Aquatic Riparian Areas and Local Fisheries Information

Part 2 of the RDKB Riparian Areas discussion. Fisheries Biologist Natasha Lukey, Okanagan Nation Alliance, focuses on the aquatic components of riparian areas and protection and the organisms that rely on this land/water interaction; while Eric Hegerat, Fisheries Biologist from FLNRORD, speaks to the local Boundary region fisheries and aquatic invasive species.

A bit about Natasha and Eric:

Natasha Lukey: Natasha moved to the Syilx (Okanagan) Territory in 2006 to pursue a Bachelor of Science, Major in Ecology and Evolution from the University of British Columbia. She then graduated in 2016 with a Master of Environmental Studies at University of Waterloo. She worked as a Stewardship Technician for Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society from 2012 – 2014, then revisited the Society as a Board Member in 2019. Natasha has been employed with the Okanagan Nation Alliance since 2014 as a Fisheries Habitat Restoration Biologist. Although she has worked with a variety of Okanagan habitats and species, her focus and love is with wetlands and amphibians. She’s specifically dedicated to restoring the Okanagan River/floodplain system, bringing back this amazing river ecosystem’s capacity for providing food, shelter, and high quality of life for people and wildlife alike.

Eric Hegerat: Eric is a fisheries biologist with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, in the Okanagan Region. He began his career in natural resource management as a conservation officer with Alberta Parks, before becoming a biologist with Alberta Fish and Wildlife where he focused on walleye stock management and lake sturgeon population modelling. Relocating to the Okanagan in 2013, Eric currently works on a wide diversity of fisheries management issues, including rainbow trout and kokanee stock management, aquatic invasive species, and dam management.