Habitat Acquisition Trust

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Habitat Acquisition Trust

Helping people understand & care for nature in the Capital region of B.C.

06/02/2026

Come learn about bats on a guided bat walk! 🦇

Join CRD Regional Parks naturalists and the HAT crew on a fun and educational walk as we explore the amazing world of bats.

Discover why bats are so interesting, what makes them so important to our ecosystems, and how we can help protect them. As the sun sets, we'll hopefully get to see the bats in action as they emerge from bat boxes at dusk to feed on insects. 🌙🦟

Date: Friday, June 12, 2026
Time: 8 to 9:30 pm
Location: Elk/Beaver Lake Regional Park. Meet at the Beaver Lake Picnic Shelter at the Filter Beds parking lot. No RSVP needed.

Further details can be found on the CRD community events page. See you there!
https://www.crd.ca/your-community/community-events

05/31/2026

Join HAT and PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ for a day of ecological restoration supporting the SṈIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project this WORLD OCEAN DAY! 🌊

SṈIDȻEȽ is an important place to the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. SṈIDȻEȽ means “Place of the Blue Grouse” in SENĆOŦEN and is the first W̱SÁNEĆ village site. The PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ team will guide volunteers through the restoration process, while following W̱SÁNEĆ protocol.

Training, tools, and snacks provided. Please bring plenty of water, and dress for the weather!

Date: Monday, June 8th 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: SṈIDȻEȽ (Tod Inlet Trailhead on Google Maps), Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. Follow the trail down to the water, where we will be gathering near the beach. The walk from Wallace drive may take 10 - 15 minutes.

Please RSVP at https://hat.bc.ca/volunteer

For more information on the SṈIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project, more detailed directions, and an overview of protocol, please go to https://www.pepakenhautw.com/

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

05/27/2026

🥕 Calling all local farmers and growers! 🥕

Join us on TUESDAY, JUNE 2ND for the first day of a two-day Hedgerows for Habitat workshop to learn everything hedgerows: the benefits of native plants, attracting pollinators, and fostering biodiversity. We're thrilled to be joined by Satinflower Nurseries, South Island Farmers' Institute, Pollinator Partnership Canada, Sea Bluff Farms, and Peas n' Carrots Farm.

This is a free workshop with many thanks to financial support provided under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

Please RSVP at www.sifarmersinstitute.ca/events and we'll see you there!🐝

05/26/2026

Last week, the HAT field crew spent a few days with Saanich Parks’ Stewardship and Natural Areas Crew removing scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) from Mt. Tolmie and PKOLS (Mt. Douglas). The crews removed and hauled out a total of 36m3 of biomass! Check out these before and after photos taken on PKOLS.

Removing these dense thickets of broom makes room for native species, such as ḰȽO¸EL / common camas (Camassia quamash) to thrive. After removing the broom, the crew found a few spring gold (Lomatium utriculatum) plants going to seed. Hope for the future of this site!

If you would like to get involved with Saanich Parks to volunteer at either of these locations removing invasive species, contact the Park Stewardship Coordinator at 250-475-5522 or [email protected] for more information.

05/21/2026

Join us in helping to heal the land and restore the native ecosystems on the Jim family's land in the W̱SÍ¸ḴEM (Tseycum) village forest. This project is led by Sarah Jim, a proud member of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation. Sarah is an artist, language learner, and deeply passionate about land stewardship through ecosystem restoration.

Date: Saturday, May 30th, 2026
Time: 10:00 am–2:00 pm
Location: RSVP at hat.bc.ca/volunteer for the address and additional event details. A follow-up email will be sent to all registrants prior to the event date.

For more updates on the W̱SÍ¸ḴEM Ivy Project, go to www.wsikemivyproject.com
Contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns

05/18/2026

The HAT team went into the field to monitor and count several populations of purple sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida) alongside biologists Carrina Maslovat, Purnima Govindarajulu, and Wylie Thomas, and the CDFCP program manager Stephanie Woods.

