Environmental History of Kelowna, BC, Canada
October 3, 2022 By: Rao Fu
Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada
I live in Kelowna, which is a city located on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The city name “Kelowna” derives from the Okanagan word “kiʔláwnaʔ”, referring to a male grizzly bear [1]. Kelowna is BC’s third-largest metropolitan area, which encompasses 2,904,86 km2 metropolitan area with an estimated population of 222,748. Settlement in the Okanagan Valley began over 12,000 years ago with the first nation Okanagan people who made their living by hunting, fishing, gathering, and trading [2]. In 1811. David Stuart travelled to the Okanagan Valley, becoming the first European to travel to this site. After 48 years, the European Oblate Missionaries Father Pandosy, Father Richard and Brother Surel arrived in the Okanagan in October 1859 and laid out the Kelowna region in 1892.
The Okanagan Valley is a long, north-south trench in the Interior Plateau of BC, which extents from the Columbia Plateau, in Washington State, to the drainage basin of the Columbia and Fraser River. The main Valley is occupied by the Okanagan Lake and Osoyoos Lake, which are the two biggest interior freshwater lakes in the Okanagan region. The Okanagan Lake was created when melting glaciers flooded the valley 10,000 years again. It acts as the main economic driver in Kelowna, which has provided Kelowna with abundant amount of water supply for daily usage, agricultural activities, and tourisms. The Okanagan Lake is also famous for a lake monster, called Ogopogo, which has been described as a serpentine creature with smooth dear skin with a large body thicker than a telephone pole and being up to 50 feet in length. Ogopogo has been observed and documented in several documentary movies and used as a symbol in commercial and media representation of the Okanagan region [1].
Kelowna is classified as a humid continental climate or an inland oceanic climate with an annual average temperature of between -5.0 and 30.0 degree Celsius. With dry, hot, and sunny summers and cool, cloudy winters, and four seasons, Kelowna has been ranked as the second mildest winter of any non-coastal city in Canada, after neighboring Penticton. The dry climate is caused by the moderating effects of Okanagan Lake combined with mountains separation of coastal moisture, which is why the valley plateau is exposed to the sun mostly in summer season. This has provided local farmers a great opportunity to develop winery business. Wineries such as Summer Hill and Mission Hill are the most famous wineries in Kelowna and has been ranked as the 6th most tasty ice wine production place in the world. In winter, the Arctic air masses can occasionally penetrate the valley, usually in a very short period, which could have an 89 mm of snowfall. The coldest recorded temperature in the city was -36.1 degrees Celsius recorded in 1968 [1].
Due to the special local climate features, the vegetation of Kelowna is dominated by Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, and Bluebunch wheat grass at lower elevation. At higher elevation mountainous region, the Western Larch, Western Red Cedar and Lodgepole Pine can be found more frequently. As natural resource is the primary driver of BC’s economic development, wood and timber industries are very active in BC. Coniferous trees, such as Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar and several other species have played an important role in industrial production [2]. Different tree species have different end uses and benefit various market. For an example, the cedar is straight grain, light, and water resistant, which makes it a good fit for roofing and siding. Due to overharvesting and forest fire of the forests, BC has lost 516 kha of tree cover, which not only threatens population of tree species, habitat for animals, and ambient air quality, but also greatly affects wood production. In order to solve these issues, BC has established sustainable forestry program to protect and harvest the forest resource more sustainably.
The earliest recorded invasive species in Kelowna were Cheatgrass and Canada Thistle. Cheatgrass, reported in Summerland in 1912, is currently the most widespread and common weed I the south Okanagan. The Cheatgrass invades disturbed areas and replacing the native bunchgrasses. Due to the increase of human activities and global trade, the Kelowna regions now tracks over 45 invasive species [3].
Kelowna is also a home to many urban wildlife, including bears, coyotes, deer, bobcats, cougars, marmots, and other species. With the growth of urban area and population, habitat, and natural food sources available for wildlife diminish, which is why we always encounter wildlife around the garbage bin. In BC alone, there are 782 plants and animals are sitting on the red list which is at risk, such as the Purple Martin and Black-Crowned Night Heron. For an example, due to habitat loss, development, and competition, the purple Martin population was down to only 10 breeding pairs by the 1980s [3]. The City of Kelowna has established many organizations to mitigate the impact of the wildlife population by urban activities and climate change, including programs in investing green infrastructure, ensure water quality and quantity, and protect natural habitats and watersheds.
Kelowna has also made great progress in wastewater and waste treatment. Prior to the mid-1970s, most municipal wastewater was treated by secondary processes to remove dissolved organic matter. The treated residuals were then discharged to the lakes or the Okanagan River channel, which caused large blooms of algae in Vernon, Penticton, and Kelowna in the late 1960s. With the new development of nutrient removal technologies in the 21st century, the treated residuals were no longer allowed to discharge to the freshwater bodies [4]. Instead, it must be treated and can be reuse in various applications, such as use as fertilizer and power production. As there are more green infrastructures installed and increasing awareness of climate change and global warming, I believe Kelowna’s sustainable strategies and development can make Kelowna a better city in future.
[1] https://www.kelownabc.com/kelowna/index.php
[3] https://www.kelownabc.com/kelowna/index.php
[4] https://www.obwb.ca/overview-grants/sfa/history/