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Join us for a MicroAdventure!
Meet Heather, your MicroAdventure guide!
One year out of graduate school, I still define myself as an intestinal immunologist. I am fascinated by the intestinal ecosystem; specifically how bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi co-evolve and interact with each other and your body. This ecosystem influences your health in fascinatingly intricate ways.
Now out of graduate school, I have expanded this view to environmental ecosystems. I view the world through a holistic lens and believe that uncovering the woven webs in ecosystems truly makes one appreciate the need for nuanced approaches to protected areas and lifestyle.
This summer, I am inviting people like you on hikes with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia (CPAWS-BC) to share stories of BC’s interconnected systems. I hope to spark a sense of awe at the cleverness and ingenuity of it all. Mostly, I want to share my appreciation for protected areas and the role they play in supporting these systems through our changing world. I think we are ultimately on track toward sustainability, but I know that the environment needs our help to adapt and thrive in the meantime. While we, humanity, figure out how to live sustainably with our planet, protecting large and biodiverse swaths of intact land is an important pro-active measure in the face of climate change.
I got involved with CPAWS in 2016 when Jessie, CPAWS-BC’s Terrestrial Manager, gave a talk at UBC. I was hooked by CPAWS-BC’s mission to create protected areas in nature while fostering a community of leadership for nature.
I am grateful to live in a time where pristine wilderness and pockets of thriving biodiversity still exist. Learning more about land stewardship and Indigenous knowledge on our human relationships with nature has impacted the ways I understand the world around me. Hearing stories and offering support for new models of Indigenous-led conservation give me hope for these natural places to continue to sustain us – our health, our livelihood and our communities in the future .
If you live around BC’s Lower Mainland, I hope you’ll join one of our community MicroAdventure hikes to make the most of the cooler season and exchange stories as we enjoy nature (and food!) together.
-Heather Filyk
Terrestrial Campaign Assistant
CPAWS-BC Wild Ambassador, Wilderness First-Aid Certified, UBC Varsity Outdoors Club Alumni
P.S. What am I most excited about? Growing collective knowledge on Leave No Trace principles for any outdoor-goer to apply. I can’t wait to share tips and tricks like these and more.
Happy Hour Hikes and MicroAdventures
CPAWS-BC’s community hikes are set at a social pace on beginner-friendly trails in Metro Vancouver area. We will share tools that each of us can use to protect the ecological integrity of BC’s parks and protected areas, identify plants and signs of wildlife, and reveal pro hiking tips.
All are welcome! We have a carpool or trail-head meet-up option available. Free to register!
Learn more and reserve your spot here.
Upcoming Hikes:
MicroAdventures
Questions about community hike trails or accessibility?
heather@cpawsbc.org | 604.685.7445 x24
Can’t make it but want to support conservation in BC? Please take one minute to tell your Provincial Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) that you support Indigenous-led conservation initiatives in our province. Learn more at besthope.ca
BC’s Glass Sponge Reefs Need a Bigger Buffer
BC’s Glass Sponge Reefs Need a Bigger Buffer
Ocean Campaigner
Deep under the ocean waters off of BC’s Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound live rare and delicate glass sponge reefs. While glass sponges are found all over the world, it is mainly on our coasts that they form intricate reefs. CPAWS-BC has been advocating for the protection of glass sponge reefs since 2001. In 2017, the Government of Canada established the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to safeguard these fragile features from harmful human activities. But new research published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series suggests that these current protections may not be enough to prevent glass sponge reefs from harm.
Most marine sponges are soft and squishy, feeling much like the sponges we use to clean our kitchens and bathrooms. However, glass sponges absorb silica from the water to form their glass skeletons, giving them hard bodies but making them extremely fragile.
The earliest fossils of glass sponge reefs are 220 millions years old, spread out over a 7000 kilometre stretch of Central Europe. However, 40 millions years ago they disappeared from the fossil record and were thought to be extinct.
But in 1987, a team of Canadian scientists mapping the seafloor discovered living glass sponge reefs 200 metres below the ocean surface of Hecate Strait. For them, this discovery was like finding a herd of living dinosaurs.
ESSENTIAL TO THE ECOSYSTEM
Far from just being beautiful and rare, glass sponges are also integral parts of the ocean ecosystem.
Glass sponge reefs provide shelter for bottom-dwelling creatures such as rockfish and prawns.
