Habitat Acquisition Trust
661 Burnside Rd E V8W 1J4 Victoria, BC, Canada

Thanks so much to our friends at Soulful Sister Aromatherapy for supporting our campaign to protect Mountain Road Forest by donating 2% of sales until Earth Day! Please go treat yourself to some self-care (Headache Relief Roll-on, anyone?) and help save our natural spaces at the same time!

Did you hear? The ultra talented Alena from @owlandbearstudio has generously offered to design and print an adorable t-shirt to help raise funds for Mountain Road Forest! Help us protect 49 acres of forest in WSANEC territory and make another park together. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we need your help. Head over to @owlandbearstudio for a tee and visit mountainroadforest.ca for all the good info.... #yyj #yyjevents #saanich #wsáne #wsáneterritory #park #nature #donate @rebeccamersereau @nathaliechambersaanich @nedtaylorcouncillor @zacdevries @crdparks @crd_bc @colinplant2018 @fred.j.haynes @creativelyunited

THANK YOU to all the fantastic folks who joined us for the short film premiere of "Being a Good Neighbour to Nature" last Friday! We were thrilled to hear about all of the restoration and stewardship projects families and individuals are working on in their backyards. If you missed the event on Friday, we will be posting the recording later this week, so you can check it out then. As well, many thanks to Alex Harris for putting this short film together to capture the essence ...of our Good Neighbours Program, and to the Habitat Stewards for making the video possible, and for sharing their insights with us all. You can view the short film by Alex Harris and HAT's Habitat Stewards "Being a Good Neighbour to Nature," summarizing our Good Neighbours Program, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch If you are interested in a land care visit or support with your stewardship project, feel free to send us an email at [email protected], and we will get back to you later this spring. As our Wildwood Project focus wraps up this month, we will be announcing a new focus for our Good Neighbours Program in the coming weeks.

GIVEAWAY Tonight one lucky person will receive a $100.00 gift certificate to @saanichnativeplants nursery!! How to enter: Just show up to the film premiere tonight at ~7pm on Zoom and stay for the short film screening. Afterwards, one person will receive the $100 gift certificate, and the runner up will go home with the $25 seed packet of Spring Native Wildflower Blend. Visit the link in bio or the Facebook event for Zoom info. ... Seeds are native to the south island and gulf islands #yyj #yyjevents #film #conservation #nature #steward #habitat #garden #wildflower #spring #meadow

film premiere alert Meet our filmmaker Alex Harris (she/her) @alexharrris_ creator of our brand new short film "Being a Good Neighbour to Nature" premiering Friday March 19 at 7:00pm Here are some photos of what is to come! "From a young age, she has fostered a deep connection and responsibility to the environment. Alex sees media as a critical tool to uplift voices, elicit empathy, inspire action and create change. She is humbled to work alongside dedicated enviro...nmental stewards and community leaders." Join us Friday March 19 to see the first screening of the film! Plus hear from the stewards in the video LIVE - ask questions, share ideas, get connected! More info in bio and below #yyj #yyjevents #victoriabc #film #lekwungenterritory #wsáneterritory #scianewterritory #tsouketerritory #nature #stewardship #conservation All photos by @alexharrris_

Only 2 days until HAT's Good Neighbours Film Screening & Discussion event! Happening Friday, March 19th from 7-8:30pm on zoom. To attend, visit the link on our Facebook event page: https://fb.me/e/DCY102oY

Announcement : The Habitat Stewards Mapping Workshop is now FULL! THANK YOU to everyone who signed up for this special online event, happening this Wednesday! We are thrilled to be hosting this event in collaboration with the CRD, BCWF, and the Bilston Watershed Protection Association, and hope to do more events like this in the near future. Stay tuned for our Good Neighbours Wildwood Habitat Stewards Video Event happening online on Friday, March 19th from 7-8pm. More details coming soon.

The FERN : Updates and Upcoming Events from HAT - https://mailchi.mp/hat.bc.ca/feb_2021_fern

NEW HABITAT STEWARDSHIP EVENT NEXT WEEK As part of the HAT Good Neighbours Program , HAT is partnering with the Capital Regional District (CRD), @bcwildlifefederation , and the Bilston Watershed Protection Association to launch an online stewardship & mapping workshop for landowners, land managers, and anyone interested in nature and mapping across the CRD. From locating yourself in a watershed, to understanding wildlife corridors, this workshop will provide an exce...llent introduction to the concept of habitat mapping! Join us for this special free online event next Wednesday, February 10th @9:30am - 12:30pm, by RSVPing via email to: [email protected].

Happening next Wednesday, February 10th is HAT's Virtual Habitat Stewards Mapping Workshop! Curious about learning the basics of habitat mapping on Google MyMaps and the CRD Atlas? Check out this free interactive workshop presented by HAT, CRD, BC Wildlife Federation, and the Bilston Creek Watershed Society! ... RSVP to [email protected], or call the HAT office at 250.995.2428.

