Campaigns

December 15 2021

Skagit Donut Hole

cpawsadmin Campaigns, FrontPageOurWorkSlider, Parks Campaigns, Pathway to Canada’s Biodiversity Targets donut hole, mining

Photo: Wilderness Committee

The Skagit (pronounced ska-dj-ut) donut hole is a 5,800 hectare “hole” in provincial park protection between Manning Park and Skagit Valley Provincial Park. Skagit River’s sparkling headwaters and lush forests are home to hundreds of animals, including 200 bird species, chinook salmon (an orca food staple), and already struggling Grizzly bears. People on both sides of the Canada/US border love this area, too—it’s important to the Upper Skagit, Stó:lō, Syilx and Nlaka’pamux Peoples, and beloved by one million outdoor enthusiasts who hike, fish, ski, snowshoe, paddle, and horseback ride here every year.

For years, the Skagit donut hole has been under attack from logging and mining companies who want to develop and destroy it. Already, logging has carved holes into the landscapes that will take decades to re-green.

We need to protect this special place before it’s too late.

GOOD NEWS

Thanks to the hard work of several groups including CPAWS-BC, the BC Minister of Forests and Minister of Environment announced that logging would be banned in Silverdaisy and 26 Mile valleys in December 2019.

In January 2022, CPAWS-BC celebrated a huge win when the BC government announced that Imperial Metals—the company that has held mining tenures in the donut hole—had surrendered their rights to the area.

This announcement comes off the heels of relentless efforts by an international coalition made up of nearly 300 conservation and recreation organizations, Tribes and First Nations, elected officials and local businesses, as well as over 6,000 individuals, who have opposed Imperial Metals’ application to mine in the Skagit for years.

TIMELINE

1995: Donut hole formed by creation of Skagit Valley Provincial Park and adjustments to the boundaries of Manning Provincial Park
2018: Clearcut logging begins in donut hole
2019: Imperial Metals’ files gold mining application for Skagit headwaters (in donut hole)
2019: Woohoo! BC bans logging in donut hole
2022: Woohoo! Imperial Metals surrenders mining rights in donut hole

RIGHT NOW

With a dam, mining, and logging out of the Skagit donut hole, it’s time for the BC government to work closely with local First Nations to fully protect it.

Together, we can encourage them to do just that. Join us in sending the BC government a note of thanks!

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September 21 2020

Blueprint for the Coast

cpawsadmin Campaigns, Ocean Campaigns bc coast, coastal first nations, coastal marine strategy, coastal strategy bc, marine debris, ocean bc, ocean pollution, wcel, west coast

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British Columbia’s coastline extends for over 30,000 km and is home to diverse eco-systems and communities. That’s why it’s so hard to believe BC is one of the only coastal jurisdictions in North America without a coastal strategy and law to protect it.

BC needs a blueprint for the coast to leverage and coordinate the work of provincial ministries, local communities, First Nations, and stakeholder groups to better manage and protect our coast.

BC needs a Blueprint for the Coast

We need to send the message to our provincial leaders that a comprehensive plan is vital to the future of the coast. A blueprint that will:

Advance reconciliation in BC
Coordinate engagement from other orders of government
Establish a home for coastal issues within the provincial government
Implement enforceable coastal and marine zone plans
Signal to the world the importance of BC’s ocean and coastlines

Learn More

Panel Discussions

Join us for a discussion on coastal habitat preservation, as we learn how these ecosystems support biodiversity, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and benefit coastal communities.

Plastic debris, contaminated shellfish, and immune-compromised killer whales – it’s no secret that BC is facing a marine pollution crisis.

About

British Columbia has one of the largest coastal jurisdictions in the world. Yet, BC does not have a comprehensive coast-wide strategy or law. That is why CPAWS-BC launched a campaign with our partners at the West Coast Environmental Law – Blueprint for the Coast.

ID: calm coastal waters with snow capped mountain in the distance

Coastal-marine areas are vital to our identity, culture, and economy. The coast provides key habitat for vulnerable marine life, such as salmon and orcas. Additionally, ocean-based activities contribute $17 billion annually to the BC economy and employ over 170,000 people across coastal communities.

Coastal jurisdiction can be complicated to navigate. Under Canadian laws, all orders of government – Indigenous, federal, provincial, and local – have a role in coastal planning, management, and protection. Indigenous peoples have sovereign powers over their territories, therefore Indigenous laws are applicable as well. Without a blueprint, the gaps and overlap in coastal jurisdiction results in a fragmented approach to provincial coastal management.

