Replanting More than Divots

Ecological Restoration at a Golf Course in the South Okanagan, British Columbia

Abstract

The antelope brush (Purshia tridentata) ecosystem of the south Okanagan valley is a very rare and special place. It is one of Canada's most endangered ecosystems (Schluter et al 1995), and by 2001 less than 40% of its historic range remained (Dyer and Lea 2003). Developmental pressures are intense in the south Okanagan, and 87% of the remaining antelope-brush - needle-and-thread grass (Stipa comata) plant community, the plant community making up the majority of the Okanagan antelope­brush ecosystem, is found on private land or Indian Reserve (ibid).

The survival of the antelope-brush communities found in the south Okanagan rests largely with private landowners who possess sections of the antelope-brush ecosystem. The Osoyoos Golf and Country Club is one such landowner and has decided to conduct restoration to mitigate the impacts of a recent golf course expansion into the antelope-brush habitat.

The Osoyoos Desert Society provided the expertise and labor for the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club restoration and is conducting a monitoring program on restored areas. By re-seeding and planting the restoration areas with native species, and managing weeds, both partners in this restoration hope to restore habitat to many of the endangered species found in or around the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club land, to learn from successes and failures, and to engage the public in caring for the antelope­brush ecosystem.