Wildsight Invermere

Annual Report for 2015-2016

Our Vision and Mission We envision a community where people value and protect wild spaces and embrace our interconnection with nature.

Our mission is to inspire action and lead the way in conserving wild spaces and improving our relationship with nature.

Message from the President

Mountains have influenced me most of my life, and they continue to offer me endless inspiration. Right now, the springtime song of birds on the Columbia Wetlands is a daily reminder of how special this place is. But as the valley faces the increasing pressures of climate change, off-road motorized use, and deforestation of our headwaters, we at Wildsight feel that our voice for the Wild is as important as ever.

Since the early days of 1989 when the Invermere Branch of Wildsight, previously known as the East Kootenay Environmental Society, was established, we continue to grow because of the passion and support of our community. Our Board of Directors thanks you for this. In 2015, we worked hard, looking inward and improving our governance. We aspire to provide leadership to our membership and to remain driven by shared values and visions.

Inspire. Connect. Conserve. Our new byline reflects our current focus. We believe that developing deep connections and positive relationships with Nature will result in environmental stewardship and a dedication to caring for the environment. We are proud of our new vision and mission statements that you see in this report. On a very positive note, thanks to our fund raising efforts, we hired Kim Urbaniak as a part-time Branch Manager in October. She’s already putting together an exciting, new project called Connecting with Nature. Stay tuned.

I look forward to collaborating with you all in 2016.

Baiba Morrow, Wilmer, April 2016

1 Strategic Priorities for 2015 –2016

As a result of our strategic plan, the Board of Directors identified the following priorities and resultant actions:

Programmes: Wildsight Invermere will continue to provide excellent programmes that align with our vision and mission. We will focus on the need to educate our citizens on issues that impact our wild spaces. Communications and Marketing: Communicating the benefits of WS Invermere’s work is a strategic priority. To date, attention has been focused on the refinement of our website to advertise our events and to improve internal communications; the development of a communications calendar to better support the communications needs of our events; and the development of materials and displays for outreach activities. Volunteers: A volunteer strategy has been initiated to encourage people to become involved with our organization. Committees have been formed and job descriptions have been developed. Governance: A search for the Branch Manager was conducted, resulting in the hiring of Kim Urbaniak in October 2015. In addition to the development of staff core competencies and the hiring process, a review of the organization’s structure and by-laws occurred.

Thanks to a grant from Kootenay Savings Community Foundation, we purchased new equipment for our public booths: tent awning, table, banner and Wildsight trifold display.

2015-2016 Accomplishments:

Total new Members: 64 Total Invermere Members to date: 254 Number of participants in 2015 events: 435 Volunteers: many helping hands and minds

A heartfelt thanks to all our members, volunteers and supporters.

2015-2016 Projects

Look Outside:

Look Outside Funders: Look Outside was a year-long photography competition where people shared photographs of how they experienced the Purcell Mountain region. • Edmonton Community Foundation Wildsight believes that initiatives, such as Look • Kicking Horse Coffee Outside, will help people develop a sense of place, • Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative and that they will better understand and celebrate its • Imagine Invermere significance. The long-term goal of Look Outside is to • a generous Private Donation instill a conservation ethic within the community, turning casual supporters into advocates. Look Outside Prizes Supported by: The contest, which ended on May 31st, 2015, attracted submissions from enthusiasts from all walks The Alpine Club of Canada, Bavin Glassworks, of life—snowmobilers, hunters, hikers, climbers and Kootenay River Runners, The Camera Store, Banff birders. Mountain Film and Book Festival

Look Outside Statistics # of Images submitted on Instagram: 1750 # of followers on Instagram: 201 # of likes on Instagram: 24,577 # of impressions: 282,658 # of submitters on Website: 94

Congratulations to Howard Smith from Creston (on the right) for winning the Grand Prize of $1000. Rick Hoar from Imagine Invermere is on the left.

Lake Enid Restoration Project

Lake Enid, west of Wilmer, is much loved and used by a diverse group of locals and visitors, alike -- from hikers, fishers, campers, swimmers, and dog walkers to ATV users, dirt bikers and mountain bikers. By reversing the accumulative environmental degradation and instilling a sense of pride in the area, we feel that it can become an example of collaboration between different user groups where everybody can enjoy the beauty of the place. In our fiscal year of 2015, five interpretive signs were designed and built. 2016 will see them installed, marking the end of the project. The boardwalk, built by volunteers along the southeast side of the lake in 2014, continues to one of the new interpretive signs enhance user experience and much positive feedback.

Special thanks to John Pitcher, Mandi McRobbie Lake Enid Funders: (SwiftKick Art+Design), and Brian Patton for their time • Columbia Valley Local Conservation Fund and energy creating the content for the interpretive • Grassland Rangeland Enhancement Programme/ signs. We also appreciate the continued support of Columbia Basin Trust Aina Cernenoks with Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

2nd Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival

We once again hosted this popular festival on November 29 with a selection of nine inspiring films. The event continues to be a highlight of the year for us, both as a tool of engagement and a fundraiser. The 2016 event will be held on November 26.

Supporters and Raffle Prize & Door Prize Donors:

Tinhorn Creek Vineyards, Circle Café and Circle Health Foods, Kicking Horse Coffee, Columbia Valley Pioneer, MEC, Do Nothing, CV ARTS, Columbia River Paddle, Jim Lawrence/Kootenay Reflections, Cleanline Automotive, Local View Design, Peppis Pizza, Emcee Nicole Trigg (L) and Baiba Morrow, Wildsight Chair, picking door Wildsight Regional, Wildsight prize winners Kimberley/Cranbrook

4 2015 – 2016 Board of Directors:

President Baiba Morrow Vice President Cam Gillies Treasurer Becky Blakley Secretary - Vacant- Director Nory Esteban Director Jim Galloway Director Marianne Ober Director Marion Stotts

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kim Urbaniak- Branch Manager- [email protected] Baiba Morrow – Chair, Wildsight Invermere – [email protected] Stop by the office we share with the Lake Windermere Ambassadors: 625 4th St. Our mailing address: Box 2741, Invermere, BC V0A1K0 Call us: 250-341-6898

Other photographs @ Pat Morrow and Christian Meunier

5 Wildsight Invermere Branch

Revenue and Expense statement for fiscal year ending January 31, 2016

Income Donations and memberships 7,556 Events 5,512 Kootenay Savings Community Foundation Grant 700 CVLCF Grant final payment 3,000 Rent 800 ------Total income $17,568

Expenses Branch Manager (wages and deductions) 8,297 Communications 981 Lake Enid restoration 4,677 Events 2,809 Insurance premiums 488 Office rental 2,887 Administration 480 Advertising and Promotion 942 Memberships & contributions 510 Look Outside 7,412 Bank Charges 2 ------Total expenses $29,485

Net Loss -$11,917

Wildsight Invermere Branch

Balance Sheet as at January 31, 2016

Assets

Current Assets Cash 22,916 Accounts Receivable CVLCF Grant final payment 3,000 WSFF revenue from WS Regional 755 Equipment Office equipment 400 Gazebo 350

------$27,421

Liabilities and Fund Balances

Current Liabilities

Accounts Payable 2,551 Debts/loans 0

Fund Balances Unrestricted funds 22,967 Capital assets 750 GREP funding -1,998 Kootenay Savings Community Foundation Grant 284 Look Outside 2,867

------

7 $27,421