!

Our staff, volunteers and members generated an amazing amount of advocacy and economic and educational activity.

Progress in 2014

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Working for the future we want

Progress in 2014 3

Setting the long-range goals This report outlines four strategic long-term goals for the Society, and it reviews the 2014 activities as they work toward each of these goals. The goals have been set by the Board of Directors after intensive, and extended, planning. They are:

2 GOAL TWO Impement projects that benefit sustainability and ecosystem health.

4 GOAL FOUR Build capacity and develop organizational infrastructure

3 GOAL THREE Develop infrastructure and awareness to support environmental actions.

1 GOAL ONE Create a Regional Sustainability Network

Overall themesTo keep our focus on our goals, our Board also set four on-going themes or objectives to for us to make progress on. These are:

Protect our community from climate changeA critical global issue that has to be met with local action, including carbon reductions and public pressure for systemic change.

Create a sustainable local food systemLocalizing food is a key way to reduce transport carbon and costs, reduce chemical usage and put us all more directly in touch with the producers, the plants and animals that sustain us.

Help children to learn about the outdoors We help our community – young and old – understand our regional ecosystems and the opportunities for sustainable communities. Learning about our dependence and connection with the natural world is essential.

Save wild spaces for future generationsWe live in a beautiful mountain setting where three mountain ranges tower over deep lakes. Helping to preserve the beauty and naturalness of this wonderful place creates a legacy for our children, and for the world.

Progress in 20144

The Board of Directors wanted a comprehensive regional plan to be most effective. How can

citizens have the most impact, make the most important changes? This would take research, collaboration with partners, in fact a network. The planning led to the decision to create this in the form of a new Regional Sustainability Network (RSN).

The RSN will be the main force to develop a more complete understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing our region.

We will find out what people want in a resilient community and determine how we can help (e.g. research, data collection, coordination and networking, analysis, capacity building, policy advocacy, programs, education).

The RSN is being established as an independent organization, a registered charity. It will be empowered to accept donations and give tax receipts/ It will give our community a means to identify the best ways to work together for sustainability, and support and implement projects to realize those priorities.

1 GOAL ONE Create a Regional Sustainability Network

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Connecting local producers with the community has become a major service the Society provides in an increasing number of markets and fairs. The demand from both sellers and buyers is growing steadily as more and more people look for local products. West Kootenay EcoSociety’s Markets Director Jesse Woodward works tirelessly with the organization of these events, coordinating vendors and promotion. EcoSociety organized markets have become an “institution” that the community depends on.

Cottonwood Community MarketRunning Saturdays from May to October in Cottonwood Falls park, the weekly market has local charm and Kootenay culture all over it. Local musicians entertain and help create a festive air that makes Saturday at the market a great time.

Saturday Cottonwood market... one of Nelson’s best local secrets.

Nelson Downtown Local MarketThe Wednesday markets that take over Baker Street from June through September are also now a key part of our local culture. Offering an amazing mix of local produce, plants, prepared foods, body care, and hand-made arts and crafts. Customers can rest assured that they are supporting the local economy due to the fact that 80% of each vendor’s wares must be made locally to be sold at the market.

MarketFestNelson’s largest summer time festivals are on Friday night in June, July and August. MarketFest takes over downtown for a night of music, food, marketing and revellry. This was the 8th year of a great tradition that brings all of Nelson, and many visitors, into Nelson’s living room.

Goal two provides the framework for many of the EcoSociety’s most viable projects. With our active board, large community of talented volunteers and committed staff, the West Kootenay

EcoSociety is a major social enterprise and civil society contributor in our communities. Our wide range of activities, large and small, have an important beneficial effect on our lives here. Our Markets, Friends of Kootenay Lake, the Kootenay Rideshare, and Earth Matters are all examples of projects addressing Goal Two.

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2 GOAL TWO Impement projects that benefit sustainability and ecosystem health.

Markets and Festivals

Progress in 20146

Garden FestThe 13th Annual Nelson Garden Festival was again a great place for local gardeners and producers to share their bedding plants, seedlings, services and wisdom. Garden Fest also takes over Baker Street for a Saturday in May. The tremendous turnout shows how seriously our communities take their gardening and stewardship of their local resources.

Fall Fair The 8th Annual Fall Fair is a traditional harvest celebration complete with live music, prizes for best produce, preserves, and pies, as well as all the fresh produce, delicious food and amazing crafts that are always at Cottonwood Market. It’s keeping alive a timeless tradition that recognizes the importance of local producers and home cooking!

Winter Craft FairOur Christmas market has become a highly popular and attended event where people keep their shopping local. It’s a step in shifting from ‘consumerism’ to community. Our artists, weavers, potters and more bring in a large crowd. It’s a great way to keep Christmas spirit in our community.

Seedy SaturdayA major service to local gardeners, with workshops about what works here!