BC has the opportunity to become a leader in coastal management and protection. We can build upon examples from other coastal provinces, states, and countries that have effective coastal management strategies and laws. In collaborating with communities, rights holders, and governments across BC, we can develop a meaningful blueprint for the coast.

ID: whales off forested coastline Many threats face the coast, including biodiversity loss, intensifying impacts of climate change, and increasing conflicts over resources. To make matters worse, we’ve inherited a jumble of regulations and laws overseen by different provincial ministries and departments. Without a coastwide plan that includes coordination between Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal governments, issues will continue to be dealt with in an ad-hoc fashion, without considering the interaction of solutions and their cumulative effects.

We’re calling on the BC government to establish a Coastal Marine Strategy and law, co-developed with Indigenous nations. This initiative should coordinate coastal planning, management, and protection in collaboration with Indigenous, federal, and local governments.

We met with coastal Indigenous nations, communities, and local experts to learn about issues of concern surrounding coastal management and about how a BC Coastal Marine Strategy can provide meaningful solutions.

With your help, we’re keeping pressure on the BC government to ensure coastal marine ecosystems are healthy, protected, and secure for generations to come. Your support in sending letters and messages to the provincial government during the Coastal Marine Strategy Policy Intentions Paper public consultation period and BC budget 2024 consultation is helping shape a stronger future for the coast. Thank you!

We’re looking forward to the next steps of this strategy’s implementation.

📁Read the CPAWS-BC submission in response to the Coastal Marine Strategy Policy Intentions Paper public consultation period

📁Joint Feedback Letter from Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations on the British Columbia Coastal Marine Strategy Policy Intentions Paper

📁Read the CPAWS-BC submission to the BC budget 2024 consultation

To learn more, visit: www.BlueprintForTheCoast.ca

West Coast Environmental Law: wcel.org/program/bc-coastal-strategy

February 21 2020

Caribou

cpawsadmin Campaigns, Wildlife Campaigns species at risk

An icon of BC’s wilderness, caribou have been resilient since the Ice Age, out-surviving mammoths and saber-toothed cats in the cold. In the winter, they continue to use their large hooves and acute sense of smell to find and dig up lichen—their unique food source.

For many Indigenous peoples like the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations, caribou are foundational to their way of life—for generations, they’ve hunted caribou for food and as part of their culture.

Once, long ago, over 40,000 caribou roamed freely across the province. Now, less than 15,000 remain, fighting to survive on scattered lands full of predators, highways, and logging. For once thriving herds like the Klinse-Za, this number dwindles below 100. The clock is ticking fast for BC’s precious caribou, and we need to take action before it’s too late.

CARIBOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

Across the province, there are a mere 55 caribou populations remaining today. BC’s most at-risk types of caribou—the boreal and southern mountain caribou—live in BC’s southeast and up north, near the Alberta and Yukon borders. Over 75% of these two caribou types are in decline or extirpated, never to come back.

Across BC, logging including clear-cutting in old growth forests, dramatically alters caribou habitats. Moose have moved into caribou territory, bringing their mutual predator, wolves, with them. This—alongside competition against moose for food and shelter and clear-cutting in BC’s old growth—has shrunk and fragmented traditional caribou habitat, causing their rapid decline.

Though the provincial government has created a draft plan for boreal caribou, it isn’t enough. The plan doesn’t protect all boreal caribou populations, and allows industries to continue some logging and oil extraction. Southern mountain caribou, on the other hand, have a recovery plan in place, but still, the animals are not recovering fast enough. We can and must do better.

WHY IS PROTECTING THEM IMPORTANT

Like grizzly bears, caribou are a keystone species in BC, which means their presence in a landscape shows us how healthy or harmed an ecosystem is. Many caribou depend on the health of BC’s inland temperate rainforest—one of only three in the entire world.

Caribou aren’t just a provincial matter, either. 2019 marked the end of caribou in the US, leading to the listing of BC caribou in the US Endangered Species Act in the hopes that BC will take action to protect the world’s only deep-snow caribou.

Protecting areas where they roam—like Dene Kʼéh Kusān—is a key way we can help these animals thrive.

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October 22 2018

Gwaii Haanas

cpawsadmin FrontPageOurWorkSlider, Ocean Campaigns

Gwaii Haanas: wet wilderness. Huge rains. Swelling, deep seas. Rivers rolling from mountaintops. Water creates the life and breath of this ancient world. Gwaii Haanas is known for its diverse ecosystems, distinct flora and fauna, living Haida culture, and cooperative management model. By safeguarding these marine ecosystems along with the land itself, the Haida Nation and Canada have the potential to create one of the greatest protected areas on Earth, from mountain top to sea floor.

