Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship (OSS) is proud to partner with the Grist Mill and Gardens in Keremeos to restore areas around their campground and enhance the riparian forest around Keremeos Creek.
The event will be held Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. when participants will plant more than 250 trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
Please register online at www.osstewardship.ca so we know how many people to expect.
The grist mill is a special place visited by hundreds of people every year.
One of the main reason the Grist Mill was able to get up and running in (1872) is Keremeos Creek itself. Not only does it power the water wheel and grain mill but is also provides much needed water for plants and wildlife in the region’s hot dry summers.
The trees and shrubs we will be planting will provide shade for happy campers and habitat for some of the endangered animals that share the Similkameen Valley.
Once these plants grow they will help to stabilize the banks of Keremeos Creek and filter the water flowing into the creek to keep the creek clean.
The wildflowers along the campground bank will provide nectar for our native pollinators.
Plants that attract bees, butterflies, beetles, moths and other pollinators, provide a critical ecosystem service needed to sustain natural habitats as well as agricultural activities.
In addition to pollinating food plants, many pollinators also control unwanted pests and improve soil quality.
Today, insect pollinators are in an alarming state of decline with several species red-listed and in danger of extinction.
Declining populations of pollinators are a significant threat to biodiversity and global food sources.
About one in every three bites of food we eat comes to us through the work of insect pollinators.
The public is invited to come out and see conservation in action, learn more about local species at risk and pitch in for a good cause.