Grasslands of the North Workshop 2008:
Threats and Challenges to Grasslands in the Peace

Dawson Creek, BC
June 6 to 8, 2008

Our Annual General Meeting was held on Friday, June 6, followed by an evening banquest and a full-day field tour on Saturday, June 7 with a half-day field tour on the morning of Sunday, June 8.  

Over fifty people from around the province converged in Dawson Creek to discover the beautiful grasslands of the Peace Region of British Columbia.

Many people associate grasslands with the south Okanagan area or the Cariboo Chilcotin, but the Peace, too, has some amazing pockets of grasslands.  While most native grasslands have long been converted into agricultural crops or developed, there are some remaining pockets in the region. As many people discovered this weekend, the Peace grasslands are a treasure, and are extremely important for wildlife, cattle and horses.

The Grasslands Conservation Council of BC (GCC), a non-profit organization based in Kamloops, held its annual general meeting and workshop in the Peace, raising the profile of both the organization and the grasslands in the Peace area. The Friday AGM and banquet was well attended by local producers, agrologists, foresters and many others from out of the area. Guests were treated to presentations on grasslands of the Peace, management of grasslands in the north and the role of grasslands in carbon sequestration, which is a growing concern with the impending impacts of climate change. As well, experts provided spectacular poster displays on the threats of invasive plants to area grasslands and on native plants as traditional foods by First Nations people.

At the banquet, GCC chair David Zirnhelt introduced participants to the work the GCC is doing throughout the province to protect our threatened and endangered grasslands. Grasslands cover less than 1% of the land but are crucial to more than 30% of our species at risk. They are also a vital component to BC’s ranching industry, providing a natural forage base for many ranches.

Saturday, the keen participants headed out on a field tour that took them to view the grassland benchlands in the Peace Valley near Taylor. There, they learnt about the geology of and human history on the grasslands, heard about oil and gas impacts in the area and had a chance to view the Peace Valley at the proposed Site C reservoir area while discussing the impacts of the proposed dam. Speakers on various topics, such as ungulate habitat, sharp tailed grouse, invasive plants and the association of wetlands to grasslands, made for an informative day. Later in the day, the GCC tour joined up with the Peace River Forage Association, which was also having a tour through the Peace. The tour wrapped up on some beautiful, south facing grassland slopes discussing producer issues and range management in the Peace. From there, both tours enjoyed a barbeque generously hosted by the Forage Association at Arnold and Nelda Bennett’s Farm.

Sunday, the group convened again to view some grasslands northeast of Dawson Creek. Our first stop was east of Rolla to view some pockets of grassland adjacent to agricultural fields and discuss various seeding methods. The group then visited the beautiful grasslands ecological reserve near Clayhurst, where they were treated to a rare pocket of western bunchgrass grassland and a pristine pocket of native grassland, as well as to a discussion on the geographical features of the land.

The GCC was thrilled to see the number of interested individuals from around the province, but particularly those from the Peace area. For the 2008 workshop to be as successful as it was, a great number of people were involved in its preparation and delivery. So, we give very special thanks to Sonja Leverkus and Richard Kabzems, without whom the workshop would not have been. Also, thank you to our wonderful speakers: Richard Kabzems, Nolan Steinwand, Keith Carroll, Alicia Goddard, Matthew Braun, Murray Clarke, Larry Peterson, Ross Peck, Marten Geertsema, Linda Wilson, John Miller and Walter, who greatly increased the knowledge of all the participants. For those who engaged us with their invasive plant displays—Dennis Meier, Theresa Fincaryk, Bob Drinkwater, Kerry Clark, and Linda Wilson—thank you also for your on-going contributions to the discussions throughout the tour. Thank you, too, to Julie Robinson and the Forage Association, for including us in their tour and BBQ. There are always last minute items to organize; for so ably helping us with these, we’d also like Gäetane Carigan, Kim McNalley and Shawna LaRade. Finally, our sponsors were both generous and supportive and deserve a special thank you, as well: Pengrowth Corporation; the Peace River Regional District; BC Hydro; BC’ Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Forests and Range; the Peace River Forage Association and Safeway.

With such interest, participation and support, GCC’s 2008 workshop was a resounding success on many levels. The GCC looks forward to continuing its work in the Peace.