Friends of Strathcona Park

09/25/2026

Sharing this event for our friends at the Strathcona Wilderness Institute. Hoping many of you are available to attend.

Please join us on Saturday September 26th for our 4th Annual Elders Memorial Hike and Tea, the last event of our Summer 2026 season.

This annual event is dedicated to long-time supporters of both SWI and Strathcona Provincial Park, honouring the work and commitment they provided and continue to provide in the protection and public awareness of the incredible wilderness areas within the park. We will honour the legacies of Elders no longer with us such as Chris Carter, Steve Smith, Ruth Masters, and Melda Buchanan, along with the many environmentalists and advocates for the park who still are.

The day will start with a hike out to Croteau Lake and “Chris Carter Lookout” (easy/moderate 12km round trip, 270m elevation gain) led by SWI Research Director Loys Maingon and our long-standing hiking guide Janet Beggs, offering a spectacular view over Ball Lake and Plateau, and out towards the Comox Glacier and beyond. Following the hike, tea and cookies will be served in the Ruth Master’s Nature Hall at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre.

We look forward to seeing you there!

This event runs free of charge! However, as a volunteer-run non-profit organization, SWI does rely on your donations for support.

To pre-register and for more information, please email [email protected]

09/22/2026

For those who explore trails that are accessed through Mosaic-managed areas, consider providing your input through this survey.

Communications about recreational access was among the most frequently raised issues in our 2025 recreation survey, which drew 7,600 responses. An independent review commissioned by Mosaic reached a similar conclusion, recommending improvements to how access information reaches the public. This surv...

08/14/2026

Presenting the new amd returning directors of the Friends of Strathcona executive team. Excited for the year ahead!

07/31/2026

Shout out to the Gibson Art Museum at SFU for featuring the Friends of Strathcona Park photo from a protest back in the 80s, as part of their current exhibit Strategies of Assembly: Revel and Revolt in British Columbia, highlighting pieces from SFU’s Special Collections and Rare Books.

07/25/2026

A memorable AGM for the Friends of Strathcona Park. We celebrated long-term retiring directors and welcomed new directors to the board. It was also an absolute pleasure and honour to be joined by Jake Masselink, retired Assistant Deputy Minister of Parks 1986 – 1996, Derek Thompson, retired park planner and land use policy development, and Ron Quilter, retired Section Head for North Island and Supervisor of Strathcona Park, who all spoke about their years with BC Parks and their relationship with FOSP.

05/21/2026

We are seeking to new positions on our board in time for our AGM in July. Please check the link below for more information or message us directly with any questions. Kindly also share this with your network.
https://www.volunteerconnector.org/courtenay/friends-of-strathcona-park

05/13/2026

THANK YOU to all the wonderful volunteers who came out and did an incredible job with clearing the Scotch Broom at the Karst Creek campsite in Strathcona Park this past weekend. An unbelievable amount of work was accomplished and we could not have done it without you. This project was made possible in partnership with BC Parks and the generous funding from the Sitka Foundation. We’re so grateful — thank you again!

05/09/2026

While backcountry fire is not permitted in Strathcona Park anytime, this is an important reminder that campfire ban is now in effect for Vancouver Island. Help protect the places we all love. Please let us do our best to prevent human-caused wildfires this year.

Effective at 12 p.m. PDT on Thursday, May 7, Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 open fires are prohibited across the Coastal Fire Centre. The exception is the Haida Gwaii Forest District, where Category 1 campfires are permitted.

These measures are being taken to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires associated with open burning activities.

This prohibition will remain in place until October 31, 2026, or until it is rescinded.

Always check with your local government before burning, as they may have their own prohibitions in place.

For the full information bulletin, list of prohibited activities and detailed map, visit: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/coastal-fire-centre-enacting-open-fire-prohibitions/