K’en T’em’s greenhouse at Shackan nears completion

Following the launch of its Seed Collection Program, the Reclamation Services team at K’en T’em Limited Partnership (KTLP) has reached a significant milestone in the development of a Native Grass Seeds greenhouse. Over the past year, the team has completed construction of a greenhouse, marking an important step in advancing KTLP’s long-term reclamation and ecological restoration initiatives.

A sneak-peek into KTLP's greenhouse located at Shackan Indian Band

As the project enters its final stages, Kylle Gauley-Kelly, Reclamation Services Lead at KTLP, shared updates on the progress of the greenhouse. “We’re currently in the finishing phase,” said Gauley-Kelly. “We’ve ordered the shelving system and are in the process of installing it. Our next focus will be the irrigation and temperature control systems.”

The greenhouse is expected to begin operations in the spring-summer of 2026. “I’m aiming for early spring, that will give enough time to experiment and conduct germination and growth trials,” Gauley-Kelly explained.  “As we expand our growing space, the goal is to develop the ability to supply projects with genetically relevant, locally adapted native grasses.”

Identifying a suitable location for the greenhouse initially presented a challenge, as access to essential infrastructure, particularly power and water, was critical. This challenge was resolved when the Shackan Indian Band, one of the eight Participating Bands of the Citxw Nlaka’pamux Assembly, offered a site for the project. Their support enabled the greenhouse to move forward this year and achieve significant progress in a short period of time.

The KTLP greenhouse measures 39 by 22 feet and features an eight-foot ceiling. Once fully operational, the greenhouse is expected to produce up to approximately 64,000 individual plant plugs per growing cycle, depending on species. The plugs grown in the greenhouse will be used in reclamation and restoration projects.

The greenhouse represents a core component of KTLP’s circular reclamation model, which integrates seed collection, plant propagation, and on-the-ground restoration and stewardship. “Our long-term focus is on building capacity-both in species diversity and seed volume,” said Gauley-Kelly. “By expanding our seed bank and growing operations, we can support a broader range of restoration projects at multiple scales.”

In the rapidly expanding native plant sector, K’en T’em is positioning itself to support restoration and reclamation efforts across Nlaka’pamux territory and beyond, while advancing sustainable land stewardship practices.