Tim Burkhart, the Peace River Break coordinator for the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative, will give a presentation on Conservation Challenges and Opportunities in the Peace River Break on Friday, Nov. 4 at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt (at Trail and Medusa).
The Peace River Break is where the boreal plains meet the northern boreal mountains; where the Rocky Mountain’s Hart Range intersects with the cool waters of the Peace River. It’s a place where grizzly bears roam and woodland caribou graze, where sweeping vistas give way to wetlands, aspen forests and rolling grasslands. And it is home to some of the most fertile farmlands in northern B.C. It is an oasis for wildlife, hikers, anglers and agriculturalists.
The Peace hosts a continental climate that supports diverse ecosystems, acts as a sanctuary to a number of threatened and endangered species, and provides rich soils that could feed up to a million people.
The Peace River Break is experiencing industrial-caused disturbances at rates that are greater than those found in Alberta’s oil sands region. Oil and gas development, coal and coalbed methane development, forestry, mining, and wind energy development, as well as the recently approved Site C hydro dam, act as barriers to wildlife movement and threaten the integrity of the landscape. These disturbances could create a pinch-point that effectively cuts the Y2Y region in two.
In partnership with Treaty 8 First Nations, local communities and conservationists, Y2Y is leading efforts to restore the Peace River Break to a healthy habitat that supports wildlife movement.
The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served. New members are welcome.