We still have a few 2021 Wildlife Calendars left. They are made by and full of beautiful wildlife artwork by Alena Owl and Bear Studio (http://www.owlandbearstudio.com/). Each month contains a unique picture with description of it below, and at the end of the year can be cut out and turned into a print you can frame. Each one is $25 each and make wonderful wall hangings and gifts for the nature lover in your life. Proceeds go to Owl and Bear Studio and Habitat Acquisition ...Trust’s conservation programs. Get them before they are gone! Direct Message us to order or email at [email protected]

What brings people together and benefits human and more-than-human connections? The Wavelengths Community Choir & Gettin' Higher Choir's concert "For Our Future World" taking place over Zoom this Saturday, January 30, at 7pm Pacific. This FREE EVENT will showcase the two choirs as they express their love for community and the environment through song, and donations are being collected to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria and Habitat Acquisition Trust. Register at http://www.gettinhigherchoir.ca/ or https://wavelengthschoir.ca/ or through the info below. We at HAT are honoured to participate in this event, and as partners with these great groups.

Last minute gifts for the nature lover in your life! - https://mailchi.mp/h/last-minute-gifts-for-the-nature-lover

December HATTY News - https://mailchi.mp/hat.bc.ca/december_fern_2020

96-year old Bob McMinn, a still active HAT Habitat Steward & long-time conservationist is interviewed by Focus Magazine for his ongoing efforts towards the protection of nature in the region. Read more here: https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/earthrise/60/

HAT staff, Wendy and Sara, and volunteers had a successful day removing Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) on one of HAT’s covenant lands on Galiano Island this past Wednesday! The rain held off, and @miko__photo captured some spectacular photos of the place, and the restoration day. Thank you to all of our volunteers who made this restoration possible! @islandstrust

Next Tuesday is #GivingTuesday & #GivingTuesdayCanada!

HAT Volunteers restoring Garry Oak rock outcrops on Galiano Island!

Did you catch the news featuring our ED Katie and the new Project to Protect Mountain Road? Help us raise $1.4 million! hat.bc.ca/donate

We are Three Weeks away from #GivingTuesday & #GivingTuesdayCanada. It's a great chance for you to participate in a day of general #goodwill, #positive #vibes, #optimistic #spirit, and #gathering as a #community around working together, for any cause. Please consider donating to a charity this Giving Tuesday (even consider a donation to Habitat Acquisition Trust). COVID has changed a lot of things in the world, but it hasn't changed the need to support underfunded projects.

We are TWO Weeks away from #GivingTuesday & #GivingTuesdayCanada. It's a great chance for you to participate in a day of general #goodwill, #positive #vibes, #optimistic #spirit, and #gathering as a #community around working together, for any cause. Please consider donating to a charity this Giving Tuesday (even consider a donation to Habitat Acquisition Trust). COVID has changed a lot of things in the world, but it hasn't changed the need to support underfunded projects.

Exciting News! We are proud to announce the launch of our fundraising campaign to help purchase nearly 50 acres of forest in the heart of west Saanich. Raising the funds needed to protect this property forever will take all of us. Check out https://www.mountainroadforest.ca/ to learn more. ... We have a very short amount of time to raise a significant amount of money through private, charitable donations. All funds need to be in place by Earth DayApril 22, 2021.

What a day for monitoring HAT covenants on Galiano Island! Barb and Wendy, at Matthew's Point Regional Park! Not a stitch of dry clothing by the end of the day!! Even though, the beauty of the land shines through.

There's a great opportunity to help out local artists in our community this weekend, and score some great, hand-crafted gifts for the holiday season, all while being socially distant! Take a look at the Owl Designer Fair 2020 and help support some of Habitat Acquisition Trust 's business partners like Onyx Lion Herbs (https://www.onyxlionherbs.com/).

I don't think nature got the memo that we have Covenant monitoring to get done! Rain or shine our fantastic Land Protection Coordinator Barb von Sacken gets the job done, working with passionate landowners and dedicated volunteers to monitor these protected lands. This work happens EVERY year and is only possible thanks to the fantastic people dedicated to not only protecting these natural spaces but also managing them. This particular covenant is home to bears, owls, cougars, and myriad of other wildlife who are very thankful for the space that has been protected for them. If you want to learn more about creating a covenant on your property to protect the land for the animals and future generations please visit: https://www.hat.bc.ca/conservation-covenants

Today’s Thimbleberry plant salvage at a Central Saanich berry farm for the Colquitz Middle School Green Spots in Schools Program was a success! Later this week, middle school students will be learning how to transplant these thimbleberry rootballs into their native plant garden.