taking care of nature

BLOG: NATURE NOTES

Helping Western Screech-owls and other Feathered Friends

Female Western Screech-owl and her babies in a nesting box Western Screech-owl When you first think of owls, it is normal to picture the big ones, like Great Horned owls or Snowy owls, but in reality most owls in the Okanagan are small to medium sized. One such owl is our local Western Screech-owls, which is one of the smaller owls in the region, only being about the size of a medium to-go coffee cup. Their name is quite misleading since they don't actually screech. Instead t

Cultivating Conservation and Collaboration

Nestled on the Naramata Bench, local growers are proving that agriculture and nature can thrive side by side. Along Aikins Loop, Elephant Island Winer y and JoieFarm Winer y are blending the art of winemaking with the science of stewardship—planting native vegetation, attracting beneficial insects, and strengthening their vineyards. Through the Farming With Wildlife initiative, a project led by Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship (OSS), the two vineyards partnered to install

How You Can Help Wildlife At Home

You can do many things to help wildlife around your home and garden. Some are very simple and others are a bit more complicated or take a...

Youth Employment Opportunity

We're hiring for our 2025 field technicians ! Please share! Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship has hired and trained over 25 local youth in...

Western Screech-owl

Megascops kennicottii macfarlani Status Endangered (federal) Blue List (Provincial) Description The interior subspecies of Western...

WHAT IS STEWARDSHIP?

Stewardship is the act of taking care of fish and wildlife habitat by people like you

WHAT WE DO

OSS works directly with local residents in order to support and assist them in caring for important natural areas. Over the past ten years, since our inception in October 2013, OSS has undertaken an array of initiatives including outreach and neighbourhood initiatives, one-on-one contact with land managers, community and government partnerships and collaborations, and has made significant contributions to wildlife habitat restoration and enhancement throughout the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys.

Provide information, assistance and advice about local species and spaces including tailored habitat assessments prepared by our local biologists.	Provide assistance and support to landowners as stewards in conservation, restoration and enhancement of wildlife habitats on their properties while maintaining other land use practices such as agriculture and eco-tourism. Develop best management practices and management plans for coexisting with wildlife on your property.
Develop and lead habitat enhancement projects, such as native plant enhancement, exclusion fencing along shorelines, and invasive plant management. We have planted almost 33,000 Indigenous trees and shrubs!	We are partnered with over 150 stewards of over 10,000 acres of critical wildlife habitat

Meet our Team

WHERE WE WORK
OSS works in the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, primarily on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx/Okanagan and Secwepemc people, throughout the Regional Districts of Okanagan Similkameen, Central Okanagan and North Okanagan. This region is an exceptional place, known for its spectacular landscapes, iconic wildlife, amazing outdoor recreation opportunities, world-class wines and diverse agricultural products. The region is also home to some of the greatest concentrations of species diversity and species at risk in Canada and is one of Canada's most endangered natural systems.

Map showing locations of over 125 wildlife habitat stewards