GREP Synopsis

In 2010 representatives from the local ranching community, through the Kootenay Livestock Association (KLA), approached Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) seeking financial support for agriculture within the CBT operating area.

CBT met with KLA representatives to listen to their concerns and ideas on how CBT could help  address systemic issues that were impacting agriculture in the Basin.

After these meetings CBT agreed to hire local consultants (a retired Ministry of Agriculture manager and a professional agrologist and former employee of the Ministry of Fish and Wildlife) to develop the outline of a program that met both CBT’s mandate and provided help for agriculture in the Columbia Basin and specifically the ranching community.

The result was a pilot program, GREP, that was to deal with multiple issues on the provincial public land base including improving native grasslands, working on rehabilitating old deteriorating infrastructure such as fences and cattleguards, respecting the importance of riparian zones and recognizing the importance of all forms of wildlife that co-exist on public grazing lands.

GREP, managed by KLA, received approximately $150,000 in funding for projects focused on improving those Crown Land grazing tenures for the betterment of all users, not just ranchers. This pilot program proved to be such a success that CBT initially agreed to provide funding for two more years.

At the conclusion of this initial three year “pilot” CBT subsequently agreed to fund GREP 2 and has now been the major contributor for an additional two, three year programs (GREP 3 & GREP 4) and has funded the first year of GREP 5.

KLA hired a Coordinator for GREP who was hired to help develop and deliver the pilot program and a coordinator continues in that program today. The Coordiantor manages the finances, reporting and application compliation for KLA and reports to the KLA Board of Directors through a KLA GREP Liaison, appointed by the Board.

Until 2019 MoF contributed a small amount of funding (+/-$35,000) that the Rocky Mountain District Range Officer was able to direct to support GREP funded projects. In late 2019 Managers from CBT and KLA Directors met with MoF District and Regional Managers, to discuss an increased commitment from MoF to supporting the projects recommended and approved by the GREP committees. The Province agreed to provide $150,000/year for GREP 4 (2020-2023) through a Shared Cost Arrangement. The SCA was administered by KLA and allowed GREP to plan projects with greater certainty.

Since the initial pilot program in 2010, CBT has contributed almost $4 million to the many valuable projects GREP has delivered throughout the region where GREP operates (within the boundaries of the CBT operating area (the Basin) roughly described as from Valemount SW to Rossland, then East along the Canada-US border, then North along the BC-Alberta boundary meeting at Valemount again). Given the criteria identified in Paragraph #4 the vast majority of projects have occurred in the Rocky Mountain Forest District, although projects meeting the parameters are welcome from anywhere in the Basin.

During that same period ranchers and other proponents that meet CBT criteria for eligibility (eg community groups, environmental organizations, researchers) have provided over $1.3 million in cash and in kind (equipment and labour) to GREP projects.

Leveraged funding (including from MoF) has come from organizations such as the BC Cattleman’s Association, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators Program (CESI) , Invest Ag, Canfor, Trans Canada Pipelines, Rocky Mountain Trench Natural Resource Society (RMTNRS), Koocanusa Recreation Steering Committee, Wildfire Risk Reduction, Wildsight, South Star Trails Recreation Committee . These contributions have totaled over $1.4 million.

GREP has established a very good working relationship with the local Indigenous groups and routinely funds a Preliminary Field Reconnaissance (PFR) where work may impact archaeological sites important to First Nations. Liaison also occurs after projects are in the construction stage to gather input from Indigenous advisors, such as adjusting fences to better facilitate wildlife crossing.

As can be clearly seen by the diversity of funders, GREP projects are designed to provide multiple benefits on the landscape. Fences help contain cattle within a pasture ensuring that other range, such as ungulate winter range is retained for elk and deer when needed during a critical time. Not to mention that well managed rangelands help ensure new palatable growth returns each spring and again supplies an early need for ungulates. GREP has worked proactively with funders such as CESI to refurbish and re-seed older domestic seeded areas to improve the grazing opportunity in those pastures. GREP has also focused on delivering projects that address multiple values on the landscape including Ecosystem Restoration, riparian area restoration and protection and eradication of invasive species.

The program has also embraced innovative projects such as teaching cattle to eat invasive species (knapweed), working with the BC Cattleman’s Association on a leading edge project to use electronic collars on cattle that could potentially negate the need for fences, taking advantage of cattle grazing close to communities to reduce the potential for wildfire spread, developed bump to pass gates that allow horseback riders and ATV/UTV riders to access pastures without having to get off their conveyances while still ensuring the gate is closed and Zero Ground Disturbance portable cattleguards that can be installed at a moment's notice without disturbing the soil.