Healthy farms need healthy habitat.
The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society works with local residents and land managers to care for important natural areas in the Okanagan and Similkameen. Their work supports conservation, restoration, and wildlife habitat stewardship on private lands and within communities.
About the Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship helps landowners care for wildlife habitat while keeping working lands productive. Their support can include:
- Habitat assessments and tailored reports prepared by local biologists
- Best management practices and management plans for living and working alongside wildlife
- Help planning and delivering habitat projects, such as native plant enhancement, shoreline fencing, and invasive plant management
- Community collaboration on conservation, restoration, and habitat enhancement projects
A case for stewardship
The Okanagan Similkameen is famous for its landscapes, wildlife, recreation, vineyards, and agriculture. It is also one of Canada’s most endangered natural systems, with high species diversity and many species at risk. Stewardship matters because land use change, habitat fragmentation, invasive species, pollution, and climate impacts can reduce the natural spaces that native plants and animals depend on. 
Because a significant share of the region’s land is privately owned and managed, voluntary stewardship on working farms, ranches, and vineyards plays a key role in protecting connected habitat. 
Wildlife habitat stewards initiative
Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship partners with “Wildlife Habitat Stewards,” which are voluntary caretakers of important habitat on owned or managed land. The program is designed to be practical. Being a steward does not mean you stop using your land. It means you keep your land use while applying best practices that support wildlife. Fresh Valley Farms is a registered Wildlife Habitat Steward with OSS.
Why Fresh Valley Farms partners with OSS
Fresh Valley Farms values land care that works in real life. Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship helps farms protect habitat, reduce conflict with wildlife, and improve ecological health without losing the ability to farm. That mix of practical support and long-term stewardship fits our values.