Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem Marine Reference Guide

Thanks for sharing Bowen Island Municipality! Don't forget to fill out the Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem Aquatic Survey. We want to hear from YOU

Did you know that it was initially believed that glass sponge reefs had gone extinct during the Jurassic Period? Now we know that our own backyard is home to t...hese unique ecosystems that provide important habitat for many marine animals including spot prawns, rockfish, herring, halibut and sharks. Want to know everything about what we are up to for World Ocean Day this year? Head over to our friends Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative and read all about it! Or just click the link here: https://www.howesoundbri.org//world-oceans-day-2021-in-how photo: Adam Taylor My Sea to Sky, Squamish Arts Council, Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative, Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem Marine Reference Guide, Blue Mar 4 Change, Ocean Wise

Students are invited to learn more about the interconnectedness of Howe Sound/Átl’a7tsem's ecosystems, species, human impacts and climate change on World Ocean's Day!

To kick off World Oceans week, SAVE THE DATE for ***June 7th*** Celebrate Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem with us for the second year! Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZMucOqurTkuHdRnjj4uUC7nptcFc-l2T

To kick off World Oceans week, SAVE THE DATE for ***June 7th*** Celebrate Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem with us for the second year! Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZMucOqurTkuHdRnjj4uUC7nptcFc-l2T

Tune in on May 4th for this amazing event hosted by Swim Wild Squamish!

If you're looking for entertainment tonight, check out this event happening from 7-8pm. An evening of story-telling about positive community-led ocean stewardship in Howe Sound/Átl'a7tsem. Register below

Do you want to show your love of Kwil’akm/Mannion Bay? Here are some things you can check off in the poll! Don't forget to send us your story before THIS FRID...AY'S DEADLINE! Click to submit your story https://forms.gle/WccuBgyZu6a9nYeR6 Click to register for our event https://us02web.zoom.us//tZAlcO6gqD4uG9WjJ3nJnhiKw1H365civ Can you tell we're excited for this event?!

Happy December 1st everyone! This year has been a difficult one and it's in these times that we need uplifting stories more than ever. There's 11 days left to s...ubmit a tale about Mannion Bay. We would love to hear YOUR story! Submit it today through this link: https://docs.google.com//1FAIpQLSdb5ZH_hcG7UVAowB/viewform And don't forget to register for our event. We can't wait! https://us02web.zoom.us//tZAlcO6gqD4uG9WjJ3nJnhiKw1H365civ

Do you have a story about Kwil'akm Mannion Bay?

Dive into Kwil'akm/Mannion Bay on Nexwlélexwem/Bowen Island with Bob Turner as he explores the resilience and connection of stream to ocean. "This movie has been a surprise for me I’ve long overlooked the wild values of Mannion Bay/Deep Bay on Bowen Island because of its many waterfront homes, docks and moored boats. But over the past few years, good things have happened in the Bay through community involvement with moorage management, underwater clean ups, boat salvage, and eelgrass restoration. So this summer I explored it from Terminal Creek, through the Lagoon, to the Bay and saw it for what it is a rich mixing zone of stream and ocean. It was an eye-opener for me so much wild living, so near." -Bob Turner

It's happening!!! We are absolutely delighted to let you know that, on Friday last week, we successfully negotiated and signed an offer to purchase 30 acres f...or our much-desired waterfront park at Cape Roger Curtis. In October 2019 we started on a journey, after learning that funding for land acquisition would be available from private souces, towards establishing a 30 acre waterfront park at Cape Roger Curtis. The lots 20, 21, and 22, are extremely beautiful. Whales swim past just off the lichen-covered cliffs, a litle way from a peaceful forest. Conservation status would protect the rare coast bluff ecosystem that's present, and make it possible to remedy the damage done by preliminary development activities. The exact location of these lots and the park that would result is shown on the map below. We have much to do in the coming weeks, preparing for the transfer of title/ownership for the lots, which happens on December 16th. After that the land will be ours and our park will be a reality. Details: -Can you visit the park now? Until December 16th the land does not belong to the Conservancy, and is not open to the public. -How much did the land cost? Earlier this year the Conservancy retained the services of a respected and well-established firm of real estate appraisers to establish the fair market value of the lands, based on the highest and best use as single family residential 10 acre lots. The appraisal set the fair market value of the 3 lots at $7.2 million. Our initial offer to purchase for that amount was rejected by The Cape on Bowen (the current owners). Following discussions with our advisers and our donors, we continued to negotiate and this week agreed to purchase the lots for $8.8 million. -You announced this in March. Why has it taken so long to negotiate the offer to purchase? Buying a large parcel of land is a complicated process in its own right. Additional complexity has resulted from (a) the pandemic, (b) the fact that this is the Conservancy’s first land purchase, (c) the need for extensive discussions among the Directors of the Conservancy, The Cape on Bowen, our donors, our lawyers, and other parties. -Is this park part of the developer's proposed rezoning plan for the unsold lots at Cape Roger Curtis? - No. Our purchase of the three lots is completely independent of efforts to rezone land by the Cape on Bowen, and the Conservancy is not involved with these rezoning efforts. -How will you make the land into a park? What will be done with the driveways and building pads that have been built on these lots? As we move forward we look forward to working with the Bowen Island community to decide how best to transform the land into a park. We have to put a management plan in place, and develop trails, signage, and a shoreline viewing platform to protect the sensitive vegetation on the cliffs by the sea. As well, we need to decide how to perform remediation to return the land to its natural state where development has occurred. All this will take time and money, and volunteers: we hope that this will be a true community effort. We will keep you posted as things progress on this exciting initiative! In celebration, The Bowen Island Conservancy

