Federal funding supports Indigenous-led South Okanagan rattlesnake study

Environment and Climate Change Canada is funding an Indigenous-led program at the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre to continue monitoring western rattlesnakes and study the effects of wildfire, climate change and habitat loss; the funding supports work through spring 2028.

The federal government has committed funding to an Indigenous-led research program at the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre in the South Okanagan. The program has studied western rattlesnakes since 2002 and partners with Thompson Rivers University. The new funding will support continued monitoring and expand research on wildfire, climate change and habitat loss. The 2021 wildfire burned more than 19,000 hectares and affected known den and birthing sites in the study area. Key facts: - The western rattlesnake is federally listed as Special Concern and provincially listed as vulnerable in British Columbia. - The Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre and partners have studied rattlesnakes near the Canada–U.S. border since 2002. - The 2021 wildfire burned a large portion of a 450-hectare study area and all known den and birthing locations reported by researchers. - Scientists have observed behavioral changes after the fire, including a sixfold increase in "den switching" and reduced, less direct movement by snakes. - The project is funded through Environment and Climate Change Canada's Indigenous Partnerships for Species at Risk program and is one of 19 Indigenous-led projects funded for 2025–2026. - The current funding runs to spring 2028 and includes hiring local youth as interpreters and field assistants; the program's longer-term funding is uncertain due to competitive grant processes. Summary: The funding will allow the long-running Indigenous-led program to continue field monitoring and broaden research to include other snake species such as the western yellow-bellied racer. Researchers plan to focus on how the 2021 wildfire, changing climate conditions and habitat loss affect den use, movement and reproductive sites. Funding is in place through spring 2028, and the program's future beyond that is undetermined at this time.