Fishing activity can cause severe harm to these fragile habitats. Prawn and crab traps drop down and crush glass sponge reefs. Bottom trawling of heavy nets dragged along the seafloor destroy everything in their path while kicking up clouds of disturbed sediment. The Marine Protected Area regulations protect the reefs themselves from bottom-contact activities such these. However, nearby fishing activity kilometres away can still be deadly.
Glass sponges are filter feeders. They do this so efficiently that 95% of bacteria are filtered out, cleaning the water. In fact, a single small reef can filter enough water to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than 60 seconds! Furthermore, the nitrogen waste they excrete acts as a fertilizer for plankton.
When these storms of sediment kicked up be bottom trawling roll over glass sponge reefs, they are triggered to stop filter feeding and absorbing oxygen. The glass sponges choke and can even starve to death.
NEW DISCOVERIES
But animals behave differently depending on where they live and no experiments had been conducted on the Hecate Strait sponge reefs. Research released last year shed light on this mystery.
Living 200 metres below the sea surface, the Hecate Strait sponges are too deep for humans to dive to. To reach these depths, a remotely operated vehicle or ROV was used to carry out the experiments. Remotely controlled from a ship on the surface, the robot operated like an underwater drone, but with the bonus feature of mechanical arms.
The ROV placed thermistors, special devices used to measure water flow, inside the opening on top of the sponges to measure how much water the sponges were filtering for feeding.
To measure the sponges’ reaction to sediment, the ROV’s arm used a modified ice scoop to spread sediment over the sponge.
“Just a little bit of sediment actually stops the sponges from feeding for six to 12 hours. If that continues for long enough, that could lead to health problems and even death,” said Carlo Acuna, Ocean Campaigner, CPAWS-BC
North Shore News
The scientists found that the glass sponges stopped filtering water after even small increases in suspended sediment. Bottom trawling activities kick up much more sediment than the Hecate Strait glass sponges can tolerate.
The suspended sediment created from a three hour bottom trawl could stop glass sponges from feeding for six to 12 hours. Fishing activities around the marine protected areas could deprive Hecate Strait sponge reefs of nearly one thirds of their food supply, stumping their growth and hindering reproduction. Extended exposure to sediment could lead to death.
Furthermore, models indicate that suspended sediment from trawl fishing as far away as 2.39 kilometres can cause glass sponges to stop feeding. With the right tides and current, this harmful distance can be as far as 5.94 kilometres.
MORE PROTECTION NEEDED
The Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs Marine Protected Area currently provides a one kilometre buffer zone around each reef where no bottom contact activity is allowed. This new research proves that these restrictions are not enough to protect these global treasures.
“Trawling is the biggest bottom contact fishing activity,” Carlo Acuna, CPAWS-BC Ocean Campaigner
The Squamish Chief
Although the glass sponge reefs found in Howe Sound and the Georgia Strait have been found to have a stronger tolerance to sediment, their buffer zones are only a paltry 150 metres wide and drastically insufficient.
New regulations are needed to increase the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Glass Sponge Reefs Protected Area buffer zones to at least three kilometres and as much as six kilometres. This will only increase restricted bottom fishing areas in B.C.’s ocean by 0.6% while ensuring the health of the valuable marine species supported by these reefs for generations to come.
The glass sponges in Howe Sound and Georgia Strait look to be more resistant to sediment. Using the precautionary principle, we are proposing an increase of the buffer zones here beyond the current 150 metres until proper ground truthing research has been carried out and the local threats have been assessed.
CPAWS-BC has been working since the early 2000s to protect B.C’s glass sponge reefs. We celebrated when the Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound Marine Protected Area was created in 2017. In 2017, we supported the nomination of glass sponge reefs for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. With your help we can add further protections, ensuring these wonders found nowhere else in the world are sufficiently preserved for generations to come.
Take Action Now
Tell Fisheries and Oceans Canada to expand the protective boundary prohibiting bottom-contact fishing, industrial activity, and seabed mining around each glass sponge reef.
VIFF: The Great Green Wall Celebrates Nature-based Solutions for Thriving Communities
The 2019 Greater Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) season sparks action and changes the way we see the world. CPAWS-BC is thrilled to be supporting VIFF this year as a community partner of Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles’ “The Great Green Wall”.
