The Osoyoos Desert Society kicks off its four-part Winter Program Series on Feb. 3 with a documentary film about grasslands, one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems.
“I’m really excited about all of them,” said Michelle Stanley, education co-ordinator for the society, who put the programs together. “They all have unique information and I think they’re all really stars this year.”
The series runs on selected Saturdays until March 24 and other topics include bears, climate change and the perils faced by bees.
Programs run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Watermark Beach Resort.
The opening film, titled Grasslands, is a documentary exploring the natural habitat of the mixed grass prairie from the perspective of ranchers, conservationists and aboriginal people.
Stanley said the film is based in Saskatchewan, but it will touch on information relevant to the South Okanagan grasslands.
“I think it’s going to be pretty relatable to our area, as well as to a lot of our attendees,” said Stanley, noting that many snowbirds from the prairies typically attend this series.
After the film, Lauren Meads, executive director of the Burrowing Owl Society, will show Pluto, an education burrowing owl.
The second program on Feb. 17 features the documentary Spirit Bear Family, which looks at B.C.’s Great Bear Rainforest and the Kermode or Spirit Bear.
These white-furred black bears are relatively rare, though one in 10 black bears carries this gene, said Stanley.
“We can get quite a variety of colours (of black bears) and I think that’s where some of the confusion comes with saying ‘black bear,’” she said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to be black.”
The speaker, Tom Saare, an instructor with British Columbia Institute of Technology’s Fish, Wildlife and Recreation program will share his expertise on bears and bear safety afterwards.
Stanley notes there are bears around Osoyoos and it’s good for people to have a refresher about preventing bear problems and being safe around bears.
The third program on March 10 will screen the film An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, a 2017 follow-up to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 documentary about global climate change.
A decade later, this film shows how close we are to a real energy revolution. It follows Gore as he continues his campaign, travelling the world to train climate champions and influencing climate policy.
There is no speaker for this program, but there will be action packages given out after the film, along with a chance to win an energy-saving gift basket.
Stanley said there are many opportunities for people to make simple changes that will reduce their energy footprint.
The last program in the series is March 24 and it features a documentary about why honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet.
Stanley said there are numerous bee farmers and people with personal hives in this area. Bees as pollinators play an important role not just for orchards, but for all our food.
The film will be followed with a talk by Nancy Holms of the University of British Columbia and Border Free Bees about Kelowna’s nectar trail and how each of us can help bees.
Admission to the presentations is by donation.
For more information, contact the Osoyoos Desert Society at [email protected] or at 250-495-2470. The society’s website is www.desert.org.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
