Welcome to the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club
About the Central Okanagan Naturalists’ Club (CONC)
CONC is a naturalists’ club based in Kelowna, BC, part of the Central Okanagan. Please note that we are a group interested in birds, botany, cycling, hiking, and snowshoeing (in the appropriate seasons); we are not interested in running around naked.
CONC acknowledges our presence on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded land of the syilx/Okanagan people who have resided here since time immemorial. We recognize, honour, and respect the syilx/Okanagan lands upon which we live, work, and play.
We organize a variety of weekly activities (see calendar below) and hold monthly meetings (see below) featuring a presentation on a topic of interest to the club.
Update!
The Thomson Marsh Viewing Platform was officially opened on June 14, 2025.
(2026 03 26) Unfortunately, some vandals have broken the railings and the platform is closed for an uncertain time. This Castanet story provides details. https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/605278/City-of-Kelowna-closes-viewing-platform-at-Thomson-Marsh-after-vandalism
Join us!
Click for a PDF application form! Updated 2024 August 15 with new rates.
Additional membership information is available on the Information for Everyone page.
To participate in our in-person activities, you will be asked to sign an attendance sheet stating you are fully-vaccinated and have not been in recent contact with someone with COVID-19.
Details on the activities are in the calendar below and on pages devoted to each activity.
Next meeting: May 12, 2026 at Evangel Church, 7:00 p.m.
Topic: Avian Influenza
Presenter: Dave Jordens
About: Dave graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 1982 and was in private practice for four years. He then worked for the Federal government for 32 years in a department that had a number of names but ultimately was the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). His career involved import, export and disease control. He retired in 2017 but, if he had still been working, he may well have been involved with the ostrich situation at Edgewood. He had numerous experiences with disease control operations with various species and various diseases during his career with the government.
Dave will give a short overview of Avian Influenza, and an overview of the CFIA Disease Control Policy. He will discuss Depopulation vs Quarantine (isolation), and Biosecurity issues, while also referring to the Ostrich situation in Edgewood.
More details on this and other CONC meetings: Upcoming CONC meetings document.
Upcoming activities
The activities are listed in the calendar above.
Additional information on hikes/snowshoe/bicycle trips is on the Hiking page.
Additional information on birding trips is on the Birding page.
Friday botany trips in the spring (and occasionally in the fall) are described on the Botany page. Note that this information includes places you can visit on your own, along with species lists,
Monthly Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month, September through May, at 7:00 p.m., currently in person whenever possible and otherwise via Zoom, with a picnic in June and a potluck in January.
Latest newsletter
The latest newsletter (March 2026) has been published.
Other CONC activities
Many members participate in local, regional, and provincial bodies whose interests reflect the Club’s interests.
CONC is involved with December/January Christmas Bird Counts, the January Sweagle (swan and eagle) Count, the Johns Family Nature Conservancy Park Critter Count in May and the Okanagan Mountain Park Critter Count in June.
A 2020 activity was the Mission Creek Greenway Biodiversity Challenge organized by CONC in conjunction with the Friends of Mission Creek and Regional District Parks. How many species did naturalists find along the Greenway in 2020? The Challenge iNaturalist website is here.
CONC maintains a checklist of the approximately 8,000 species of fauna, flora, and funga that are confirmed or suspected to occur in the Regional District of the Central Okanagan (RDCO). The Checklist can be found at RDCOChecklist.info; check it out for details on the status of each species and send us any necessary corrections or additions.
A few members, active or retired professionals, produce scientific articles. Details are available on the About Us page.
More CONC information
Please use the menu system at the top of each page and its links to explore our different activities. To ask specific questions, use our info address: contact us.
Contact information:
Specific people on the executive.
The webmaster.
Last updated: 2026 04 15