South Okanagan student convinces province to install new horse crossing signs

Photo: Contributed

A Grade 6 student in the South Okanagan has successfully lobbied the provincial government to install new feral crossing signs on roadways in Oliver.

“I chose to take on this project after hearing of accidents involving feral horses on Black Sage and McKinney Roads. I want to make sure that everyone stays safe out there and the horses are protected,” said Delia Graham at Senpacqin Elementary.

Graham's project was influenced by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which were created in 2015 “to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.” Of the seventeen goals, Delia chose number 15, “Life on Land” as the basis for her project. She then had to commit to months of research, surveys and interviews in order to complete this lofty task.

Delia scoured through years of articles on human and feral horse interactions, interviewed several locals and has been communicating with government officials to push for positive change.

After pushing for increased awareness, the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure has agreed to add five new horse crossing signs (three on Black Sage and two on McKinney) that will be arriving in the next month. Graham will also be designing her own sign and meeting with the OIB to have it placed on the reserve.

She will be presenting her project to the rest of her school and the general public on Thursday in the Senpaqcin Elementary gym between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. She will also be joined by the rest of her classmates who have completed similar community projects. The student exhibition is a culmination of all of the hard work and skills these students have acquired through their elementary years.