Tag: Watersheds

From Theory to Practice — Salt Spring Island Wetlands Institute 2018

Narrowly avoiding the Pacific Storms, the BCWF Wetlands Education Program (WEP) team was lucky to spend time away from our office in Surrey and in the safe haven of Salt Spring Island for the 16th annual Wetlands Institute. 23 enthusiastic participants from a mix of backgrounds, including: Non-profits, First Nations, Hobby Farmers, Consultants, Government, and Archaeologists,…
New Hope for Wetlands in B.C. — FREP Wetland Health Assessment

Earlier this year, the BCWF’s Wetlands Education Program received a contract from the Government of British Columbia to develop a protocol to assess the health of wetlands as part of the Forest and Range Evaluation Program (FREP). The protocol is designed to assess wetlands that have been impacted by forestry operations. However, there may be…
Across the Lower Mainland — 2016 Wetlands Institute

Did you know that up to 70% of wetlands have been lost in settled areas of Canada? In the Lower Mainland the number is even higher. Between 1827 and 1990, over 85% of wetlands were lost, mainly due to agriculture and development. With Metro Vancouver’s population expected to rise to 3.4million people by 2041 (that’s…
Species Profile — Grizzly Bear

Grizzly bears are one of British Columbia’s most iconic and ecologically vital species. These powerful mammals are a subspecies of the brown bear. While both are part of the same species (Ursus arctos), grizzly bears are specifically known as Ursus arctos horribilis. In other words, all grizzlies are brown bears, but not all brown bears…
Species Profile — Six-Spotted Fishing Spider

There are over 43,000 species of spiders across the globe, about 3,400 of which are found in North America, and 729 confirmed to be found in B.C. Spiders are one of the smallest creatures to instil such great amounts of fear in people. The species of nursery web spider that will be the focus of…
Species Profile — Steller’s Jay

As the weather warms and the daylight extends, we being to hear an active chorus of springtime birds. Commonly seen foraging for food around campgrounds and parks, Steller’s jays (Cyanocitta stelleri) are the blue-winged symbol of B.C.’s healthy evergreen forests, as well as, our provincial bird! They’re known for their unmistakably blue feathers, triangle-crested heads, and…
A wetlands fire in New Zealand, and how it relates to us in B.C.

This week, a large fire destroyed more than 400 hectares of the internationally recognized Waituna Wetlands Scientific Reserve, located in the Southland Region of New Zealand. The massive fire lasted for nearly 24 hours, and destroyed mature manuka trees (Leptospermum scoparium) and a variety of important wetland plants. Birds and skinks were lost in the…
Wetland Institute Alumni Restores Wetland in Fraser Valley

Why did the farmer restore a wetland? Because it mud perfect sense. Terrible puns aside, Celia Serrano probably didn’t anticipate how deep she would wade into B.C.’s wetland culture when she boarded her plane from Spain to start her internship with Balance Ecological in the Lower Mainland. She spent numerous weeks monitoring the endangered Oregon Spotted…
Stewards of the Sea-to-Sky — Wetlands Institute 2012

Can you solve this riddle? What do you get when you combine 3 communities, 36 participants, 12 trainers, 4 coordinators, and 4 restoration sites, then let it grow for 8 days? If you guessed a journey of stewards gaining knowledge and inspiration for wetland conservation in BC, you’re right! The 2012 Wetlands Institute along the…
B.C. Planners Unite for Wetlands!

On Wednesday, July 11, 2012, the BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetlands Education Program hosted a one-day workshop in Squamish targeting municipal planners from B.C. The workshop’s main objective was to inform planners on ways they can incorporate wetland stewardship into their policies, while also presenting an overview of the value of wetlands and their basic functions.…