“The Great Green Wall” highlights one of the world’s most ambitious initiatives to tackle climate change. 11 African nations began The Great Green Wall project in 2007 to plant 8,000 kilometers of trees and vegetation across the Sahel, a semi-arid area that stretches the entire width of Africa, south of the Sahara desert.
The film is guided by Malian musician and activist Inna Modja. Inna travels to Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Niger and Ethiopia meeting people most affected by climate change and land degradation. Human activity and mismanagement of land and ocean resources is at the root of climate change and loss of biodiversity, in the Sahel region and all around the globe. The Green Wall offers a nature-based solution to natural resource scarcity, desertification and drought, conflict, migration and community revitalization issues. The project is designed to restore land depleted by agricultural overuse and grazing. Once complete, it will restore food and livelihood for communities. The wall could absorb some 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Human activity and mismanagement of land and ocean resources is at the root of climate change and loss of biodiversity. The project is designed to restore land depleted by agricultural overuse and grazing. Once complete, it will restore food and livelihood for communities. The wall could absorb some 250 million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
I am at a loss for words. It’s the social, the economic, political…it is everything .
– VIFF film screening attendee
The wall itself is not linear or uniform. It is more like a patchwork of forest clusters sheltering life. It is an interconnected network of life that young people can depend on for generations to come. And the stories shared by those living along the Great Green Wall are about more than revitalizing desert landscape. They are about desperation, courage, and the hope for a brighter future.
Stories like this play out across the globe as the fight against climate change continues. Here at home, BC will experience a squeeze as our landscape and ocean morph with the climate. Flooding, storm surges, and rampant fires will displace people and wildlife from their homes. BC is along an escape route and will become a safe haven for new troves of species and communities seeking refuge from the impacts of climate change. — which will have unforeseeable impacts of its own.
The clusters of trees and plants along the Sahel breathe life back into the local communities. Things are, arguable, not quite so dire in BC, but we need to protect remaining large intact areas of wilderness for nature — including humans — to have a fighting chance.
Climate change is not coming, it is here. During an evening screening of “The Great Green Wall,” the whole audience held their breath watching a time-lapse of Lake Chad shrink by an estimated 90 per cent in a mere 50 years. It was a stark reminder of how much has already been lost. Science shows that we have only 12 years to curb our carbon emissions and keep irreparable global temperature rise at bay. We need bold, immediate action to protect habitats and ecological hotspots.
Nature needs us now. We are on the front lines of a nature emergency. The Amazon rainforest is burning. Declines in salmon populations risk cut food supply to endangered southern resident killer whales and grizzly bear populations. Indigenous leaders and scientists call for support to protect BC forests and critical caribou habitat.
Without biodiversity, life simply could not exist. BC has the greatest biodiversity in Canada, yet we have the most species at risk and our ecosystems are collapsing.
– VIFF film screening attendee
There is still hope for nature in BC. The Serengeti of the north in Kaska Dena territory and promise for protection of grasslands – one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems right here in BC’s South Okanagan-Similkameen offer large-scale nature protection. Interconnected networks of marine protected areas through the Great Bear Sea and rich depths of the Deepsea Oasis offshore of Vancouver Island reveal newly discovered and integral species along the pacific coast.
CPAWS-BC is dedicated to the protection of our public land and water, and ensuring our parks are managed to protect the nature within them. With help from people like you, we advocate for the creation of a patchwork of life support systems across the province. The next step will be to connect the dots with wildlife corridors and connected pathways of protected areas.
BC is a special place for animals and people.
We need your help to ensure protection for these places. We depend on nature for food, shelter, healing, and recreation. Our vision is to establish large, intact areas of wilderness on land and in the ocean that supports all life to not only survive, but thrive.
“BC needs a healthy environment for everyone – wildlife, nature, humans and biodiversity is vital for a stable and sustainable environment
-VIFF fan
The 2019 federal election will play a pivotal role in Canada’s response to the climate emergency and decline in nature here.
We each have a role to play in ensuring protection of biodiversity and the vitality of future communities. Environmental issues do not stand alone. Ecosystems must be resilient and adaptable to nurture nature amidst a rapidly evolving world.
Your vote for nature on October 21st helps leverage nature-based solutions and partnership between provincial, federal and Indigenous governments in response to climate change.
