S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest will be permanently protected to become the old-growth habitat of the future.
Photo: Alex Harris | Raincoast Conservation Foundation
Thursday, February 18, 2021
We are excited to announce that together with Raincoast Conservation Foundation, we have raised the funds required to purchase and permanently protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest on North Pender Island!
It was just in November that we officially submitted an offer to purchase this 13 acre property representative of globally rare and endangered Coastal Douglas-fir forest and associated habitats. Our goal was to raise $395,000 by April 30th, 2021. Now, due to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we have reached that goal just halfway through our 6 month campaign!
This purchase will be followed by protection, meaning the property, which features a wetland, maturing stands of western redcedar and arbutus, and younger, mostly alder-dominated woodland, will never be subjected to development. It also means it will be restored. This property, like much of the forests on North Pender and across the Gulf Islands, is in a state of recovery. A legacy of logging made it susceptible to invasions by non-native species such as Scotch broom, spurge-laurel (Daphne), and European holly. Removal of these species will be an immediate priority and will create opportunities for the community to get involved and get to know the forest. We will also perform an ecological assessment to better understand the baseline conditions of the habitats within S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest. These data will support ongoing monitoring and will make further ecological research possible. Ultimately, however, it will be managed as an ecological reserve, meaning we will honour the maintenance of ecological integrity above all else. S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest will be a place where nature can just be allowed to become the old growth habitat of the future.
Photo: Alex Harris | Raincoast Conservation Foundation
And we want to say thank you.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of this campaign. Support came from as far afield as Great Britain, Germany, and Australia; California, Washington, and Oregon; Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick. It came from our families and friends. But mostly it came from our neighbours right here in British Columbia and the rest of Canada, with an unbelievable showing from Pender Islanders and the Sitka, McLean and Aqueduct Foundations, as well as the Greater Victoria Savings Credit Union.
We are so incredibly grateful to all of you for making this happen. It would not have been possible without you.
For Flycatcher Forests and the forests yet to be protected,
Erin O’Brien (Conservancy) and Shauna Doll (Raincoast)