Kelowna Capital News – January 19, 2018
The Okanagan Valley is a major contributor to why B.C. is among the worst provinces across Canada for protecting wetland habitat, says an expert on the subject.
Neil Fletcher says the Okanagan has lost 85 per cent of its natural wetlands, largely to urban development sprawl.
“People are living where wetlands used to be,” he said.
Fletcher was speaking to the Okanagan water stewardship council about wetland preservation last week in Kelowna.
He is one of the most knowledgeable sources on the topic, serving as manager of the BC Wildlife Federation wetlands education program and chair of the provincial wetland stewardship partnership.