VIFF film screening and events September 26-October 11, 2019. Tickets and more information at WWW.VIFF.ORG
CONTEST
How to enter
- If you do not already, follow @cpawsbc on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (as seen on platform)
- Comment on social media post your response to “WHY DOES BC NEED BIODIVERSITY?”
- Tag a friend who you want to go to a VIFF (Vancouver International Film Festival) film screening Sept 26-Oct 11 2019
You may submit up to one entry per day. Contest October 8th 11:59PM.
It is the sole responsibility of the entrant to ensure their entry is properly submitted as
described above. CPAWS BC will not be responsible for any lost, delayed, misdirected,
illegible, incomplete, damaged or undeliverable entries, or any delay or failure to transmit,
process, receive or consider entries.
Chances of winning are dependent on the number of entries received. Quebec residents are
not eligible to win.
The Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with
Facebook, Twitter , Instagram or VIFF. You understand that you are providing your information to
CPAWS BC and not to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or VIFF. The information you provide will only
be used for the administration of this Contest and in accordance with CPAWS BC’s privacy
policy. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are completely released of all liability by each
participant (and his/her parent/legal guardian if he/she is a Minor) in this Contest. Any
questions, comments or complaints regarding the Contest must be directed to CPAWS BC and
not Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or VIFF.
Questions regarding the contest or campaign can be emailed to info@cpawsbc.org with
“Contest” in the subject line.
General
These Rules and Regulations are final on all matters relating to CPAWS-BC’s VIFF Contest (the “Competition”). The contest is governed by the rules set out below. By entering the contest, you agree to abide by those rules and the decisions of CPAWS BC staff.
You also agree to comply with all applicable laws. The contest is void where prohibited or
restricted by law.
Eligibility – Entrants
You are not required to make any purchase or pay any fee to enter or win the contest.
Entrants may not win more than one prize within a single category.
You may only enter the contest if you are an individual and, at the time of entry, you are a
legal resident of Canada. If you do not meet the Canadian residency requirement, you may
still enter but will not be eligible for any prizes. Quebec residents are not eligible to win.
Each eligible entrant aged seventeen (17) years or under must have his/her custodial parents\’
or legal guardian\’s consent to enter to enter the CPAWS-BC’s VIFF Contest. If a custodial parent or legal guardian does not provide the required consent, then the entry will be disqualified.
Proof of identification and parental consent must be provided upon request. If a custodial
parent or legal guardian does not provide consent, or if proof of identification cannot be
obtained to the satisfaction of the Sponsor, the entry will be disqualified.
CPAWS employees and their immediate families (i.e., their spouses, siblings, children,
spouses\’ parents, and the spouses of any of those individuals) and their household members
(related or not) are not eligible to enter the contest.
CPAWS BC may at any time in its sole discretion disqualify any entrant who: does not meet
the contest\’s eligibility criteria, fails to comply with these rules, attempts to enter the contest
in any manner or through any means other than as described in these rules, attempts to
disrupt the contest or attempts to circumvent any of these rules.
Entries must be original material and must not have been a winner in another national
competition or Competition. Entries also must not have been published or accepted for
publication by a national magazine or newspaper. Entries posted online on personal
websites, blogs or on social media are not considered published for the purpose of this
competition, and may be entered for competition consideration. Content alteration of digital
files is not acceptable; cropping of photos is permitted, tonal or colour corrections are
acceptable, including black and white conversion.
Prize
Pair (x2) VIFF Film Screening Vouchers provided by CPAWSBC as sponsors of VIFF film.
Winners
In order to be declared a contest winner and be eligible for a prize, the prize winner must
have complied with, and remain in compliance with, these rules, and must sign and deliver to
CPAWS BC (within 1 calendar day of CPAWS BC’s request) a standard declaration and release form (which will include a declaration of the finalists\’ compliance with these rules, an
acceptance of the prize as awarded, a publicity release, a liability release, and the correct
answer to a skill-testing question) and any other documentation that CPAWS BC may require.
Prizes will be picked up at the CPAWS BC office in Vancouver, BC.
One winning entrants will be selected through a random draw for each prize. The winner will
be notified through the platform they used to submit their entry (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter). If the selected winning entrant does not respond within seven (1) calendar day of the first notification attempt, if a prize is returned as undeliverable or is rejected, or if a participant is found to be ineligible, an alternate winner may be selected.
