This week our selected photographer, Janice Braud, has snapped a surreal look at the BC Rocky Mountains range in Kootenay National Park, situated along the BC-Alberta border. Everything from the lurking clouds to the omniscient mountains makes this quite a dynamic scene. Janice displays the BC side of the Rocky Mountains and proves that it’s not only Albertans who get to enjoy this breathtaking view.

These wetlands are near Radium Hot Springs, a popular tourist destination for golfers, nature enthusiasts, and of course, mineral hot spring bathers.  The bathing pools offer a soothing soak without that unpleasant odour, often associated with hotsprings, caused by the work of anaerobic bacteria converting dissolved sulphur in the water into hydrogen sulphide. At the Radium Hot Springs,  hydrogen sulphide oxidizes in caves before reaching the springs.

In the West Kootenays, we’ll be hosting the fourth 2012 Wetlandkeepers course in Castlegar, as well as our first 2012 Map our Marshes workshop in Nelson (both held in early June). Thanks to all of our generous sponsors (i.e., Columbia Basin Trust, Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Wildlife Habitat Canada, Government of Canada and Government of BC), we’re offering these courses free of charge.  So on your way home from indulging in the hot springs, why not make detour and learn about how to manage and improve wetlands in the Kootenays! Click here for more information.

Thank you to Janice for this insightful image of the BC Rocky Mountains and Kootenay National Park! For more of Janice’s photography, please click here. If you would like to contribute to our collection of BC Wetlands photography, please click here for our Flickr page!