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Public Notification: Contractors will be conducting brushing work on Big Bear FSR this week (August 2-5). Please expect and respect all machinery along the FSR between 1km and 3km. Have a great long weekend.

Whether you're hiking, dirt biking, camping, or riding on horseback — knowing how to respond safely to a bear encounter is essential. Do you know how to use bear spray? Practice makes perfect — especially in the backcountry Join a free Bear Safety Workshop hosted by our local friends this August 6th from 7–9pm at West Creston Hall. Includes hands-on practice with inert bear spray — great for the whole family!

Since 2019, the Creston Community Forest honours the legacy of Ralph Moore by supporting local students as they pursue their post-secondary journeys through the Ralph Moore Memorial Bursary — and this year, we are thrilled to announce two outstanding recipients:  Ewan Gratton  Emma Lecompte These students impressed our Board with their strong academic records, thoughtful applications, and commitment to their education. The Ralph Moore Bursary, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, is awarded to students in the Central Kootenay region and the selection is made by our Board of Directors. Congratulations, Ewan and Emma — we enjoy supporting the community’s youth! Photos: Creston Community Forest Board Chairman, Tom Olenczuk, presenting the each student their bursary.

Letter to Creston Community: CCF - K3D CP 35 BLKS 23-24 COMMUNITY REFERRAL MAP CCF - K3D CP 35 BLKS 23-24 COMMUNITY REFERRAL ORTHO

We wanted to share a spectacular moment that Erich, Creston Community Forest’s TFT, captured while hiking Gliders' Point Trail . Mountain goats aren't often seen at this elevation, and what made this view even more remarkable is with Goat Mountain perfectly framed in the background. Hope you are all able to enjoy the trails, views, and time outside during Huckleberry season. Happy Sunday everyone.

Although contractors completed the harvesting stage of our wildfire risk reduction project on Goat Mountain/Arrow Creek, we will resume hauling July 14 - 18th, 2025. Goat Mountain/Arrow Mountain radio call instructions and channel. Safety is essential: Please be very cautious and aware of active operations while using the road. Follow all posted signage and use a radio, if possible. Expect disruptions and delays along the sections of road with active operations during work hours Monday to Friday. See the maps for the location: https://www.crestoncommunityforest.com/projects For more information please contact infoshare@crestoncf.com or 250-402-0070.

Erich Endersby (TFT) gathering data for CCF's 2025 silviculture surveys. Over the past 17 years, the Creston Community Forest (CCF) has planted approximately 2,057,226 trees, investing $1.1 million across 1,960 hectares. In addition to planting, are the silviculture surveys which tell us how an area is progressing after it has been logged and planted. A healthy seedling planted early 2025 This spring marked a significant milestone: for the first time in its 27 year tenure, the CCF caught up with its reforestation commitments. Moving forward, we now plan on an extensive review of our cutblocks to ensure these areas are continuing to establish successfully and remain on a healthy trajectory. CCF tree planters, the West Arm Silviculture crew. Reforestation is part of silviculture and one of three pillars guiding us forward. https://www.crestoncommunityforest.com/what-we-do Silviculture: 'The science and practice of overseeing the establishment, composition, structure and growth of forests and woodlands'. Proud forest manager, Daniel Gratton (R)