In case of dispute as to the identity of any entrant, entry will be declared made by the
authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry. CPAWS BC may
request valid proof of identity, residency, age and other relevant documentation, and CPAWS
BC may disqualify a selected winner if they determine (in their sole discretion) that the
provided proof is not sufficient.
All prizes must be accepted as awarded (with no substitutions), and may not be sold,
transferred, or converted into cash. All prizes will be delivered by way of pick-up upon
the winner accepting the prize as awarded. CPAWS BC are not responsible for lost or
undeliverable mail.
License to CPAWS BC
By submitting your contest entry, you are granting CPAWS-BC the unrestricted,
royalty-free, perpetual right to use your entry for future educational, promotional and
charitable purposes without any fee or other form of compensation, and without further
notification or permission.
You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit — including ownership if applicable.
Publicity
Except where otherwise prohibited by law, participation in the contest constitutes a winner\’s
consent to CPAWS BC’s use of the winner\’s photo and name for educational, promotional and
charitable purposes without further notification, permission, payment or consideration.
Cancellation
If for any reason CPAWS BC cannot run the contest as planned (including as a result of bugs,
tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, infection by computer virus
or any other cause that corrupts, impairs or affects the administration, security, fairness,
integrity, or proper conduct of this contest) CPAWS BC may cancel, modify, extend or suspend
the contest. In that event, CPAWS BC may award prizes at random from among the eligible
entries received up to the time of the impairment, or award no prizes.
CPAWS BC may also disqualify any individual who tampers with or in any way corrupts the
entry process, or who attempts to undermine the legitimate operation of the contest by
cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair practices, or by attempting to annoy, abuse,
threaten or harass any other entrants or CPAWS BC representatives.
Disclaimers, Liability, and Indemnification
CPAWS BC do not accept liability for any loss or damage resulting directly or indirectly from
your participation in the contest.
CPAWS-BC are not responsible for: (1) late, incomplete, or misdirected entries, or entries
received through impermissible or illegitimate channels; (2) technical failures of any kind,
including without limitation the malfunctioning of any telephone, computer, network,
hardware or software; (3) the unavailability or inaccessibility of any service; (4) unauthorized
human intervention in any part of the entry process or the contest; (5) electronic or human
error which may occur in the administration of the contest or the processing of entries; or (6)
any injury or damage to persons or property, including without limitation your computer,
which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from your participation in the
contest or from downloading any material from CPAWS BC\’s website.
CPAWS-BC will not be liable to you for any indirect, special, consequential, or punitive
damages in connection with the contest or these rules.
By participating in this contest, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless CPAWS-BC and
their employees, directors, officers, members, affiliates, agents, judges and advertising and
promotional agencies from any and all damages, injuries, claims, causes of actions or losses
of any kind (including actual legal fees and expenses) arising from or related to: (a) your
failure to comply with any of these rules; (b) any misrepresentation you make under these
rules or otherwise to CPAWS-BC; or (c) your participation in the contest.
Personal Information
You consent to CPAWS BC using and disclosing your personal information for the purposes of
administering the contest; advertising the contest and any future contests and any of CPAWS
BC\’s products and services; and for the other purposes described in these rules.
Law
The Rules will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of
British Columbia, Canada and the federal laws of Canada applicable in British Columbia.
Disputes
All disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the contest, prizes
or these rules will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and
exclusively by the appropriate court of the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
Further Information
CPAWS BC
410-698 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 3K6
(604) 685-7445
info@cpawsbc.org
Mining proposed next to cherished parks & important headwaters
The small unprotected patch of land surrounded by Skagit Valley and E.C. Manning Provincial Parks is under threat from logging and mining. Help protect this cherished area!
Imperial Metals has applied for a 5-year exploratory mining permit in a little patch of land, nicknamed the Donut Hole, between Skagit Valley and Manning provincial parks. If granted, this would further the impacts created by logging in 2018. These parks are iconic recreation areas and important wildlife habitat that deserve protection, not extraction.
Aerial view of the recent logging in the Skagit Donut Hole taken above Silverdaisy Ridge.
Photo credit: Wilderness Committee
To make matters worse, this mining is being proposed by the company responsible for the Mount Polley mine disaster, Imperial Metals. This disaster saw a four square kilometre sized tailings pond full of toxic copper and gold mining waste breach, spilling an estimated 25 billion litres of contaminated materials into neighbouring lakes, contaminating drinking water sources and major spawning grounds for sockeye salmon. Imperial Metals has not been fined or charged in response to the disaster, leaving landowners and business operators out to dry.
