On-Farm Field Days
At ERC’s certified organic educational demonstration farm, orchard and apiary we go ‘beyond' the certified organic standard, creating thriving farm ecosystems. The certified organic standard is fantastic which is why we certified the entire ERC demonstration farm. However, at ERC we love to geek out! We apply cutting-edge outside-the-box gardening approaches to adapt to climate change and improve the environment while feeding the future of all our diverse community members, be they winged, web-footed, finned or human alike!
2025 Spring Summer & Fall Field Days
This three-part field day series at Elk Root Conservation’s Educational Demonstration Farm compliments ERC’s Climate Clever Gardener Webinar Series. Attending the Climate Clever Gardener Webinar Series in advance of these field days is highly recommended.
Join instructor Kate Mizenka, the creator of the Sustainable Apiary Model and the Habitat Restoration, Farm & Apiary Director at Elk Root Conservation, to learn tips and tools that will transform your gardens.
Price: $30 per field day
Beginner Beekeeping Field Days
Join Axel Krause, President of the West Kootenay Beekeepers, and the Ministry of Agriculture Apiary Inspector for the Central Kootenay and Kootenay Boundary Regions for this must have, hands-on experience for beginner beekeepers. Learn everything you need to know about keeping bees throughout your first year. Field Day sessions can also be attended individually by people interested in bees or for established beekeepers wanting to brush up on a certain topic.
Kate Mizenka, ERC’s Habitat Restoration, Farm & Apiary Director will also pop-in on some of the field days to share all about native bees, best management practices from the Sustainable Apiary Model (SAM), and organic beekeeping.
NOTE: The field days below complement the in-classroom Beginner Beekeeping Course offered by Axel through the Selkirk College in February 2025.
Price: $40 + GST per Field Day
Field Day 1 April 27, 2025 | 10:00am-3:00pm Spring Assessment & Checking for Disease
How healthy and strong is your beehive coming out of winter? What can you do to help them along? Checking and treating for Nosema, Varroa, and brood diseases. Price: $40 + GST
Field Day 2 May 25, 2025 | 10:00am-3:00pm Getting Bees
Ways to get bees; packages, “nucs”, complete hives, and swarms. Installing a nuc or package of bees into a hive. PLUS: ERC’s SAM - be your own bee breeder. Never buy bees again! Price: $40 + GST
Field Day 3 June 15, 2025 | 10:00am-3:00pm Swarms, Summer Management for Honey Flow
Catching a swarm of bees and getting them into a hive. Building and using bait boxes to catch swarms. Checker-boarding to relieve brood nest congestion, possible summer swarming. Providing space for honey flow. Price: $40 + GST
Field Day 4 August 17, 2025 | 10:00am-3:00pm Swarms, Summer Management for Honey Flow
Getting honey out of the hive safely. Liquid honey, comb honey, cut comb honey, creamed honey. Liquid honey with or without an extractor. PLUS: ERC’s SAM: bee wellness - leave enough honey for your winter bees to eat! Price: $40 + GST
Field Day 5 September 28, 2025 | 10:00am-3:00pm Preparing for Winter
Fall disease treatment, conventional fall feeding. Preparing for cold, wind, snow, and condensation. PLUS: ERC’s SAM - sugar water-free feeding, consolidating for winter, fall varroa mite management. Price: $40 + GST
Consultation by Donation
Do you have questions about stewarding your land? Interested in planting native species but not sure which are best suited to your property? We’ve been getting so many questions and more complex inquiries that we cannot answer with a simple email or phone call. So in order to give more in-depth questions the time and support they deserve, we have created ERC’s Consultation by Donation service! This service is highly flexible and is tailored to each individual’s vision for their property. We are all about “outside-the-box” thinking and welcome your suggestions so that you can get the most out of your experience.
If you have any inquiries or are looking for support on a project, reach out to us at: elkrootconservation@gmail.com
Hands-on Community Growing
This exciting offering invites community organizations supporting at-risk members to apply for dedicated garden plots in our Regenerative Educational Community Food Garden. Our team will assist participants with choosing crops, starting seeds, caring for plants, and harvesting produce. To ensure convenience and flexibility, we collaborate with each organization to set dedicated days and times for garden visits. Even when you can’t be present, our team will be there to tend to your plots, ensuring that your hard work doesn’t go to waste. Food from these plots will support ERC’s Community Food Box Program, benefiting at-risk community members and dedicated volunteers.
The best part about growing your own food is being able to share it with your community and loved ones. From plant pots on a windowsill to acres of farmland, helping plants grow not only feeds the body, it nourishes souls.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting initiative! Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team at elkrootconservation@gmail.com
Internships & Volunteering
Youth Internships
Elk Root Conservation offers internships for those 30 & under to contribute to our vision through getting your hands dirty (literally) or remotely assisting with various projects. Internships are a great place to learn about environmental conservation AND build skills for the future. Interns learn alongside experts in the gardens receiving daily mentorship and learning cutting edge beyond-organic techniques.
During the week, interns work on various projects with our team learning all about regenerative, beyond organic farming and environmental land stewardship.
So, do you love being in nature and working on your green thumb all the while positively impacting the environment? Or maybe you’re interested in learning the inner-workings of a not-for-profit and working alongside our Directors developing new projects?
Consider signing up for the Elk Root mailing list to be automatically notified about new internship opportunities.
“I was able to apply theories that I learned in university into a practical context while learning from highly experienced mentors. My internship was tailored to meet my learning goals, and I was able to spend lots of time getting hands-on experience with beekeeping. Since I had such a positive experience, I am returning in 2022 to continue working with Elk Root!”
-Mya, Summer 2021 Intern
Senior’s Gardening Days!
Do you enjoy working outdoors, gardening and all the while helping to preserve nature and maintaining a food source for bees? Maybe you are daunted by the physical aspect of gardening. Consider participating in Senior’s Gardening Days at Elk Root Conservation Farm!
Senior’s Gardening Days cater to seniors who are looking to be out in the garden but have concerns about some of the physical aspects of gardening. No worries! Members of our team live with brain injury, spinal degeneration and are full of tips and tricks to make gardening accessible to all and easier on the body.
This is a great opportunity where you can both contribute your skills and pick up new ones while working alongside our experienced mentors and interns to help preserve and restore habitats. If you have something specific in mind, let us know! We always love extra volunteer hands maintaining the gardens and working on projects, especially during the busy summer months.
If you have time to spare, a passion for the outdoors and a desire to help preserve the environment , don’t hesitate to contact us by email.