Purple sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida) is a red-listed species at risk in Canada and listed as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA). It is found in just a handful of locations, ranging from the Cowichan Valley through the southern Gulf Islands, Victoria, and west to Albert Head. Purple sanicle depends on well-drained meadows and open woodlands, habitats that are increasingly under pressure. The greatest threats to purple sanicle include habitat loss and fragmentation, and invasive species, with altered hydrology and trampling adding further stress to already vulnerable populations.

Monitoring work like this helps us better understand and protect these rare ecosystems and the species that depend on them. Consider supporting this work by donating at hat.bc.ca/donate or volunteering! Find volunteer events at hat.bc.ca/volunteer.

Photos by Jules Cundari and Vanessa Brownlee.

05/14/2026

WE REACHED OUR GOAL! 🥳

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our emergency bat fundraiser. We are incredibly humbled by your support. Reaching our $10,000 goal in just 3 days was nothing short of amazing! Your generosity showed just how deeply this community cares about our batty friends.

Because of you, HAT can continue critical bat conservation work this year, including habitat stewardship, bat monitoring, education, and protection for these little ecosystem superstars. 💛

While our local campaign has ended, the need for bat conservation funding across BC is still urgent. The BC Community Bat Program still needs support to continue responding to threats facing bats province-wide. If you’re able, please consider donating at bccf.com/donate and selecting “BC Community Bat Program.” Every contribution helps protect bats and the habitats they depend on.

You can also continue supporting local bat conservation year-round through HAT’s Wildlife Program at hat.bc.ca/donate. Want to see bats? Join us for a Bat Walk on June 12 or July 17! Visit hat.bc.ca/volunteer.

Thank you for showing up for bats when they needed it most. 🦇

Photo by Todd Carnahan: Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii)

05/08/2026

🚨 Emergency! Bats need your support! 🚨

A sudden loss of funding has left HAT's Community Bat Program at risk, and we need YOUR help to continue this critical work.

HAT has worked through the years to protect and restore bat habitat across southern Vancouver Island through stewardship, monitoring, public education, and the installation of bat boxes and roosting habitats. This work directly supports biodiversity and the long-term health of local ecosystems.

Unfortunately, we are facing a critical funding gap for this year’s bat program. Without emergency support from our community, important conservation activities may be delayed or reduced during a time when bats need help the most.

Your donation today will help sustain urgent bat stewardship locally, including:

🦇 Protecting and restoring bat habitat
🦇 Monitoring bat populations
🦇 Supporting stewardship and public education
🦇 Installing and maintaining bat roosting structures
🦇 Responding to emerging threats facing local bat species, like white-nose syndrome

DONATE TODAY AT https://gofund.me/0c61e0da5. Every contribution makes a difference.

With your support, we can ensure that HAT’s bat stewardship work continues this year and into the future. To learn more about HAT's Bat Program, visit hat.bc.ca/bats. Join one of our upcoming events, including guided bat walks this summer on June 12 and July 17. Find details at hat.bc.ca/volunteer.

05/03/2026

Join HAT and PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ for a day of ecological restoration supporting the SṈIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project during VICTORIA BIRD WEEK! 🦅

SṈIDȻEȽ is an important place to the W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. SṈIDȻEȽ means “Place of the Blue Grouse” in SENĆOŦEN and is the first W̱SÁNEĆ village site. The PEPÁḴEṈ HÁUTW̱ team will guide volunteers through the restoration process, while following W̱SÁNEĆ protocol.

Training, tools, and snacks provided. Please bring plenty of water, and dress for the weather!

Date: Monday, May 11th 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: SṈIDȻEȽ (Tod Inlet Trailhead on Google Maps), Gowlland Tod Provincial Park. Follow the trail down to the water, where we will be gathering near the beach. The walk from Wallace Drive may take 10-15 minutes.

Please RSVP at https://hat.bc.ca/volunteer

For more information on the SṈIDȻEȽ Resiliency Project, more detailed directions, and an overview of protocol, please go to https://www.pepakenhautw.com/

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.

Address

661 Burnside Road E
Victoria, BC
V8W1J4

Website

http://www.hat.bc.ca/

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