The Skagit Valley parks are headwaters for an internationally significant watershed which leads back to the Salish Sea. Mining would threaten recent efforts to recover salmon and bull trout in the US Skagit River. Metals, especially copper, are toxic to salmon – a necessary food source for the southern resident killer whales, already imperiled from multiple factors including lack of their salmon-dependent diet. Allowing mining to occur here would put these salmon and whales at an increased risk from damaging that Upper Skagit, referred to as the crown jewel of the Salish Sea.
This Skagit Valley parks are the northern tip of a system of connected protected areas which reaches all the way into California. The North Cascades Grizzly Bear population unit is one of the most imperilled in the province. These protected areas are important habitat to maintain wildlife connectivity and provide recreation opportunities for people to connect with nature.
We stand with many partners including 22 US conservation organizations who voiced their opposition to the application. This project would be a disaster for species from spotted owl to the iconic orcas and grizzlies who make their home in BC’s land and waters. By joining the chorus of opposition to this project, you can ensure a safe home for these species and the enduring protection that this area deserves.
Take action to protect the Skagit.
A Photo Contest for BC’s Endangered Grasslands
A Photo Contest for BC’s Endangered Grasslands
Win one of 3 great prizes and help protect the most endangered ecosystem on earth!
Until March 15, 2019, Parks Canada is asking for feedback on Canada’s newest National Park Reserve — proposed right here in BC! This rare and unique habitat is a hotspot for biodiversity and in dire need of protection. We are asking for your help to spread awareness about this incredible region through the #SOSNationalPark Photo Contest.
You have three chances to win one of three awesome prizes. Random draws will take place on in mid March 2019. You get an extra entry for each platform that you enter on (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).
Contest Rules:
- Follow and tag CPAWS-BC
- Share the #SOSNationalPark graphic
- Tell us why you want a new National Park Reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen
- Use #SOSnationalpark
*Make sure that your account is public. Full contest rules here.
Prize draws:
- Enter before Thursday, Feb 14: A roundtrip for two on the Sea to Sky Gondola
- Enter between Thursday, Feb 14 and Thursday, Feb 28: $50 to MEC
- Enter between Thursday, Feb 28 and Friday, March 15: $50 to MEC
Learn more about the proposed South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Reserve.
PS. Check out the Social Media Toolkit for inspiration and sample posts that you can use to spread the word about this extraordinary opportunity to create a bright future for BC’s endangered grasslands.
How sound are the protections for Howe Sound’s glass sponge reefs?
How sound are the protections for Howe Sound’s glass sponge reefs?
By Sonia Singh Jind, 25 January 2019
When scientists stumbled upon an assembly of strange, blanched formations growing overtop of one another and stretching out for hundreds of kilometers across the seafloor, they had no idea they were looking at living glass sponge reefs.
Until then, these reefs were thought to have been extinct since the Jurassic, which ended over 200 million years ago. Scientists are not quite sure why glass sponge reefs seem to have only survived off the west coast of BC, but the answers may give us insight into why these ghostly reef-builders are so rare.
Individual glass sponges – simple animals that use silica (or glass) to build their skeleton – are found in several locations throughout the world, such as the west coast of the United States and Antarctica. However, glass sponge reefs are extremely rare, and seem to only occur in certain environmental conditions. These complex structures form when individual glass sponges grow on top of one another, eventually forming towering structures that can reach up to 20m high.
The most extensive glass sponge reefs have been found in Hecate Strait, where they cover hundreds of kilometers of sea floor. Smaller reefs have since been discovered in the Strait of Georgia, Chatham Sound, and the Broughton Archipelago, with 14 of those in Howe Sound. It appears that the unusually high silica and oxygen in the water, an optimal level of water flow, food supply, and temperature, make the coast of BC and Alaska the only known coastline to support glass sponge reefs in the entire world.
The foundation of ocean ecosystems
Glass sponge reefs aren’t just pretty to look at, they are also ecologically important in a variety of ways. The 3D structures these reefs provide on an otherwise almost barren seafloor create habitat and areas of refuge for seastars, prawns, lobster, and a variety of fish, including halibut, cod, herring, and the threatened rockfish.
