How shared vision and long-term partnership restored one of the Basin’s rarest ecosystems
At dawn, golden light spills across the balsamroot-covered grasslands of Wycliffe. The air is alive with birdsong, the rush of the St. Mary River, and the quiet movement of elk through the open forest. Beneath pine and fir covered ridges and beside clear, winding creeks, rare and threatened species find a safe place to live.
Spanning more than 1,400 hectares between Kimberley and Cranbrook, the Wycliffe Conservation Complex is one of the largest open-forest grassland ecosystems in the Columbia Basin. It shelters a wide range of at-risk plants, reptiles, birds and mammals across a rich mosaic of grasslands, wetlands and forested slopes. For grizzly bears, elk, white-tailed deer and countless others, this isn’t a stopover—it’s a vital habitat.
But Wycliffe wasn’t always a haven.
Just a few decades ago, the area was fragmented by multiple owners, shaped by past land use, and at risk of permanent loss. In British Columbia, grasslands cover less than one per cent of the land base, yet nearly one-third of the province’s at-risk species depend on them. That made Wycliffe, and its future, urgent.
“It was a matter of timing and shared purpose,” says Chris Bosman, Conservation Land Manager for The Nature Trust of BC. “This was a landscape worth saving, and a lot of people recognized that early on.”
BUILDING A CONSERVATION CORRIDOR
Efforts to conserve the Wycliffe landscape began in the late 1990s, when a small group of conservation partners, including Columbia Basin Trust, worked to acquire key parcels of former land use from Cominco (now Teck). The Trust provided early funding to help secure the first properties and has continued to support land acquisition and stewardship in the years since.
What began as a few isolated acquisitions evolved into a coordinated conservation effort. While the importance of the Wycliffe grasslands was mutually understood, The Nature Trust of BC, Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Province of BC each undertook projects independently to bring more of the area into conservation.
Initially each land-holding partner focused on restoring and stewarding their own parcels, addressing forest in-growth, encroachment, and the spread of invasive weeds that threatened Wycliffe’s sensitive grassland ecosystems. In 2017, the Trust launched its Ecosystem Enhancement Program to further support large-scale restoration across the Basin. Through this program, partners have worked together to collaboratively steward the Wycliffe Complex Corridor, restoring ecological connectivity for wildlife and supporting healthier, more resilient habitats.
What was once managed as separate holdings is now stewarded as a single ecological unit. Shared priorities, such as wetland and riparian restoration, invasive species removal, and forest thinning, are now tackled across the landscape in a coordinated approach.
A SHARED COMMITMENT TO STEWARDSHIP
The Trust’s approach has always been rooted in partnership: listening to community priorities, supporting local knowledge, and helping organizations access the resources they need.
“This landscape reflects what’s possible when local and regional groups work together over the long term,” says Krista Watts, Environment Lead at the Trust. “We’re proud to have played a supporting role in helping partners protect and care for this special place.”
That care isn’t just institutional, it’s deeply personal. In a region where most people live close to the land, a strong sense of responsibility unites residents, conservationists, governments and Indigenous groups alike.
“It’s a powerful example of how beauty, conservation efforts, and increasing wildlife populations can coexist,” says Hugh McLuckie, Wycliffe resident and owner of Pine Butte Ranch. “All while ensuring that the public feels welcome to enjoy and appreciate it.”
LOOKING AHEAD
Climate pressures are already reshaping ecosystems across the Basin—altering growing seasons, intensifying wildfire risk and stressing wildlife populations. In this context, Wycliffe offers hope.
“It’s a landscape that’s still functioning, still connected,” says Bosman. “And because of that, it can better adapt to change.” “In 50 to 100 years from now, people will really value the foresight it took to protect large areas between communities, places where people can still get outside and experience nature,” says Richard Klafki, Program Director for the Canadian Rockies at The Nature Conservancy of Canada.
As the work continues, Wycliffe remains a testament to what’s possible when purpose and partnership align: a once-vulnerable landscape now home to wildflowers, wildlife and the enduring spirit of community care.