Locally grown seeds are better suited to our local conditions than seeds cultivated in far off lands. Meet other growers, share tips and ideas, and find unique varieties not available in any store or catalog! The event is a much appreciated service to local gardnerers.

2 GOAL TWO Impement projects that benefit sustainability and ecosystem health.

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We are proud to be partners in establishing Friends of Kootenay Lake since its

creation in 2012. Hosting a highly successful Kootenay Lake Summit in October, 2014, the Friends of Kootenay Lake is building a stronger community of interest on protecting our mountain gem. FOKL has engaged hundreds of residents around the lake to map wildlife and trees, collect over 5100 water quality data points, educate residents about lake stewardship, and implement the Harrop Wetland Restoration. Emphasize. FOKL has already had some amazing accomplishments.

Congratulations to FOKL coordinator Claire de la Salle for a great job. Most

recently she has helped produced a short new video for education about the Lake. See it here. https://vimeo.com/121750775

Friends of Kootenay Lake

What a team....

West Kootenay EcoSociety is a social ecosystem made up of our members, directors, and volunteers, and the people who put in the most energy of all, our staff members. Thanks to this great team who make it all happen.

EcoSociety Staff

David Reid, Executive Director Jesse Woodward, Markets Director Tim James, Projects Manager

Kokanee Visitor Centre

Mel Reasoner, Director Joanne Siderius, Senior Naturalist Sara Marken Retail Manager Bryce Harrison, Front Counter

Board of Directors 2014

Paula Snow, President Mary Ann Spears, Treasurer Montana Burgess, Secretary Fiona Galbraith David Lovekin  Evan McKenzie Russell Precious

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Progress in 20148

2014 looked to be a watershed year for the decades long struggle to stop ski resort

development in the wilderness gem of the Purcell range. The already once renewed Environmental Certificate was set to expire in October and the developer needed to show substantial development or it would expire and trigger a completely new environmental assessment. The developer poured a small amount of concrete, but the government has yet to announce if that constitutes substantial development.

A monitoring camp staffed consistently by valiant volunteers from the East Kootenay and West Kootenay documented all the activity at the site from August through October.

The volunteers hosted the 2nd

annual Jumbo Camp dinner and hosted a Book Sale of the donation of Kim Kratke’s wonderful libary, which helped raised thousands more for the cause. The first annual Blues, Brews a Barbecue raised over $2,000 for the campaign.

The West Kootenay EcoSociety filed a legal challenge to the Jumbo Glacier Resort Municipality, the municipality with an appointed mayor and provincially-granted budget, but NO citizens. A K’tunaxa First Nation legal challenge was denied by one court, but the K’tunaxa filed an appeal of the decision which is still pending.

As 2014 drew to a close, nothing was finally settled on the ski resort development and it appeared the campaign would necessarily go forward into 2015.

Jumbo Wild!

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2 GOAL TWO Impement projects that benefit sustainability and ecosystem health.

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Kootenay RideshareIn 2014 we completely redesigned the website to make it even easier for people to find ways to share car trips and cut down on greenhouse gases. The new interface for the website allows people to choose very quickly whether they are offering or seeking a ride and whether it is an ongoing or one-time arrangement. The service is well-used by Kootenay residents particularly when travelling outside the region. The site had an amazing 40,000 unique website visitors in 2014. An important community service, the small investment made by the EcoSociety pays real dividends in assisting people and in cutting carbon emissions.

Earth Matters The EarthMatters Waste Reduction and Education (Zero Waste Market) project works at regional markets in the Kootenays to provide education on waste reduction and divert waste from landfill through composting and recycling. Our Compost Educator Heather Koczan worked at markets and events and events throughout the summer, including the Cottonwood and Downtown markets in Nelson, but also at some of the following events:

• Salmo Farmer’s Market • Castlegar Farmers’ Market • Harrop Farmers’ Market  • Ellison’s Heritage Fair • Kokanee Park Redfish Festival • Kaslo Farmers’ Market • Crawford Bay Farmer’s Market • Hills Garlic Fest • Nakusp Farmers’ Market • Lardeau Valley Farmer’s Market • Pass Creek Fall Fair • Winlaw  Farmers’ Market • Creston Farmers’ Market

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Conservation Committee The West Kootenay Society Conservation Committee does an overview of animal and habitat conservation issues. The committee is made up of highly qualified volunteers, professionals in their fields, including biology, and hydrology. They review policies and programs to promote conservation and protection of sensitive habitats.

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On-going public education, with news, events and ideas about environmental susstainability is a core project for West Kootenay EcoSociety. Broader community awareness is essential to support

for the changes we need for sustainbility. The EcoSociety continues to keep environmental issues front and centre in our community with our established projects and frequent public events.

The EcoCentricWest Kootenay EcoSociety volunteers host the weekly EcoCentric hour of environmental news on CJLY Kootenay Coop Radio. Hosts Suzy Hamilton, Bruce Edson and Keith Wiley and frequently David Reid talk to high profile environmental experts from around BC and the world. Tune in at noon on Tuesday or 9 am Sunday. Or listen to past EcoCentric shows online at KootenayCoopRadio.com or visit the facebook page for listings of shows and guests.