Through this pilot, Wildsight and partners, including Creston Community Forest (CCF), are exploring the feasibility of producing biochar from forestry waste. Biochar, a form of carbon-rich charcoal, can be used to enhance soil health and sequester carbon. It could be the solution to the ‘waste’ left behind from B.C. forestry operations if the methods are proven both feasible and economical. Not only would it add value to forestry operations, biochar would also support wildfire mitigation and a stronger agriculture sector. “The question we’re asking is: can this kind of circular economy — where waste from one sector becomes a resource for another — help rural communities thrive?” says Brianna Thompson, West Kootenay YCC Coordinator. The Youth Climate Corps (YCC) East and West Kootenay crews launched their season by joining forces on a wildfire risk reduction project that combined on-the-ground training with climate resilience work. The project took place on 3.1 hectares of Goat Mountain near Creston, B.C. — a mountainside that holds not only forest but homes, trails and powerlines, making it a high-priority site for wildfire mitigation, explains Angela French, planning and development supervisor for the Creston Community Forest (CCF). The Creston Community Forest manages more than 21,000 hectares of forest in the area, including a portion of Goat Mountain, whose history and location made it a prime location for the YCC project. After selective logging of this block in the early 2000s, explains Angela, many of the retained Douglas firs became infested with Douglas fir bark beetles. This endemic pest can help to create more open and diverse forests, but in this case the dead and dying trees that the beetles left in their wake posed a heightened wildfire risk too close to Creston for comfort. The Goat Mountain project is part of a broader Wildsight initiative to explore how rural communities can build economic resilience while responding to a changing climate. The work was funded by the Province of B.C.’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program and RBC Foundation, with the goal of supporting local economies while tackling urgent environmental challenges. Initial research, including interviews with local farmers and forestry experts, suggests multiple potential uses for biochar that extend beyond agriculture and include on-site forest and tree health benefits and many other applications including energy production, building materials and as a reclamation resource on contaminated sites. However, biochar quality varies greatly depending on how it is produced and all of those contacted highlighted the importance of regional research using biochar to find the most suitable benefit. For more information check out the feasibility report. The project demonstrates how combining climate action with economic opportunity has the potential to be a win-win for rural communities and their industries like Creston. For the full article and feasibility report, please click here: https://wildsight.ca/.../from-forest-waste-to-farm-resource/

Happy Canada Day! The Creston Community Forest (CCF) recently graded the entire length of the Mt. Thompson Forest Service Road. This will allow for much better vehicle access for any hiking enthusiasts wanting to visit the Thompson Rim/ Bonnie Lake Trails this coming long weekend. To help maintain the condition of this road, 4x4/ AWD vehicles are strongly recommended. The community forest was also recently provided with $45,000 of funding to replace all its trail signage which will be occurring this summer. Funding was awarded by the province as part of the Creston Valley Kootenay Lake Wayfinding Project overseen by the Economic Action Partnership. CCF trails needing maintenance will also be taking place over the next two weeks. Happy hiking and enjoy the trails!

Earlier this month the southern six community forests had their annual(ish) get together to review the Slocan wildfires and how they interacted with some of SIFCo’s fuel treatments over the years. This photo is of Enterprise Creek watershed where the wildfire started by lightning at the shore of the lake which then jumped the highway and burned the entire watershed, except for an old private land plantation (green area).  This meeting is always an amazing opportunity to connect with the other BCCFA forest managers in southern BC to build more understanding about what is happening in other areas and build upon what we can do in our community forests.

Mark it on your calendars, this Saturday is Bear Fair 2025 – A Community Celebration of Bear Awareness and Safety. Creston Valley Trails   presents the event – a free, all-ages event full of fun, food, games, and real talk about living alongside our wild neighbours. Sponsored by Yukon to Yellowstone Conservation Initiative and Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program. For all event details and featured highlights, please visit their event page by clicking his link: https://www.crestonvalleytrails.ca/event-details/creston-2025-bear-fair?fbclid=IwY2xjawLKWChleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFqa2VoRmd1aXdNeldwUXhjAR4owMOTUY7d55KV-fUmFwDV6Pq81ZPy1q-ooRPTz9ixM8chVZ_BwGJ5bbZznw_aem_2Ael2kK38yLzTJAy2_RvQA Because awareness is wildly important. Visit the event curious. Leave inspired.

Happy Father's Day. What a beautiful day to celebrate all the Dads! We encourage you to get outside and enjoy the views, the trails, the fishing and mostly time spent together. One of our trails is the THOMPSON RIM TRAIL. Here is the link to the Trails page on our website: https://www.crestoncommunityforest.com/thompson-rim-trail We are in the beginning process of reworking our Trails page and would very much enjoy your insight. What would you like to see on a hiking page? What are the features we should highlight? Would you be willing to share some photos with us to use? If we were to take photos, what areas of each trail would you like to see? Most of all today, we want to say Happy Father's Day and enjoy the time outside together!