Osoyoos Desert Centre

The best time to visit the Osoyoos Desert Centre in the South Okanagan is on a warm sunny day, when chances are best for any of the amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals to be out where you'll see them. At first glance, it doesn't look like much other than a desert field full of low growing, dead looking shrubs! But really there's a whole other world out there!

If you're out on a day trip, stop in here for an hour or so and take a walk around the centre. There's plenty of information about desert ecology, habitat restoration and conservation of endangered ecosystems in the South Okanagan. Learn about reptiles like the Great Basin Spadefood Toad, Wind Scorpions, Water and Biodiversity of the region, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, and Burrowing Owls, that the kids will especially enjoy!

Osoyoos BC, situated in the Sonora Desert region, is part of the Great-Basin Desert and experiences climate, vegitation and animal life markedly unique to the Okanagan Valley.

This area lies in the rainshadow of the Coast and Cascade Mountains, and the Okanagan grasslands region is generally hot and dry in summer. Hot, dry air from the south in summer brings higher temperatures to the south Okanagan and desert conditions.

About Our Endangered Ecosystems

The Osoyoos Desert Centre and the South Okanagan Grasslands protected area contains diminishing growth of the Antelope Brush (Purshia Tridentata), a type of bunchgrass that thrives in the grasslands/desert climate.

The antelope-brush grasslands in the Osoyoos BC area are part of the larger grassland communities connected to the Columbia Basin in Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon. These ecosystems are the product of a warm, dry climate and the coarse sediments left behind by Ice Age glaciers.

More than 60 percent of antelope brush here has been destroyed and converted to vineyards, orchards, cropland, and residential and industrial areas. In fact, the antelope-brush ecosystem of the South Okanagan Valley is more at risk than the old-growth forests of British Columbia!

This disruption to the plant life has created a domino of effects on the animal habitat, amphibians like the Tiger Salamander, insects, invertebrates such as the Wind Scorpion, reptiles, and birds such as the Burrowing Owl, and eventually destroys the natural balance of a healthy world that ultimately helps balance our larger world. Several species here are considered at risk, and are classified by the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks as threatened or endangered.

At the Osoyoos Desert Centre, you can walk through the centre along the raised boardwalk, on your own or with a guide, and learn about the biodiversity of the plants and animal species that live here. The entire tour takes about an hour. Kids really enjoy both the indoor and outdoor exploring, and spend most of their time with their eyes peeled around the ground looking for any sort of miniature life.

If you go on a cloudy day, like we did ;), you're likely not to spot much other than some prickly pear cactus and a few birds. But we'll go back again!

Threatened Species

• Badger
• Tiger Salamander
• Burrowing Owl
• Pallid Bat
• Behr's Hairstreak (Butterfly)
• Night Snake
• Grand Coulee Owl-Clover
• Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
• Western Rattlesnake
• California Big Horn Sheep
• Lark Sparrow
• Great Basin Gopher Snake

Osoyoos Desert Centre tours are relatively inexpensive, at $16 for a family of four. Be sure to take sunscreen hats and water with you if you're going on a warm sunny day!

If you want to learn more and see local endangered species that are hard to find in the wild, the Penticton Museum's Natural History Gallery is a great place to visit! The live amphibarium is home to such antelope brush-dependent animals as the Spade-foot Toad and the Tiger Salamander. Also on hand is the Grassland diorama with examples of grassland flora and fauna like Antelope Brush, Sage brush, a Burrowing Owl and a Badger. The Penticton Museum is open year-round from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 - 5pm.

You can also visit the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre (pronounced in-ka-meep) in Osoyoos, where you can learn all about the rattlesnake research program, enjoy stories of Canada's only desert and share in the rich living culture of the Okanagan people.

After a visit to the Osoyoos Desert Centre, the next stop for fun summer activities for kids and Osoyoos attractions.... Rattlesnake Canyon or check out more of OVG's top kid fav's!

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