Upper Nicola Band takes a lead in endangered species recovery

As part of the Upper Nicola Band’s continuing stewardship to support endangered species, three pairs of burrowing owl will be re-introduced to the wilderness from the UNB Douglas Lake reserve next week.

The April 22nd event, in conjunction with Earth Day 2026, marks the tenth anniversary of the UNB’s Burrowing Owl Reintroduction Program with organizers saying the program has exceeding all expectations since beginning in 2016, and has been a major part of successful Burrowing Owl recovery in British Columbia.

The burrowing owl is one of 16-species of owls that live or migrate to Canada, however in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia,  the owls are Endangered, Threatened, or a Species of Concern. Their population has plummeted by over 90% in the 1990s and continued to decline by another 64% between 2005 and 2015, leaving fewer than 1,000 pairs remaining.

In a press release on April 16, the Upper Nicola Band Chief and Council thanked the Government of Canada, the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of BC, and other partners, who helped the band bring back this species that is culturally and ecologically important for First Nations people.