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QUICK FACTS

On June 11, 2010, the House of Commons and Senate Committees approved the proposal to establish the Gwaii Haanas National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (NMCA) and Haida Heritage Site! This was Canada’s first NMCA.

CPAWS congratulated the Haida Nation who worked for decades with Parks Canada, CPAWS, and many others to conserve this special place.

The 3500 square kilometre seascape surrounds the spectacular Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve. The land and sea ecosystems are interdependent, and both are now officially joined. This means that an area stretching from the mountain tops of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve to 2500 metres below the sea surface in a deep, ocean valley of the National Marine Conservation Area Reserve will be conserved.

Currently, the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada have drafted the Gwaii Haanas Gina ‘Waadlux̲an KilG̲uhlG̲a Land-Sea-People Management Plan. This plan will determine the management and protection measures in Gwaii Haanas for the next 10 years, and set a precedent for decades to come.

People-land-sea

In addition to conserving this sensitive ecosystem, the Haida Nation and Canada have also protected the living culture of the Haida people. The ocean connects the Haida people, and is as much a part of their heritage, as the earth and stone of their islands.

SGang Gwaay, or Anthony Island, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and provides a stunning example of living Haida culture and the enduring relationship between the Haida and the land and the sea.

Totem poles, Gwaii Haanas

Sea urchin, starfish, and sponges of the Murchison Lagoon in Gwaii Haanas. Photo credit: Sabine Jessen.

The National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (NMCAR) in Gwaii Haanas – extending 10 kilometres offshore – protects 3,500 square kilometres of ocean.
The Queen Charlotte shelf drops 2500 metres from the islands creating an underwater “ecological edge” with biological bounty.
The Gwaii Haanas marine ecosystems support kelp forests, hundreds of species of fish, seabirds, sea lions, dolphins, porpoises and many different whales, including humpback, orca, and minke whales.
More than 6,800 species of flora and fauna have been found in Haida Gwaii.
Gray whales pit-stop in these waters on their migration to Alaska.
In Burnaby Narrows alone, over 200 species of animals, including sea stars and snails, have been identified in huge concentrations.
Over 40 species at risk can be found in Gwaii Haanas.

Where the land meets the sea in Gwaii Haanas. Photo courtesy of Parks Canada.

October 19 2018

BC’s Provincial Parks

cpawsadmin FrontPageOurWorkSlider, Parks Campaigns #fundbcparks, bc parks, camping bc, provincial parks

BC’S PROVINCIAL PARKS

It’s no secret: if you’ve ever hiked, paddled, or rode on horseback through one of BC’s provincial parks, you’ll know they contain some of the world’s most beautiful and wild places. From high alpine meadows bursting with wildflowers to towering ancient forests and crystal clear lakes, BC’s +1000 parks are places of peace—places we can connect to nature and find reprieve from the hustle and bustle of city life.

GOOD NEWS

Sadly, all is not quite well within our existing parks. With human pressure increasing in these places, we need to take care of our parks, like they take care of us.

CPAWS-BC and its partners have been campaigning for bold budget action for years. Provincial parks are key players in the fight against climate change and species extinction—crises that we hope to halt, so that nature can thrive forever.

Thankfully, our call was heard! In early 2021, the BC government announced a historic $80 million boost over three years to BC’s provincial parks—one that’s been overdue for decades. These funds could help hire more parks staff, build more backcountry trails, repair old guest facilities, and more.

TIMELINE

2000: BC’s Parks receive huge budget cut
2010: BC Auditor General finds that BC Parks isn’t meeting mandate to preserve nature in parks
2016: $35M budget boost over three years, BC Parks Foundation created
2021: $83M budget boost over three years announced in Budget 2021

PRESSURES CONTINUE IN BC’S PARKS

Though the 2021 budget increase was welcome news, our parks continue to face tremendous pressure as more people visit them. This massive increase means that park rangers are still stretched thin, trying their hardest to enforce regulations that protect nature.

Nature, animals, plants, and humans suffer in parks without enough funding. As visitation increases, so does littering, dangerous wildlife interactions, and off-trail ventures. When bridges, paths, outhouses, and tent pads break or go missing, they aren’t repaired or replaced—ultimately taking away from enjoyable and meaningful experiences in parks.

Together, let’s make sure the provincial government knows that having world-class provincial parks is a top priority for British Columbians.

Your support makes this work possible. Will you make a gift to defend BC’s lands and waters today?

