More Resources: Links by Subject, Online Publications, and Print Resources.

Over the years, the GCC has relied on many people and organizations in its efforts to improve grasslands conservation, stewardship, and governance. We have benefitted immensely from others’ contributions, whether they be groundbreaking research, innovative programs, or positive partnerships.

Conservation & Land Use

British Columbia Conservation Foundation – A registered not-for-profit organization dedicated to the conservation and stewardship of BC’s ecosystems and species.

BC Nature: Federation of BC Naturalists – This federation of local natural history groups represents 50 local nature clubs throughout BC. Since 1969, they have worked towards the goals of education and conservation, reflected in their motto: To know Nature and to keep it worth knowing.

Canadian Intermountain Joint Venture – The CIJV is a partnership organization working for the long-term benefit of the wildlife and people living in the Canadian Intermountain region.

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – CPAWS’s vision is to keep at least half of Canada’s public land and water wild — forever. Since 1963, the organization has taken a lead role in establishing two-thirds of Canada’s protected wild spaces.

Columbia Basin Trust – CBT is a crown corporation that promotes social, economic and environmental well being in the Basin by delivering benefits to residents through a variety of programs.

Fraser Basin Council – Established in 1997, FBC is a charitable non-profit society that brings people together to advance sustainability in the Fraser Basin and across BC.

Friends of Churn Creek Protected Area Society – This non-profit organization was formed in 2009 to help BC Parks achieve the conservation and cultural heritage vision for Churn Creek Protected Area.

Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team – GOERT was formed in 1999 to coordinate efforts to protect and restore endangered Garry oak and associated ecosystems and the species at risk that inhabit them.

Kamloops Naturalists Club – A group of individuals with an interest in natural history formed the club in 1971. It offers field tours, provides public information, and works towards conservation goals.

Kootenay Conservation Program – KCP is a broad partnership of over 80 organizations from across the Kootenays that supports partners in conserving landscapes that sustain naturally functioning ecosystems.

Nature Canada – This member-based non-profit conservation organization was created to protect and conserve wildlife and habitats in Canada by engaging people and advocating on behalf of nature.

Nature Conservancy of Canada – NCC is a private, non-profit organization working for the direct protection of Canada’s biodiversity through the purchase, donation, or placing of conservation covenants/easements on ecologically significant lands.

Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program – OCCP is a partnership of organizations and government that has focused on conservation issues in the Okanagan Basin since 2006.

Osoyoos Desert Society – This society works to conserve and restore the antelope-brush ecosystem in BC’s South Okanagan and to educate the public at its Desert Centre, a 67-acre nature interpretive facility.

Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Program – A coalition of stakeholders working together to restore fire-maintained grassland and open forest ecosystems in the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia.

South Okanagan-Similkameen Conservation Program – SOSCP is a partnership of 50 organizations that work together to conserve the unique biodiversity and environment of the region.

The Land Conservancy of British Columbia – TLC is a non-profit, charitable Land Trust working throughout British Columbia.

The Nature Conservancy – This US-based non-profit is the leading conservation organization working to protect the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people.

Education

Allan Brooks Nature Centre – The Nature Centre provides visitors a first-hand opportunity to see and learn about the North Okanagan’s unique and diverse natural heritage through views, information, programs, and displays of the region’s natural areas.

Don Gayton – Don is a Summerland based ecologist, specializing in grasslands, grazing management, and fire ecology. This is his “electronic abode.”

Royal BC Museum – Living Landscapes was created by the Royal British Columbia Museum as a regional outreach program focused on particular regions of BC.

Government

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada – Federal government department that works with farmers and food producers to support the growth and development of the agriculture and agri-food sector.

BC Ministry of Agriculture – Responsible for the production, marketing, processing, and merchandising of agricultural products and food in BC.

BC Ministry of Environment & Climate Change Strategy – Responsible for the effective protection, management, and conservation of BC’s water, land, air and living resources.

BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development – Responsible for stewardship of Provincial Crown land and natural resources, and protection of BC’s archaeological and heritage resources.

Parks Canada – Federal government department whose goal is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations.

Union of BC Municipalities – UBCM was formed to provide a common voice for local governments in BC.

Invasive Plants

Invasive Species Council of BC – This non-profit coordinates and unites efforts across the province to reduce the impacts of invasive species to BC communities.

Weeds BC – This site is hosting WeedsBC.ca temporarily while it is upgraded. Weeds BC can help you identify your weeds, learn how to manage them and find out what can happen if you don’t. Currently, 80 weeds are profiles as present and posing a threat to BC’s economy and environment.

Ranching/Agriculture

BC Agriculture Council – Founded in 1997, the BCAC provides leadership in representing, promoting, and advocating the collective interests of all agricultural producers in the province.

Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund – The fund’s goal is to improve the viability, profitability, and sustainability of BC’s beef cattle industry.

Behavioural Education for Humans, Vegetation and Ecosystem Management – BEHAVE is a research and outreach program based at Utah State University that explores the principles of animal behavior. Its primary focus is on diet and habitat selection of livestock.

British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association – The BCCA has been the official voice of BC cattle ranchers since 1929. Its purpose to promote, encourage, protect, and develop the province’s cattle industry in an environmentally responsible manner.

British Columbia Institute of Agrologists – BCIA is the professional association for persons holding the title of Professional Agrologist in BC. Practicing agrologists are professionals in areas including agriculture, food production, environment, and resource management.

Society for Range Management – Based in Colorado, SRM is the professional society dedicated to supporting persons who work with rangelands and have a commitment to their sustainable use. (This link may change as the site is being updated in 2017.)

Recreation

Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia – Founded in 1976, ORC works on behalf of about 40 provincial member groups, representing more than 100,000 individuals, as well as the general public, to protect the outdoor recreation way of life in BC.

