By ROY WOOD

Osoyoos town council will test the waters of public opinion before embarking on any commitment to a conservation fund aimed at protecting the environment.

Two weeks ago, a representative from the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program lobbied council to consider establishing a fund that would help protect “one of the most at risk areas of the province (where) natural areas and wildlife … are rare and endangered.”

Bryn White explained to council that conservation funds provide for “undertaking ecological activities” and are typically funded by local taxpayers and suggested an appropriate amount for a town like Osoyoos would be about $10 per year per household.

A report to council on Monday outlined several options, including moving the issue directly into upcoming 2016 budget discussions.

After little discussion, council on Monday adopted the administration’s recommendation to proceed to a “public engagement process … to assess public support for the development of local or regionally supported conservation fund.”

Mayor Sue McKortoff said, “This is a bit of a tricky issue because there is a significant amount of money (involved) … I agree there needs to be further consultation.”

Part of the public consultation will address whether such a conservation fund would be an initiative of the town alone or as part of a Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen effort.

Speaking to that issue, Councillor CJ Rhodes said that even though White’s presentation favoured a regional approach, “I think we’d get a better bang for our buck if we did it locally.”

In her presentation on November 2, Bryn said the types of projects eligible for funding would vary from region to region and that criteria would be specified in a program’s terms of reference. Among typical project types:

• Watershed and drinking water protection;
• Fish and wildlife habitat restoration;
• Parkland acquisition;
• Protection of endangered species; or
• Trails network development.