Research & Citizen Science Projects

With David Manning A writing expert I admire says I should, as a writer, place myself in the background. Pardon me in this introduction to a new series on birding if I dispense with this cardinal rule and indulge a bit in ego. I promise in future articles to place birds in the foreground. Remind me if I’m unsuccessful. Like most naturalists I appreciate the many aspects of our wildlife world, from whales to woodpeckers. But if I had to pick one area of particular interest, it

By Dr. Pamela Wright Forest Wetland Nature Reserve, North Pender Island BC Conservation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems is important to protect wildlife and their habitats, to provide clean water and air, to protect watersheds and soil, to buffer against natural disasters, to fight climate change, to support local communities through sustainable livelihoods and tourism, and for many more reasons. We often hear the question: How much do we need to protect? The answer is c

This year marks Pender’s 37th beach cleanup, a long history that Islander Michelle Marsden set in motion almost four decades ago.

By the light of the Snow Moon, a whispered series of soft whistles echoed through the misty forest, just louder than the sound of water flowing over the falls of Shingle Creek on North Pender Island. This was the call of a Northern Saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) – a tiny owl no bigger than a robin. These tiny forest dwellers are increasingly rare on Pender thanks to the loss of intact, old forests with large standing dead trees, or snags, containing woodpecker holes they ne

Imagine a place where sun-drenched Garry Oak meadows border moist, shady seeps, all perched above steep rocky cliffs overlooking the Salish Sea. Imagine a cool, mossy forest where ghost pipe emerges from the carpet of green and oceanspray, red huckleberry, salal and Oregon grape fill the forest floor. Where over 60 species of plants, birds and mammals find a home, providing shelter, food and space to grow and roam. Now imagine knowing that this place has been protected foreve

Introducing Vulture Ridge Nature Reserve and Osprey Ridge Nature Reserve: Two new nature sanctuaries on S,DÁYES, Pender Island! We are excited to announce that two new Nature Reserves have been established on S,DÁYES (Pender Island), protecting an additional 46 acres (19 ha) of diverse, mature forest and enhancing connections with existing protected lands. Vulture Ridge Nature Reserve lies on the north-facing slope along Clam Bay Road, supports forest wetlands, diverse microc

The fabulous Pender Island Community has stepped up again this year to remove litter, garbage, cans, bottles, plastics, foam, and other debris from the byways and shorelines of our islands.

By Sarah DeVries Image by Crystal Graham Ever since I was a kid, I remember being outside as a treasured experience. Going for walks along the river with my mom in the spring, biking along Lake Huron in the summer, apple picking with friends in the fall, and skating on our street with my siblings in the winter; growing up in Ontario provided me with clear seasons filled with rain, snow, sun, and changing leaves. As I got older, the differences in those seasons changed. The mo

For the first time in at least 25 years, the Shingle-Masthead osprey nest sits empty and silent. Every year, a pair of ospreys have rebuilt their large and complex stick nest on the supporting branch of one of the several veteran Douglas-fir trees along Shingle Creek, overlooking Shingle Bay in Magic Lake. Every year they incubated a clutch of 1-4 eggs; many years these efforts produced young, and many years those young successfully fledged. But never in the past 25 years hav

Let’s all give Mother Earth a helping hand! Elizabeth Miles Earth Day is a day to celebrate the wonders of our planet Earth and all the wild and wonderful life it supports. It is also a day to recognize how human activities are affecting the living things we share the planet with, and a day for worldwide action. One important action that we can take is to protect both marine and terrestrial life and ecosystems by removing the litter and debris found along the roads, pathways,

Elizabeth Miles Image by Rhonda Porter Plumb In past years, students from the local school have come down to the Hope Bay Stream for the annual Eggstravaganza. During this event they learn about the salmon life cycle and the importance of a healthy riparian habitat for baby salmon. They have also helped plant native flora, learned to spot invasive species, and welcomed the DFO staff as they arrive with the chum salmon eggs to place into the stream. After a three year hiatus d

Thank you to everyone for volunteering, participating and supporting the Pender Islands Conservancy in 2022! It was a very busy year! Images by: Elizabeth Miles, Hannah Stoakes, Kassidy Kelly, Kelly Irving, Pamela Wright, Erin O'Brien, Shauna Doll

Historical photo of Gowlland Point (Davy Rippner) The campaign to protect Brooks Point succeeded because of a combination of a generous land donation by the Brooks family, tireless fundraising efforts led by volunteers with Friends of Brooks Point and supported by the Pender Conservancy, a huge response by local donors, contributions by the CRD, and a federal government grant for the protection of species at risk. The snake Sharp-tailed snake at Gowlland Point (Paul Petrie) T

Dr. Pamela Wright On S’Dayes (Pender Island), we are blessed with a diverse suite of ecosystems from rich intertidal areas to nearshore kelp forests, coastal Douglas Fir ecosystems, wetlands and small lakes, like Gardom Pond and Roe Lake, and others. The diversity of these ecosystems, like in human communities, gives them strength. However, these diverse ecosystems are insufficient if they are not connected. Ecological connectivity is the unimpeded movement of species and

Winter Bird Walk at Hope Bay: Saturday December 11, 2021 9:30: Meet at the Conservancy Centre at Hope Bay for a refresher on Winter Bird...

Once again, Team Kelp volunteers headed out onto the waters around Pender Island mapping the kelp forests growing along our shores.

Stalwart Hope Bay Salmon Stream project volunteers spend 2 days hauling rock and shoveling gravel to enhance salmon habitat in the stream. They repaired weirs and placed spawning gravel and rock in the stream bed. Now we wait for the rains and keep our fingers crossed that some of the chum salmon that hatched in the stream four years ago will find their way back home to spawn.

Calling Pender Bird Enthusiasts: Join us December 19 for the world's longest running citizen science wildlife survey, the 120th Annual Christmas Bird Count Pender birders will be out in rain, shine, or even snow, counting as many birds as can they can find, flying, perching, hopping or swimming. Or you prefer, you can watch your feeder from home. The event will be scaled down from previous years due to COVID-19 restrictions, as our community safety is the priority. However

The forage fish project is back up and running once again after a two year hiatus, under the guidance of Haley Tomlin and her colleagues at the University of Vancouver Island. Forage fish are various species of small schooling fish that consume plankton and tiny animals floating near the surface, and in turn become food for everything higher in the food chain. Thus, they are vital to our marine ecosystems, providing a crucial source of food for other marine creatures, and wit

Since 2012, a team of PICA volunteers have been involved in a citizen science project monitoring beaches of Pender Island, and would be...