Restoration

Ministry of Forests: Forest Encroachment – Fire suppression, overgrazing, and selective logging in these forests are believed to have caused forest encroachment on grasslands and ingrowth within open forests. This “Ecosystem Restoration” section of the Ministry of Forests website explains the issues at hand.

Ministry of Forests: Mountain Pine Beetle in BC – The mountain pine beetle is a naturally occurring insect of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. In the late 1990s, after several relatively warm winters, a massive outbreak resulted in the loss of millions of hectares of pine forest in British Columbia over the next 15 years. The BC government took a range of measures to respond to this outbreak’s effects on forests, communities, and industry.

Species at Risk

BC Conservation Data Centre – The CDC assists in the conservation of the province’s biodiversity by collecting and sharing scientific data and information about wildlife and ecosystems in BC.

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada – COSEWIC determines the national status of wild Canadian species, subspecies, varieties, or other designatable units that are suspected of being at risk of extinction or extirpation.

Species at Risk Public Registry – The registry is a source for news, information, and documents related to species at risk in Canada.

Wildlife Conservation

Canadian Wildlife Service – CWS is a branch of Environment and Climate Change Canada that handles matters such as the protection and management of migratory birds and nationally important wildlife habitat.

Ducks Unlimited Canada -DUC is a national, private, non-profit organization that has been committed to wetland conservation for almost 80 years.

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation – HCTF is a non-profit charitable foundation acting as Trustee of the Habitat Conservation Trust. The organization funds conservation projects, and educates and engages the public about BC’s natural assets.

World Wildlife Federation Canada – Part of the global WWF conservation network, the organization’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Wild Sheep Society of BC – The society’s mission is to promote and enhance wild sheep and wild sheep habitat throughout BC.

Online Publications

British Columbia Grasslands: Monitoring Vegetation Change (Part 1) – Publication by D. Gayton, published by FORREX-Forest Extension Partnership (2003). Part one of a two-part series.

British Columbia Grasslands: Monitoring Vegetation Change (Part 2) – Publication by D. Gayton, published by FORREX-Forest Extension Partnership (2003). Part two of a two-part series.

Burrowing Owl Reintroduction Efforts in the Thompson-Nicola Region of British Columbia – Research paper by E. E. Leupin and D. J. Low, published by The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc. (2001).

Cariboo-Chilcotin Ecosystem Restoration Plan: Grassland Benchmark – Report by F. M. Steele, K. L. MacKenzie, O. A. Steen, B. A. Blackwell, and A. Needoba, and R. W. Gray, submitted to the Cariboo-Chilcotin Grassland Strategy Committee (2007).

Challenging Cheatgrass: Can Tools Like the “Black Fingers of Death” Fight This Formidable Invasive Species? – USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station extension report by L. McKnight (2007).

Defoliation: Response of Bluebunch Wheatgrass and Crested Wheatgrass – Research report by C. L Meays, A. S. Laliberte, and P. S. Doescher, published in Rangelands 22(6) (2000).

Composition and Function of Biological Soil Crust Communities Along Topographic Gradients in Grasslands of Central Interior British Columbia (Chilcotin) and Southwestern Yukon (Kluane) – Research paper by J. Marsh, S. Nouvet, P. Sanborn, D. Coxson, published in Canadian Journal of Botany (2006).

Grassland Ecology and Classification: Symposium Proceedings June 1982 – Report eds. A. Nicholson, A. McLean, and T. Baker, published by Province of B.C. Ministry of Forests (1982).

Grasslands: Enabling their Potential to Contribute to Greenhouse Gas Mitigation – Submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2009).

Life in a Working Landscape: Towards a Conservation Strategy for the World’s Temperate Grasslands – A Record of the World Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative Workshop, Hohhot, China – June 28 & 29, 2008. Report prepared by Bob Peart (2008).

Native and Non-Native Plant Species in Grazed Grasslands of British Columbia’s Southern Interior – Research report by D. Gayton, published by BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management (2004).

New Directions for the Prairie Economy: Connecting Conservation and Rural Development in the Northern Great Plains – Report by C. Freese, D. Montanye, and K. Dabrowska, published by the World Wildlife Fund (2009).

Plant Functional Traits and Soil Carbon Sequestration in Contrasting Biomes – Research paper by G. B. De Deyn, J. H. C. Cornelissen, and R. D. Bardgett, published in Ecology Letters (2008).

Rare Native Vascular Plants of the Southern Okanagan Grasslands – Field Report by G. W. Douglas, S. J. Smith for The Nature Trust of British Columbia (2004).

Response of Antelope Bitterbrush Shrubsteppe to Variation in Livestock Grazing – Article by P. G. Krannitz of Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, BC, in Western North American Naturalist (2008).

Thinking BiGG: Farming Families Tell Their Stories of Biodiversity – Case studies booklet by M. Williams as part of the Australian government’s Grain & Graze project (2008).

Toward a Strategy for the Conservation and Protection of the World’s Temperate Grasslands – Temperate Grasslands Strategy Paper 2010 by B. Henwood, published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and World Commission on Protected Areas (2010).

Welcome to the West: A Guide for People Moving to the Northern Rockies by Corporation for the Northern Rockies – Booklet published for American audiences by Corporation for the Northern Rockies (1990s).

What Are Global Temperate Grasslands Worth? A Case for Their Protection – A Review of Current Research on Their Total Economic Value prepared for the World Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative by Barbara Heidenreich (2009).

Print

Grass: The Stockman’s Crop – Booklet by H. E. Dietz from Sunshine Unlimited, Inc., Lindsborg, Kansas.

Grassland: The History, Biology, Politics and Promise of the American Prairie – Book by R. Manning. Penguin (1997).