Residents and visitors are invited to join Wildsight Golden and the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project (UCSHEP) for a Barn Swallow Awareness Day at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
This family-friendly event will provide a unique opportunity to learn about swallows, their remarkable migrations, and the conservation efforts underway to help recover at-risk swallow populations in the Columbia Valley.
Event Schedule:
• 9:30 am – 10:30 am – Guided Swallow Walk
Join project biologist Rachel Darvill and naturalist Verena Shaw for a guided walk around Kicking Horse Mountain Resort to observe Barn and Cliff Swallows and learn about their biology, techniques for ID and local swallow conservation initiatives.
• 10:30 am – 12:00 pm – Swallow Treasure Hunt
A fun and educational activity for children and families.
• 10:30 am – 1:00 pm – Swallow Information Booth
Visit the Wildsight Golden booth to learn about local swallow species, conservation initiatives, and ways that residents can help protect swallow habitat.
This Barn Swallow Awareness Day highlights an ongoing partnership between Kicking Horse Mountain Resort and the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project. For the past six years, the resort has worked closely with project biologists to promote coexistence with swallows, particularly the Barn Swallow, a species listed as Threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort hosts what is believed to be the largest active Barn Swallow colony currently known in the Columbia Valley, between Canal Flats and Kinbasket Reservoir. Through collaboration with the resort, the colony has been successfully protected while allowing resort operations and recreation activities to continue.
“Barn Swallows have adapted to nest on human-made structures, making partnerships with businesses and property owners critical to their recovery,” says Rachel Darvill, RPBio, Principal Consultant with Goldeneye Ecological Services and Project Biologist for the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project. “Kicking Horse Mountain Resort has demonstrated how wildlife conservation and tourism can successfully coexist.”
The Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project, launched in 2021, was created to help halt and reverse significant population declines of Bank Swallows and Barn Swallows. Since then, the project has become one of the most comprehensive swallow conservation initiatives in British Columbia.
Major accomplishments of the project include:
• Enhancing or restoring swallow habitat at 29 sites throughout the Columbia Valley.
• Documenting more than 129 Bank Swallow colonies and nearly 70 Barn Swallow breeding locations.
• Installing multiple artificial nesting structures for Barn Swallows and the first artificial Bank Swallow nesting structure of its kind in western Canada.
• Installing more than 100 Barn Swallow nest cups to support breeding birds.
• Establishing a regional Motus Wildlife Tracking System network and tagging 100 Bank Swallows to better understand migration routes and wintering areas.
• Engaging hundreds of volunteers and community members in swallow monitoring, stewardship, and conservation.
• Helping identify critical habitat for swallows in the Columbia Valley and supporting long-term conservation planning.
Swallows are among Canada’s most effective natural insect controllers, with a single Barn Swallow capable of consuming hundreds of flying insects each day. Despite their ecological importance, both Barn Swallows and Bank Swallows have experienced significant population declines over recent decades.
Barn Swallow Awareness Day at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort offers an opportunity for people of all ages to discover these fascinating birds and learn how local conservation actions are helping to secure their future.
Administered by Wildsight Golden and developed and managed by Goldeneye Ecological Services, the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project brings together government agencies, Indigenous communities, conservation organizations, landowners, industry partners, and volunteers to conserve swallow populations throughout the Columbia Valley. The project was managed and delivered with financial support from the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program and Columbia Basin Trust’s Ecosystem Enhancement Program.
For more information about the event, visit Kicking Horse Mountain Resort or the Upper Columbia Swallow Habitat Enhancement Project webpage.
