On Friday, June 9th our team members went out to support the #StoptheSpark project in Kalamalka Lake Park. This 2 day event was organized by our team member Maggie Wiltse, as her Careers 12 capstone project.
Kal Park is located in Coldstream, and encompasses a land area of about 978 hectares (2,420 acres) of pristine natural area. The park is a preserved remnant of the natural grasslands that once stretched from Vernon to Osoyoos. There are several forests, along with two archaeological sites. I don’t think we saw any, but the park is home to coyote, deer, black bear, Columbian ground squirrel, marmot, mink, bobcat, red fox, and Kirsten’s favorite…rattlesnakes! The day was spent cleaning pine brush undergrowth to help reduce the risk of wildfires in the park. This was timely as there was a small fire in the park on May 12th. In addition to our team, Maggie coordinated BC Parks, student volunteers, and support from the local business community through donations of volunteer time and equipment. We had a great time, and were pretty “sappy” by the end of it!
I chose this event for my project, because I was scared and saddened by the ecological devastation caused by wildfires in the summer. I wanted to do something to reduce some of the fire risk, while also cleaning up the park. I am so incredibly grateful for everyone that came out to support, and I am so happy with the work that was accomplished. I hope that possibly next year I will have the opportunity to plan something like this again.
