Sargeant Bay Society

05/14/2026

Upcoming SBS events: Mark your calendars!

Annual Botany Walk with Key Goodwin 0930-1130 hrs Sunday May17th. Meet at main parking lot, not the lower berm parking area.

Salmon Release festival with Key Goodwin 0930-1130 hrs Saturday May16th. Chapman Creek fish hatchery

Birding on the Berm with Tony and Rand 0900 hrs Sunday May23rdh.

Sargeant Bay Society AGM June 2 . Zoom links have been sent out and will be repeated closer to the date.

Yellow Flag Iris removal 0900- prepare to go wading!!.

Natural history tour of Galapagos by Rand at Sechelt Arts centre at7pm

Sargeant Bay Low Tide exploration is scheduled for Tuesday, Jul 14th between 11 and 2. This is a super low tide so it will be interesting to see further out in the bay than in the last decade.

05/14/2026

Invasive species removal and beach cleanup on this morning at Sargeant Bay PP. If you can help, grab some gloves and rake and join the fun.

05/08/2026

Come join us at Sargeant Bay tomorrow evening May 8th to learn more about bats from expert Dr. Michelle Evelyn, starting at 8:15.

04/24/2026

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Happy Earth Day, Tofino. 🌊

As of today, Tofino is the first municipality in Canada to ban the sale of single-use plastic water bottles. Over 60,000 bottles have been recovered from Vancouver Island's west coast beaches since 2015, and that's just what volunteers found.

This is a win worth celebrating. But single-use bottles are only part of the problem. Right now, BC allows commercial water bottlers to extract water from our aquifers and watersheds, package it in plastic and sell it, including for export because of a loophole. Water bottling companies pay just pennies for large volumes of water that they sell off, one bottle at a time, while communities face drought and dry wells.

Tofino knows this risk firsthand. Just three years ago, the community came close to declaring a local state of emergency due to a water shortage and unprecedented drought.

CodeBlue BC is calling on the province to stop issuing new water bottling licenses and raise industrial water rates. What Tofino is doing at the local level, BC needs to do at the provincial level: https://www.codebluebc.ca/letterwriter

Read the full story here: https://www.codebluebc.ca/media-links

04/23/2026

CONCERNING UPDATE FROM B.C. WATERS

Four grey whales have been found dead off the coast of British Columbia in just 10 days, raising urgent concerns among marine researchers. Experts say many of the whales discovered were severely emaciated, suggesting a serious struggle to find food in their Arctic feeding grounds.

Scientists believe a dramatic decline in prey availability linked to changing Arctic conditions and shrinking sea ice may be driving this worrying trend. Similar whale deaths are also being reported along the U.S. west coast, pointing to a broader marine ecosystem issue.

With grey whale numbers already declining, researchers warn this pattern could signal a deeper environmental shift affecting ocean health and marine life survival.

The situation is still developing as migration continues.

04/22/2026

A look inside a beaver lodge.

04/19/2026

Every week during spring, new birds are migrating back to your yard, neighborhood, and local parks. And once they return, they’ll let you know they’re here. ...

04/17/2026

Salmon at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park

Salmon at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park Returning to Fish Ladder and Colvin Creek

04/15/2026

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Did you know the Sunshine Coast is home to several internationally recognized Key Biodiversity Areas? These sites are critical for the survival of rare and endangered species found nowhere else on earth! 🌎

The primary designated Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) on the Sunshine Coast BC Canada is the 70 square km Sakinaw–Ruby–Garden Bay KBA (BC320), officially recognized in 2025.

It serves as a vital ecological corridor, featuring meromictic lakes (lakes with distinct non-mixing water layers) and rare Coastal Douglas-fir/arbutus ecosystems.

This KBA is crucial for protecting the biodiversity of the region’s lakes, streams, and coastal bluff habitats.

📍 Sakinaw–Ruby–Garden Bay KBA
This is a crown jewel of local conservation. It protects:
🐟 Sakinaw Sockeye Salmon: This site supports 100% of the world’s population of this endangered species.
🦋 Oregon Branded Skipper: Home to 11% of the Canadian population of this rare butterfly.
🐢 Western Painted Turtle: A vital habitat for 23% of the threatened Pacific Coast population.

📍 Nelson Island KBAs
Just offshore, Nelson Island hosts two unique sites:
💧 West Lake: A primary sanctuary for the Western Painted Turtle.
🐟 Little Quarry Lake: Protects a unique, isolated evolution of the Three-spined Stickleback.

📍 White Islets–Chapman and Wilson Estuaries
A coastal powerhouse for bird biodiversity, essential for:
🐦 Black Oystercatchers
🐦 Marbled Murrelets
🐦 Surfbirds

🌱 Local Biodiversity Gems
Beyond official KBAs, our community works hard to protect:
✨ Sargeant Bay Provincial Park (A top birding hotspot)
✨ The Hidden Grove (Old-growth forest and wildlife corridor)
✨ Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden (Native plant conservation)


MORE INFO at https://kbacanada.org/

: Sakinaw Lake, Pender Harbour courtesy Tom Hassan https://tomhassan.com

Let’s keep our coast wild and protected! 🌊🌲

Please keep comments and conversations civil and respectful 👇

SOURCE: information compiled with help of Copilot.

12/17/2025