The Moyie Volunteer Fire Department has partnered with the Trust to boost its wildfire preparedness and response capability. Supports including the purchase of firefighting equipment and gear, along with fire suppression and safety training for its volunteer members. The department, that will be activated only when there are no available BC Wildfire Service crews or contract crews available, will help build community resilience in the face of wildfire risk. Source: Columbia Basin Trust
Communities in the East Kootenay are gearing up for wildfire season with help from Columbia Basin Trust.
In the Moyie area, roughly 30 kilometres south of Cranbrook, the Trust is supporting community-led fire prevention efforts. The local Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) has invested in personal protective gear and wildfire equipment, including a water trailer, coveralls and pumps.
“One of our goals is to purchase locally as much as possible,” says Moyie VFD Administrator Bill Sanderman. “We’ve sourced most of our equipment through local suppliers in Cranbrook.”
The on-call department is now focusing on training. Twelve members are enrolled in the S100 wildfire training program, while others are taking incident command courses and wilderness first aid.
“When we first started as a volunteer fire brigade in 2009, we kept hearing how hard it would be to get volunteers to support us financially and with their time,” he says. “What we found was exactly the opposite. The community has supported us one hundred percent.”
The Trust is helping to support ecological restoration and wildfire mitigation for the Lot 48 Conservation Area on the east side of Columbia Lake. A place of deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Ktunaxa Nation, the Trust is partnering with the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation to support tree thinning this year that will prepare the area for a carefully planned, low-intensity and prescribed fire treatment in 2026. Source: Columbia Basin Trust
On the east side of Columbia Lake, just north of the village of Canal Flats, a five-year ecological project is underway on the Lot 48 Conservation Area. The Trust is working with Ktunaxa Nation Council and ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation to focus on restoring culturally important grasslands in the 127-hectare area.
“The east side of Columbia Lake has always been important to us, so it’s a good place to collaborate on meaningful projects like this,” says Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxa Nation Council Chair. “This work brings traditional Ktunaxa burning practices back to the land.”
Tree-thinning work has started in preparation for a low-intensity prescribed fire in 2026, thanks to a partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation-owned Seven Feathers Contracting. After over a century of suppression, the burn will help maintain ecological balance and cultural function.
“This project demonstrates the Ktunaxa Nation’s commitment to protecting our ancestral and cultural landscapes,” says Teneese. “But it also serves as a template for future restoration work, including potential efforts within adjacent lands.”
More information on these local priorities is available through the Columbia Basin Trust website.
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