Kokanee Creek

Visitors Centre We work closely with Friends of West Kootenay Parks and BC Parks to deliver public programs sat the Visitors’ Centre in the Park. The Redfish Festival in August is the annual highlight of course, but our interpretive and nature programs reach hundreds of visiting campers and local children and families. The wonderful array of programs at the park would not be possible without funding from Columbia Basin Trust, the Regional District of Central Kootenay Areas E and F.

There were 20,000 visitors to the Centre last season, many local people as well as visitors from outside the region. Thousands of these visitors joined in the events in the Park:

Evening Programs Jerry’s Rangers Nature Notebooks Stories in the Park Yoga in the Park Nature Investigators

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3 GOAL THREE Develop infrastructure and awareness to support environmental actions.

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The EcoSociety keeps a high profile for the environment by organizing and co-sponsoring a large number of educational public events.

Film Series: In 2014 we screened the following films at the Nelson Civic Theatre to very appreciative audiences: Bears, Damnation, Deep Green, Ghosts in Our Machine, GMO OMG, and Revolution.

West Kootenay EcoSociety also sponsored speakers and events like Mayan farmer. Leocadio Juracan on creating a alliances for resilient social change. `

It was a civic election year and we sponsored the very well-attended

Speed Candidating event which let people meet candidates for Nelson Council and School Board face-to-face.

We co-sponsored a Conversation Cafe on educating the next generations about environmental concerns, what we should be doing about the concerns they have presented and, finally, how to foster community engagement with these issues.

The Nelson Edible Garden Tour was again a great chance to meet, learn from and visit neighbour gardeners. There was no end of conversations breaking out about many varied topics.

Public action and discussionNot every environmental concern is only local, and EcoSociety members and volunteers are strong activists in the growing global movement to shutdown the growth of fossil fuels and bring in a new renewable energy economy. Members helped organize the local National Day of Action on Climate change, a local protest of the decision to approve the Enbridge bitumen pipeline and a Critical Mass bike Ride for a clean energy future that brought out over 100 cyclists for a fun and highly visible mass ride through Nelson.

Films and public events

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After 20 years of service to our community, West Kootenay EcoSociety is committed to being around for 20 years more. In order to ensure our own sustainability, our board members, staff members, and volunteers are

continually improving our capacity and building a better, wiser, and more effective organization. In 2014, our board decided to move to quarterly meetings to allow members to participate more effectively in our board committees:

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4 GOAL FOUR Build capacity and develop organizational infrastructure

FundraisingOur fundraising committee oversaw our membership program, raffles, fundraising events, and sponsorship drive. Although membership makes up a small percent of our budget, our members continue to be the lifeblood of our work, providing connection to our community and credibility with partners, funders, and elected leaders.

Board DevelopmentRecruiting, training, and engaging board members can be challenging, but our Board Development Committee has made great strides in ensuring that board members understand their roles and have the tools they need to meet their responsibilities.

Financial OversightReviewing monthly, quarterly, and annual budgets and financial reports is a key responsibility for our Board. Our committee worked closely with Executive Director David Reid to develop financial systems that create accountability for our members, funders, and partners, and which provide critical information to inform our budget planning process.

Strategic Planning Our strategic plan is a living document that is reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure that our programs are designed to reach our strategic goals. In 2014, we made great strides in putting our plan to work.

Program OversightEvery year, West Kootenay EcoSociety develops annual work plans and budgets to enable us to allocate our resources effectively. The entire board works closely with staff to develop these plans and revise them every six months to ensure that staff time and other resources are put to the best, most strategic possible uses.

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• Abacus Beads• Annie’s Boutique• Big Cranium • Boomtown Sports• Building Tree• City of Nelson• Columbia Basin Trust• Cotton Creek Clothing• Craft Connection• Digerati Computing• Gaia Rising• Georama• Gerick’s Cycle and Ski• Hipperson Hardware• Kootenay Bakery Cafe• Kootenay Coop Radio• Kotoenay Country Store Cooperative• Max & Irma’s• Max the Jeweller• Mountain Baby• Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce• Nelson and District Credit Union• Nelson Brewing• Nelson Civic Theatre• Nelson Family Eyecare• Nelson Star• Oso Negro• Otter Books• Pathway Life Coaching• Phoenix Computers• Real Estate Foundation of BC• ROAM• Save-On Foods• Shanti Yoga• Still Eagle• the Juice Radio• Valhalla Path Realty• Valhalla Pure Outfitters

The West Kootenay community and area businesses have always been great supporters of EcoSociety endeavours. Here is a list of some of the organizations and businesses who have supported us.

Strong community support...

Progress in 201414

2014

Expenses

Revenues

2015

Expenses

Revenues

Projections for growth in 2015

Financial snapshot...