Lead organization: Kootenay Native Plant Society

Record Ridge is a stunning grassland ecosystem close to Rossland, BC teeming with wild plants so varied that it defies traditional ecosystem mapping. It is a place unlike any other in British Columbia: greater than the sum of its parts.

Record Ridge is a beloved local trail, and a habitat for several endangered plants, which is vulnerable to development for mining. Review processes are ongoing.

On June 13, 2026, participants will be led on a hike through Record Ridge by botanist and photographer Iraleigh Anderson. During the hike, participants are encouraged to bring along their cell phones and cameras to take photographs and capture all of the beautiful wildflowers of that area. Within the week prior to the hike, Iraleigh will present a free online course outlining general and macro photography skills, and the use of cell phone cameras in particular to get close in to beautiful plants. The native plant society has purchased several macro lenses for use with cell phone cameras, and these will be available during the hike for people to use and experiment with.

Participants should look for registration details online at the Kootenay Native Plant Society Facebook page. These will be posted in May. Registration will be through Zeffy and can be searched this way as well under Kootenay Native Plant Society. The hike is offered at no cost to participants as is the pre-hike online photography course; donations are gratefully accepted to help cover costs. Must pre-register.