Central Okanagan Land Trust

11/25/2025

Today, we are deeply honoured to share that Dorothy Thomson has donated her 7.5 hectare farm in Kelowna’s lower mission to the Central Okanagan Land Trust. We will hold this land in perpetuity, conserving and restoring precious wetland habitat for local wildlife and, eventually, providing a new park space for the community to enjoy. Dorothy’s incredibly generous gift is made in honour of her late husband, Ken Thomson, and the future park name will reflect that.

Today’s announcement event was attended by several members of the Thomson family, C**T board members & Executive Director, members of the Central Okanagan Naturalists Club, and other supporters. During the event, Dorothy and C**T president Tanis Gieselman planted some western red cedar tree seeds to transplant in the future when habitat restoration work begins.

The Thomson family once owned 160 acres of farmland in the area, including the nearby Thomson Marsh Park, where C**T holds a conservation covenant. A strategic plan and some restoration work on the newly donated land must be completed before it will be open to the public.

09/13/2025

The Kikinee Festival is on today at Mission Creek Regional Park from 10 to 2. Come on down and say hello to our Executive Director, Wayne Wilson!

07/18/2025

For years now, C**T has collaborated with other environmental groups across our region and Valley…and this week was no different.

The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society’s (OSSS)summer crew came through Munson Pond to help with Invasive Plant management.
I this case, they were pulling the seed pods from the Yellow Flag Iris and cutting out the new seed-heads from the Purple loostrife plant.
In all, they harvest roughly 75 kilos of this material - all of it bagged and disposed of so that it can’t invade anywhere else!

Thanks to Kat and Sophia for you support across the Valleys! 🙂

06/26/2025

The bird viewing platform at Thomson Marsh was officially opened to the public on June 14, 2025. There was a fantastic turnout of 40-50 people at the grand opening event. We thank the Central Okanagan Naturalists' Club - CONC for spearheading this project.

06/16/2025

On Saturday, June 7, volunteers attended the 10th annual Critter Count at the Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park. This property is owned by C**T and managed by the Central Okanagan Regional District as a park. The monitoring efforts by volunteers from the Central Okanagan Naturalists Club are vital in keeping track of populations of birds, mammals and plants in the park over the years so management plans ensure its continured natural health.

05/29/2025

Please check out our latest newsletter:

Read a fantastic article on the project to create Pools in Mission Creek, check out the incoming President's Report, Executive Director Report, and Loo ...

03/12/2025

Update on our partnership with students from UBC’s Bachelor of Sustainability: C**T Director (and now President) Tanis Gieselman spent some time with the students at Johns Family Nature Conservancy this week. They harvested and planted 229 cuttings for our cedar restoration project to help replace cedars that have not recovered since the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire.

The students learned how to properly collect several types of cuttings from only the top 1/3 of the younger trees to ensure the cuttings maintain upright growth.

They discussed potential planting locations and considered the biophysical survey maps to see where cedars historically grew. Also, we are happy to report that some of the seeds they planted in the fall have started germinating.

The students are working on a planting plan and are in good shape to complete the cedar restoration project at the Johns Family Nature Conservancy by next spring.

02/14/2025

These photos are from private property adjacent to Okanagan Mountain Park on which C**T holds a conservation covenant. A conservation covenant is an excellent way to preserve the natural values and biodiversity on private property, in perpetuity, without donating the land outright.

01/23/2025

Exciting things are happening at Thomson Marsh! In accordance with the Thomson Marsh Management Plan, and thanks to the Central Okanagan Naturalists Club, City of Kelowna, and additional partners, a bird viewing platform is being constructed overlooking the wetland. The finished platform will also have interpretive signage provided by knowledgeable CONC members and Registered Professional Bologists. This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of CONC donors and volunteers, the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and Downie Timber Ltd. The project should be completed before summer! Happy birdwatching! 🦆
Central Okanagan Naturalists' Club - CONC

01/08/2025

Thanks for sharing something of our work! 🙂 ❤

Protecting, Connecting, AND Preserving the Okanagan's Natural Beauty Donate The Central Okanagan Land Trust (C**T) is a volunteer-driven non-pr ...

01/02/2025

Happy New Year from all of us at C**T - the Central Okanagan Land Trust.
… and we’d love to introduce you to our brand new Website. It’s still at the same address, but it has a whole new look and feel and lots of great information about the essential values that natural habitats and landscapes and viewscapes and wildlife bring to ur lives.
These environmental values enrich our lives - and remind us that we are part of that environment.
We would love for you to have a stroll through the new website and let us know what you think.
We would love for you to ‘get out there’ and experience the natural world.
We would love for you to share the link here and enjoy your next nature walk even more!
Have a wonderful 2025! 🙂 ❤

Protecting, Connecting, AND Preserving the Okanagan's Natural Beauty Donate The Central Okanagan Land Trust (C**T) is a volunteer-driven non-pr ...