Yes! I'd like to support BC's provincial parks

October 18 2018

Grizzly Bears

cpawsadmin Campaigns, FrontPageOurWorkSlider, Wildlife Campaigns coast to cascades

Grizzly bears have been admired by inhabitants of these lands for generations: they are fiercely protective mothers, strong and fearless when called for, and share homes with us across the province—homes that are shrinking and dividing rapidly because of us.

Of the 50,000 kiʔlawnaʔ that used to roam freely across North America—from Mexico to the northern shores of the Arctic Ocean—mere hundreds remain in BC and Washington’s most critical populations. We need urgent conservation measures to protect these animals.

BC’S GRIZZLY BEARS ARE IN TROUBLE

In BC, there are 55 Grizzly Bear populations, and 60% of them are threatened. In the southwestern part of the province, there are fewer than 300 Grizzly bears remaining in six populations, with as few as 24 bears in the Stein-Nahatlatch population and six bears in the North Cascades population.

Map with black bear icons shows red population density in six southwest regions — Grizzly Bear Population Units of Southwest BC | Coast to Cascades

Habitat destruction and fragmentation from roads, logging, and human interactions are the top reasons that BC’s grizzly populations are hurting. Though Grizzly Bear trophy hunting is banned in the province, defensive shootings, garbage-related conflicts, and vehicle collisions continue to threaten them.

WHY THEY SHOULD BE PROTECTED

Grizzly Bears are a keystone species in North America, which means their presence in a landscape shows us how healthy or harmed an ecosystem is. Losing them means that other animals like moose can grow in number and decimate local vegetation, hampering biodiversity and leaving less food for other species that depend on it

They also help disperse berry seeds through eating and excreting plants, aerate soil when they dig up tubers in the fall, and introduce nitrogen to riverbed soil when salmon carcasses are left to decompose.

For the St’át’imc, sməlqmix / suknaʔkinx (Okanagan), Stó:lō, Nlaka’pamux, Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Úxumixw (Squamish), and Secwépemc (Shuswap) Peoples, Grizzly Bears are of high cultural importance. They are healers and teachers, showing communities where to find food and how to raise children. Several of these First Nations have advocated for better protection of BC’s Grizzly Bears.

Despite the obstacles they face, there’s hope for our Grizzly Bears. Learn more about how these communities are protecting Grizzly Bears with support from Coast to Cascades, a coalition (including CPAWS-BC) working to sound the alarm for grizzlies in BC:

Video: Grizzly Bear Translocation Initiative: A Hope for the Stein-Nahatlach Grizzly Bear Population

If you go out in the woods today and see a Grizzly Bear, please call the reporting hotline: 1-855-GO-GRIZZ (1-855-464-7499)

Want to talk with someone who shares your love for bears? Call Sarah, Development Manager for ways you can support Grizzly Bear conservation efforts in BC. Call 604-685-7445 x33 or email: sarah@cpawsbc.org

Support Grizzly Bears

October 17 2018

South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park Reserve

cpawsadmin Campaigns, FrontPageOurWorkSlider, Parks Campaigns, Pathway to Canada’s Biodiversity Targets okangan

Photo: Graham Osborne

With its semi-arid deserts of fragrant sagebrush, and its valleys dotted with ponderosa pine, the nxʷəlxʷəltantət (South Okanagan-Similkameen) grasslands are a place where birds like the Flammulated Owl soar, and North American Badgers burrow to build their homes. In the coming years, these animals—along with over 200 other red listed species in BC—will be better protected through a new National Park Reserve (NPR) that will bring several smaller protected areas together into one continuous park.

Grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Protecting these grasslands should be a top priority—doing so will honour the cultural values of the sməlqmix / suknaʔkinx (Okanagan First Nation), slow species extinction, keep huge amounts of carbon stored in the ground, and provide meaningful recreation opportunities through birdwatching, hiking and more. It would also boost local economies in nearby communities like Osoyoos and Oliver.

GOOD NEWS

After nearly 20 years of hard work from local communities and CPAWS-BC advocating for protection in the South Okanagan-Similkameen, three levels of government—the syilx/Okanagan Nation, provincial, and federal–signed iʔ sc̓ax̌ʷtət, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to begin formal work on establishing a National Park Reserve (NPR) in the area. This park would span 27,300 hectares and protect dozens of species that need our help.

