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Shuswap Climate Action Society
supporting community knowledge and solutions
Lose the Lawn - Rewilding Your Yard
Turn this...
Into this...
The webinar series "Lose the Lawn: Rewilding Your Yard" and resources provided here are aimed at helping homeowners create a drought resistant, eco-friendly and climate resilient landscape.
We thank all our presenters Keli Westgate of Lekker Land Design, Sigrie Kendrick, the Executive Director of the Okanagan Xeriscape Association , Sarah Johnson, a local ecologist, bee expert and founder of the Native Bee Society of BC, and Mikaela Cannon, author of "Foraging as a Way of Life" for their expert assistance putting this project together.
We also thank the City of Salmon Arm for their generous financial support!
The recording of our first "Lose the Lawn" webinar held on October 18, 2023, with Keli Westgate of Lekker Land Design, can be viewed by following the link below.
The recording the second "Lose the Lawn" in our webinar series, held on Feb 21, 2024 featuring Sigrie Kendrick from the Okanagan Xeriscape Association can be viewed by clicking on the link below!
The recording of our third "Lose the Lawn" webinar "Plan Bee for Your Lawn: Tips for Supporting Plants and Pollinators" held on March 20, 2024, with Sarah Johnson, bee ecologist, can be viewed by following the link below.
The recording of our fourth "Lose the Lawn" webinar "Rewilding Your Yard and Your Dinner Plate - Bringing the Wild into Your Yard, Your Diet and Your Heart held on April 2, 2024, with Mikaela Cannon, farmer, and author with extensive knowledge of the uses of native plants.
And.... Congratulations to Larissa Image, the lucky webinar participant who won a signed copy of Mikaela's book "Foraging as a Way of Life: A Year-Round Field Guide to Wild Plants".
Resources to Help the Rewilding Process
As we find more resources we will continue to add them here!
Online Resources
If you are looking for online resources with an extensive plant database of waterwise plants, go to the Okanagan Xeriscape Association (OXA) website. You will also find information about xeriscaping techniques, lists of plant suited to our region, local events, links to other websites and books. You can support OXA's efforts by becoming a member giving you access to special deals at local nurseries, and OXA events.
The magazine Rewilding published a great article on rewilding your yard, including the benefits and sometimes the challenges you might face if municipal bylaws are overly restrictive and regressive. We believe our local governments in the Interior of BC are aligned with efforts to reduce water use, improve urban biodiversity and protect pollinators.
They also provide six tips for rewilding your yard in this article.
The David Suzuki Foundation has lots of information on native plants and how they help our critically important native pollinators, including guides and advice for your specific region in BC.
The BC Farms and Food website offers advice on growing a climate-resilient garden in this article including strategies to improve soil and ecological health.
The Native Bee Society of BC has a great resources page on their website that is specifically identifying native plants that attract BC's bees and are also great for gardeners!
Resource Books
Interesting Documentary Films and Videos
"Kiss the Ground" is a great film available on Netflix or see their website for more information on how to access a showing.
"Garbage Warrior" tells the epic story of maverick architect Michael Reynolds, his crew of renegade house builders from New Mexico and their fight to introduce radically different ways of living.
Watch the CWF webinar with Kristen Miskelly, biologist and owner of a native plant nursery and consulting business in Victoria BC, shares rewilding design principles for home gardens.
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