Sponges have the amazing ability to filter 95% of bacteria in the water. You can think of a field of glass sponges as the ocean’s natural filtration system, filtering huge amounts of ocean water every second and producing ammonia that other organisms need for life processes, thereby supporting ecosystem health.
Just as their name suggests, these sponges are fragile. Their texture is similar to meringue, so they break easily. Despite their fragility, they can live thousands of years: some reefs on BC’s coast have been aged at 9,000 years old. They likely survived, in part, because they live so far from the surface of the ocean and away from human contact. But recently humans have begun to exploit the ocean at depths which were previously unreachable, and the threats to this fragile species have intensified.
Human activities such as bottom-trawl fishing and down-rigging can easily destroy these ancient 9,000 year old reefs in seconds. Prawn and crab traps hitting the bottom, the laying of submarine cables and damage from anchors can all cause physical damage and stir up sediment in the water, smothering the sponges. Sponges stop feeding when covered in sediment, eventually leading to starvation and death. Glass sponges take over 200 years to grow just 1 metre in height, so when they are damaged, they could take hundreds of years to recover, if ever.
Protecting glass sponge reefs
CPAWS-BC has been working on glass sponge reef protection for over 25 years, drawing global attention, educating the public, and urging the government to protect these sites of international importance. In 2002 Oceans and Fisheries Canada (DFO) created fishing closures prohibiting bottom-trawling over the glass sponge reefs. But this was not enough. The reefs needed permanent protection. It took another 8 years before DFO announced Hecate Strait (the site where the reefs were first discovered in 1987) as an Area of Interest under consideration to become a Marine Protected Area (MPA).
Finally, in 2017, after a strong push for higher protection standards, CPAWS-BC rejoiced as the Hecate Strait & Queen Charlotte Sound Glass Sponge Reefs MPA was established. The reefs in Hecate Strait are currently protected within 150m around them.
While this MPA and the preceding fishing closures over the Strait of Georgia reefs were major wins towards protecting our glass sponge reefs, there are over 20 glass sponge reefs in Howe Sound, Chatham Sound and the Broughton Archipelago that still need protection.
CPAWS-BC is currently leading the charge to ensure the ancient reef-building animals in Howe Sound are protected from bottom-contact fishing and undersea pipelines, both of which pose an immediate threat to their survival.
To learn more about glass sponge reefs and how you can protect them, check out https://cpawsbc.org/glass-sponge-reefs/
Shifting Tides: New Gwaii Haanas Management Plan Brings Together Land, Sea, and People
By Sonia Singh Jind, 28 November 2018
The Gina ‘Waadluxan Kilguhlga Land-Sea-People Management Plan is a landmark step towards cooperative management in Canada. This ten-year management plan signed by the Haida Nation, Parks Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is jointly managed through the Archipelago Management Board (AMB).
Traditionally, the Canadian government has managed areas of land and ocean separately, and people’s relationships to the land and sea are not always at the forefront of conservation planning. This new plan is different. Central to the Haida worldview that everything is interconnected, the Land-Sea-People Management Plan integrates the protection of land and sea, while acknowledging people’s well-being and need to make a livelihood. This new integrated and adaptive plan is based on principles of respect, responsibility, interconnectedness, and balance, to name a few. It is regarded as a great achievement and partnership by many.
Gwaii Haanas is a globally renowned ecological and cultural treasure. We have worked with the Haida Nation for more than 25 years to protect Gwaii Haanas and share its stories with Canadians and the world. This important step will help preserve some of the most abundant and unique nature in the world, and protect the cultural heritage of this iconic place.
-Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
The signing of the new management plan is a landmark step in partnership and conservation that has been decades in the making. Archaeological evidence suggests humans have been living on Haida Gwaii at least 12,000 years, and the Haida have an oral history of their ancestors in Gwaii Haanas dating back to the emergence of some of the most culturally significant islands in Haida Gwaii.
The first step towards official protection of this sacred area was the creation of the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program in 1981, which was created to protect southern Haida Gwaii from the ecological and cultural consequences of harmful whaling, mining, logging, and fishing activities that had begun since Europeans arrived.
The Haida Watchmen program is a touchstone to our past and future. There are few places left on the planet where one can go to feel that sense of being a part of all things. Gwaii Haanas is one of those places.
-Suudihl (Cindy Boyko), Council of the Haida Nation, AMB co-chair
The archipelago was also recognized for its unique cultural and ecological importance with the designation of SGang Gwaay as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.
