Fernie is in the Elk Valley in southeastern BC within the Front Ranges of the Rocky Mountains, specifically the Jurassic Fernie Formation. The weather in Fernie is influenced by Pacific low-pressure and Arctic high-pressure systems (Friebe, 2024). Prevailing winds from the south and unimpeded Pacific systems bring a lot of precipitation to the area. The biogeoclimatic zone is Interior Cedar Hemlock (MacKillop et al., 2018).

The Ktunaxa People have lived in this region for over 10,000 years and seasonally migrated across the land, following vegetation and hunting cycles (Ktunaxa Nation, 2023). They relied on the land for food, medicine, clothing, and materials to build shelter. Their first encounter with European settlers in the late 1700s greatly influenced their use of the land and resources. Horses were introduced into their culture and the fur trade increased their trapping activities (McCormack, 2021). The Canadian Pacific Railroad was built through Fernie in 1898, marking the beginning of its permanent settlement and coal mining industry (Fernie Museum, 2024). Today, the Elk Valley’s economy is primarily forestry, coal mining, and tourism (Elk Valley Economic Initiative, 2022). With a population of about 5,000, Fernie has experienced rapid growth in the last decade.

The cumulative effects of mining, logging, municipal developments, and recreation have significantly impacted the environment. These disturbances have resulted in selenium toxicity in watercourses downstream of mining operations, landscape fragmentation, disturbance to species at risk habitats, and colonization of invasive species. Rare and endangered species around Fernie include painted turtles, whitebark pines, American badgers, great blue herons, and Lewis’s woodpeckers (B.C. Conservation Data Centre, 2024). Fortunately, environmental initiatives by non-profit organizations, stakeholder groups, the municipal district, industries, and concerned citizens help to mitigate ecosystem degradation and raise conservation literacy. Measures to minimize adverse impacts from resource extraction occur on a higher level of government through the BC Private Managed Forest Land Act, Forest and Range Practices Act, Fisheries Act, the B.C. Waste Management Act, the B.C. Mines Act, the B.C. and Canadian Environmental Assessment Acts, the Species at Risk Act section 58(1), and the Coal Mining Effluent Regulations.

The Elk River Alliance is a community-based water group that connects people to the Elk River using science, education, and community collaboration to ensure sustainable stewardship of the Elk River watershed (ERA, 2022). The non-profit organization has implemented many riparian restoration projects including wetland enhancements, bioengineering for riverbank stability, and shoreline cleanups. Each year, they host educational camps to teach children about the importance of healthy watersheds. They also provide opportunities for locals to learn citizen science through water quality monitoring on tributaries of the Elk River. I am proud to be on the board of such a passionate organization.

Fernie has a long history of flooding and the Annex residential area is particularly vulnerable to flood damage due to its low elevation and proximity to the Elk River. An attack dike and a set-back dike were built in the 1980s as flood mitigation measures to protect infrastructure. The City of Fernie then developed a park with a storm-water retention pond on the land between the two dikes. This pond, known as the Annex Pond, improves the quality of the residential runoff before it flows into the Elk River. Fernie residents have enhanced the pond’s function by revegetating riparian zones with native plants, pulling invasive weeds, and installing beaver fencing around cottonwood trees. Students installed interpretive signs to raise awareness about wetland values and connect with the community through a shared conservation project. I contributed to this project by teaching a wetland keepers course to the high school students who planted seedlings in the park.

The City of Fernie has many bylaws, plans, and policies to protect the environment. The Gifts for Parks program promotes restoration opportunities for community volunteers to reconnect with nature (CoF, 2016). The Pesticide Use Control bylaw restricts the use of pesticides and herbicides (The Corporation of the City of Fernie [CoF], 2018). Several policies are included in Fernie’s Official Community Plan (CoF, 2019). For example, Parks supports the development and management of local parks. Environmentally Sensitive Areas protects natural systems that support biodiversity, such as watersheds, riparian areas, aquatic habitats, mature and old-growth forests, wildlife corridors, and habitats of red and blue-listed species. Wildlife and Wildlife Corridors aims to reconnect sensitive areas through habitat and biodiversity corridors and greenway connectors. Aquatic Habitats and Water Quality protects aquatic systems, fish habitat, Fernie’s potable water source, and watercourse connectivity. Urban Forest supports stewardship and protection of urban forests and mature trees. Incentives to restore forest habitats and old-growth trees in Fernie include caging cottonwood trees for protection from beavers and community stewardship of a local old-growth cottonwood forest. Viewscapes is a similar policy that aims to maximize tree coverage and natural vegetation. Stormwater requires new developments to ensure runoff is managed to mitigate adverse effects downstream, such as turbidity. Fernie has a floating wetland island on a local lake to trap sediment, filter pollutants and take up excess nutrients from the nearby golf course (Stahn, 2021). The floating wetland grows cattails and sedges to help purify the water before it flows into the Elk River. Land Use Designations includes Parks, Natural Open Space, and Forest Reserve policies which aim to establish a network of parks, trails, and natural areas; support the preservation of natural spaces; and encourage landowners to maintain public access to trails. Due to Fernie’s valley landscape, a Steep Slopes policy specifies natural vegetation on slopes should be retained to prevent erosion, vegetation at the toe of slopes should be maintained to filter and absorb water, development should minimize alterations to steep slopes, designs should avoid retaining walls or retaining structures, planting should incorporate native species, and landscaping should be designed to shed water away from steep slopes. Fernie also has a local farmer’s market, composting program, and community gardens.

References

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. (2024). BC species and ecosystems explorer. B.C. Ministry of Environment. https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/

Elk River Alliance. (2022). Working towards a healthy Elk River watershed. https://elkriveralliance.ca/

Elk Valley Economic Initiative. (2022). Elk Valley community profiles. https://theelkvalley.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Elk-Valley-Community-Profile.pdf

Fernie Museum. (2024). Fernie history. https://ferniemuseum.com/collections-research/fernie-history/

Friebe, D. (2024, February 29). Fernie factor. Fernie Fix. https://www.ferniefix.com/article/health/fernie-factor

Ktunaxa Nation (2023). Annual report 2023. https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://www.ktunaxa.org/wp-content/uploads/KNC-2023-AGA-Report-ONLINE-Distribution-1.pdf&hl=en_US

MacKillop D, Ehman A, Iverson K, & McKenzie E. 2018. A field guide to ecosystem classification and identification for Southeast British Columbia: the East Kootenay. Victoria (BC): Crown Publications. https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/pubs/docs/lmh/LMH71.pdf

McCormack, R. (2021, June 30). Exploring the past of the Ktunaxa for Indigenous history month. My Kootenay Now. https://www.mykootenaynow.com/42771/news/exploring-the-past-of-the-ktunaxa-for-indigenous-history-month/

The Corporation of the City of Fernie. (2016, May 27). Gifts for parks program. https://fernie.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/183/?preview=9143

The Corporation of the City of Fernie. (2018, November 9). Pesticide use control bylaw. https://fernie.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/564/?preview=1260

The Corporation of the City of Fernie. (2019, January 25). Official community plan. https://fernie.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/19401/

Stahn, M. (2021). Fernie’s floating wetlands address community stormwater pollution. Healthy Watersheds Initiative. https://healthywatersheds.ca/project-stories/fernies-floating-wetlands-address-community-stormwater-pollution/