TIMELINE

2003: Canada and BC sign an MOU to assess the feasibility of an NPR in the South Okanagan
2012: Okanagan First Nation completes feasibility study for potential park
2017: Okanagan Nation Alliance, Canadian and BC governments renew promise to create park
2018: Consultations on park begin
2019: Woohoo! MOU signed to solidify commitment to park
2020: Negotiations begin

RIGHT NOW

Currently, negotiations between the syilx/Okanagan Nation, BC, and Canada are underway: this process can take up to four years. In an August 2021 newsletter, Parks Canada noted that no new mining or logging ventures could take place until a final decision on park establishment is made.

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October 15 2018

Scott Islands

cpawsadmin Ocean Campaigns british columbia, marine protected area, mnwa, national wildlife area, protected area, scott islands, triangle island, tufted puffin

Seabird Sanctuary on the Scott Islands

Photo: Sabine Jessen

Safeguarding millions of migrating seabirds from around the world

The Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area (mNWA) off the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island is a global hub for migratory birds. Over one million seabirds nest in colonies on the marine protected area’s (MPA) five stormy, foggy, and rocky islands. Outside of the breeding season, millions of seabirds from across the Pacific Ocean feed in the surrounding rich waters. Internationally recognized as an important bird area, it provides important habitat for:

90% of Canada’s tufted puffins
95% of Pacific Canada’s common murres
50% of the world’s Cassin’s auklets
7% of the world’s rhinoceros auklets

But it’s not only a home for seabirds. These waters provide habitat for cod, sablefish, flatfishes, hake and herring. Seals, sea lions, whales and other marine mammals also call use the area throughout the year.

Over one million seabirds nest in colonies on the marine protected area’s islands

Safeguarding millions of migrating seabirds from around the world

90% of Canada’s tufted puffins
95% of Pacific Canada’s common murres
50% of the world’s Cassin’s auklets
7% of the world’s rhinoceros auklets

Over one million seabirds nest in colonies on the marine protected area’s islands

Stronger Protections for the Scott Islands

However, this MPA is not strongly protected. Bottom trawling, a fishing method involving heavy nets that destroys seafloor habitat, is allowed in much of the MPA. Decades-old offshore oil and gas exploration permits still overlap with the wildlife area. Shipping traffic heavily transits through the area, dumping hazardous waste into the ocean.

In 2019, Canada committed to implementing minimum standards for MPAs prohibiting oil and gas activities, mining, dumping and bottom trawling. Applying these standards to the Scott Islands mNWA would go a long way to adequately safeguarding marine life and the ocean they depend on for survival.

The Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area will be part of a planned marine protected area network for Northern Shelf Bioregion on the North and Central Coasts of BC.

iFrames are not supported on this page.

Stronger Protections for the Scott Islands

The Scott Islands marine National Wildlife Area will be part of a planned marine protected area network for Northern Shelf Bioregion on the North and Central Coasts of BC.

iFrames are not supported on this page.

Stay in the loop! Subscribe for the latest Scott Islands updates, action alerts and more right to your inbox.

September 25 2018

Orcas

cpawsadmin Campaigns, Wildlife Campaigns wildlife

Northern and Southern Resident Killer Whales are iconic species on British Columbia’s coast. These orcas rely on healthy waters in the Salish Sea and around Vancouver Island. But they are facing numerous threats and their ocean home is being degraded.

PROTECT CRITICAL HABITAT

Studies have shown that southern residents frequent parts of the Strait of Georgia, like the Gulf Islands, which are not mapped in the critical habitat. That means important foraging areas could be left unprotected. We are asking Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to expand critical habitat areas to include these important zones.

DFO can also address the threat of prey scarcity by creating refuges in southern residents’ key foraging areas. These refuges would restrict commercial and recreational fishing of Chinook salmon, the whales’ preferred prey, and help the orcas hunt a dwindling food source.

Most importantly, the federal government must legislate bold and effective protections for critical habitat. Critical habitat for northern resident killer whales includes the coastal waters off northern Vancouver Island, where fish farms still dot the waters. Fish farms do not belong in the orcas’ home: government must work to remove existing fish farms as well as put a moratorium on any new aquaculture in critical orca habitat.

The southern resident population has critical habitat at the entrance to major ports in Vancouver and Seattle. They are plagued by thunderously loud shipping lanes, which inhibit natural activities and raise the risk of fatal ship strikes. In the Salish Sea, protections must include a mandatory speed limit for commercial shipping and tanker traffic to reduce harmful noise pollution.

CPAWS-BC is working to protect critical orca habitat with community members, partners, and government officials. You can help by submitting your input on critical habitat changes, and spreading the word to mobilize others to take action for killer whales.

For years, CPAWS has worked to advance a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in the Southern Strait of Georgia. This marine protected area would help protect orca habitat, as well as safeguard a unique ocean ecosystem teaming with life.

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