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Similar Nk'Mip Desert Cultural, Desert Centre Osoyoos, Rattlesnake Canyon, Osoyoos Lake, Sẁiẁs Provincial Park | ||
Osoyoos british columbia canada driving in town wine county okanagan desert
The Okanagan Desert is the common name for a semi-arid area located in the South Okanagan region of British Columbia, Canada, primarily around Osoyoos Lake. Part of the area is called the Nk'mip Desert by the Osoyoos Indian Band, though the entire region, like other similar parts of the British Columbia Interior, is technically only semi-arid shrub-steppe.
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Shrub-steppe species
While some areas in British Columbia are more arid, the South Okanagan shrub-steppe contains several species of plants that are not found elsewhere in Canada. It is the presence of these specific plants in the Antelope-brush ecosystem that is claimed to make the area unique from other semi-desert areas in British Columbia. Over the early 21st Century, a considerable portion of the valley agricultural land has been converted to irrigated vineyards.
Organizations in desert
There are multiple groups/organizations of people located in the Okanagan Desert. The Osoyoos Band, a First Nations government located in British Columbia, runs the Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre as part of its resort and winery complex, which is located on the east side of Osoyoos. The Osoyoos Desert Society, a non-profit society founded in 1991, maintains the Osoyoos Desert Centre, a 67-acre nature interpretive facility 3 km (2 mi) north of Osoyoos off Highway 97.
Media
The region was the subject of a 1999 National Film Board of Canada documentary Pocket Desert - Confessions of a Snake Killer.