Don't miss OUR NEW blog post all about maps! As we work towards creating the online interactive map of Howe Sound/Átl’ka7tsem, we have been striving to learn more about diverse ways of mapping and creating spatial knowledge that better reflects and includes diverse ways of knowing about marine, coastal, and terrestrial ecosystems and communities. Check out these other projects that are striving to decolonize maps. ... Thanks to Amy Kikuchi for writing this blog through the collaboration of the Ocean Bridge Direct Action program, an Ocean Wise initiative! #oceanbridge #mapping

Our hearts go out to the #seatoskygondola today after hearing this morning’s news Allowing visitors to connect with Atl’a7tsem /Howe Sound from the top of the gondola is invaluable. When people are able to appreciate the beauty of something they’ll want to protect it.

Are you looking for ways to learn more about nature, spend time outdoors, or get involved in conservation? Although it can be difficult during these times of social distancing, technology has provided us with some new ways of learningfor example, through apps! Here's a list of five nature-related apps that might interest you. Check them out! Thanks to Amy Kikuchi for writing this blog through the collaboration of the Ocean Bridge Direct Action program, an Ocean Wise initiative!

NEW! Check out edition one of a quarterly newsletter to foster community engagement and marine conservation in our beloved Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound!

The Ocean Watch Atl’a7tsem/Txwnéwu7ts/Howe Sound Edition 2020 (edition 2) report is out! Three virtual release events are being held to introduce the communities and local governments to the new report. Click the links to register! Thursday August 27th at 6:30pm (tomorrow!) https://oceanwise.webex.com/oceanwise/onstage/g.php Sunday the August 30th at 6pm... https://oceanwise.webex.com/oceanwise/onstage/g.php Wednesday Sept 2nd at 1:30pm https://oceanwise.webex.com/oceanwise/onstage/g.php "We hope that the progress identified on actions since 2017 will continue to motivate and inspire many people in the Sound to persist in their efforts to protect and restore this beautiful marine ecosystem. With collaborative, sustained efforts, many improvements in the health of various species and habitats have been seen. We need to continue working together in a cohesive, coordinated manner to ensure we protect the Sound and all of the species that live there in the face of climate change and increasing population pressures." - Aroha Miller (Ocean Watch Manager)

50% of divers said that they have participated in citizen science/ monitoring in Howe Sound/ Átl'a7tsem - that's incredible! Click the link below and dive deeper into more interesting results from our Scuba Diving in Howe Sound/ Átl'a7tsem survey! https://howesoundguide.ca//Scuba-Diving-in-Howe-Sound-surv

As we celebrate the increasingly frequent sightings of marvellous marine mammals (killer whales, humpbacks, sea lions oh my!), it is important to remember how recently we caused their decline and departure from our waters through industrial hunting. A community member recently shared this blog post with us from Ocean Wise's research department that describes the devastating impact of the whaling trade on the Strait of Georgia's resident humpback population in the twentieth century. https://wildwhales.org//humpbacks-return-to-georgia-strait/

"Bluespaces deserve the same attention, recognition, and protection that greenspaces have come to receive." We're thrilled to have Amy Kikuchi interning with us through Ocean Bridge Direct Action, an Ocean Wise initative. Check out Amy's recent blog post!