In 1985, the Haida Nation continued the movement to protect their lands, leading a logging blockade at Tllga Kun Gwaay.yaay (Lyell Island). Another success came when the area was designated a Haida Heritage Site in the same year.
In 1987 the Government of Canada (formed in 1867) and the province of British Columbia (formed in 1871) designated Gwaii Haanas as a national park reserve and marine protected area in the South Moresby Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement (signed in 1988).
While many positive steps were being made towards the protection of the area, cooperative management between the Government of Canada and the Haida Nation was put into writing in 1993, with the signing of the Gwaii Haanas Agreement and the formation of the Archipelago Management Board which has equal representation from the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada.
Then, in 2010 the Gwaii Haanas Marine Agreement was signed, and Gwaii Haanas was designated as a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve.
Gwaii Haanas is a treasure for wildlife and has great ecological, cultural, and spiritual importance. It contains upwelling areas of cold, nutrient-rich waters and is home to 42 species-at-risk and 20 different species of marine mammals! Black bears, bald eagles, salmon, and a wide variety of seabirds are found on the islands and surrounding waters of Gwaii Haanas. It is also an area of great spiritual importance to the Haida Nation, where spiritual connection is practiced through the use of traditional foods and medicinal plants.
It was common to us, just to see…thousands and thousands of tonnes of herring – big spawns, as far as you can see…and then the sea lions and the killer whales…you hear…sea lions roaring all night…
-Gidaansda (Percy Williams)
At approximately 3,466 km2, The National Marine Conservation Area Reserve contributes to about 0.06 percent of Canada’s conservation target to protect 10 percent of coastal and marine waters by 2020. However, it should be noted that only 40 percent or 106.2 km2 of the total marine protected area in Gwaii Haanas is strictly protected from commercial and recreational fishing.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – BC Chapter (CPAWS-BC) played an important advisory role on improving the zoning plan for Gwaii Haanas which originally protected just 3 percent of the marine area. CPAWS-BC strongly recommended a substantial percent increase to ensure effective protection. Taking heed of recommendations from the ENGO sector, including CPAWS-BC and other leading environmental organizations, the zoning plan was revised to protect 40 percent of the marine area from impactful human activities. Quite an achievement!
For more information on how CPAWS-BC was involved in protecting Gwaii Haanas, visit the CPAWS-BC website. To view the Gina ‘Waadluxan KilGuhlGa Land-Sea-People Management Plan check out the Haida Nation website and Parks Canada website.
Building solutions to the biodiversity crisis
Last month, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. This report, justifiably, made news worldwide. The IPCC warns that rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes are necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
Parallel to the IPCC is the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
The full IPBES report will be coming out in May 2019, and the primer was just released. This is the first comprehensive analysis since the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment – which first popularized the term ecosystem services. The assessment will aim to inform policy and decision-making on key international goals including the Sustainable Development Goals, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Here in British Columbia, the fight against extreme energy – namely, tar sands pipelines and the hydraulic fracking of natural gas – has brought home the importance and weight of the Paris Agreement. However, the damage caused to ecosystems and species extinction does not often make headlines. To live in a sustainable and healthy world, we’ll need to be working on both energy and ecosystems in tandem, and this report will be a key source of information to get us there.
To begin, we have to stop permitting logging in critical caribou habitat. We need to manage human access to important foraging and ranging grounds for grizzly bears. And we must designate more land to shelter biodiversity through a changing climate and increasing human and development demands.
We have an incredible opportunity to be world leaders in conservation. To do this, we must work toward meeting and surpassing the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, locally named Canada’s Pathway to Target 1. This goal states that “By 2020, at least 17% of terrestrial areas and inland water, and 10% of marine and coastal areas of Canada are conserved through networks of protected areas and other effective area-based measures.” It is not enough to protect the amount of land: we must increase the resources for our underfunded provincial parks to boost their science, monitoring, and planning capacity.
British Columbians will soon have an opportunity to speak up for ecosystem protection. Parks Canada is expected to open public consultations for the proposed National Park Reserve in the South Okanagan-Similkameen. This future park in Sylix homelands will encompass the most endangered ecosystem type in the world: grasslands. It is also home to dozens of threatened and endangered species. By protecting this vital area, we can move forward on our commitment to protecting biodiversity for generations to come.