Raincoast Education Society
1084 Pacific Rim HWY V0R 2Z0 Tofino, BC, Canada

Raincoast Education Society 2021 Speakers Series! Experts from around the world.. in your own living room. via Zoom 6:30pm Here's the lineup: ... Jan 26: Nicole Smith, Sea Gardens of the BC Coast Feb 9: Ian Riddick, Cooking with Shellfish Feb 23: Mei Lin Neo, Giant Clams March 9: JP Hastey, Shellfish Aquaculture March 23: Melanie Bishop, Oyster Reef For more details: http://bit.ly/magnificent_mollusks #speakerseries

Read more about the Risso Dolphin who landed on our shores..

A whale washed up on the beach is both sad and exciting; it's never easy to see these beautiful creatures in death, but rarely do we get to appreciate their size and character face to face. The recent storms have cast up a Risso's Dolphin on Chesterman Beach, and a wonderful and very fresh specimen it is. Melville - in his exhaustive treatise on whales and whaling (and the human psyche for good measure) describes the species, known colloquially and taxonomically even today as... 'Grampus' thusly: "He is of moderate octave size, varying from fifteen to twenty-five feet in length, and of corresponding dimensions round the waist. He swims in herds; he is never regularly hunted, though his oil is considerable in quantity, and pretty good for light. By some fishermen his approach is regarded as premonitory of the advance of the great sperm whale." This species is common and easily seen off the BC coast, but you will need to venture out to the shelf break where the shallow waters of the continental shelf fall off into the deep. Along the steeper slopes of the shelf break is where you'll find groups of a few dozen (exceptionally up to a few thousand!) Rissos's Dolphins coming up to rest and recuperate after their deeper dives in search of squid and other cephalopods. They are always exciting to see out on the water, but do go and take a closer look at this one if you get the chance. That wonderful marbled look is due to superficial scarring of the skin caused by the teeth of other dolphins. The nature of these interactions is poorly understood, but the injuries sustained are clearly not overly detrimental. In fact, for human researchers they can be quite useful in identifying individual animals. Here in the Northeast Pacific there are so many animals (tens of thousands) spread over such a vast distance that detailed studies are impractical, but in other areas with more restricted populations such as the Meditaranean, individuals and family groups are tracked with relative ease. RIP little buddy. See more

Who are we? The Raincoast Education Society (RES) is an independent non-profit society and registered Canadian charity. The RES was established in August 2000 with a mission to help shape an environmentally sustainable future for the Clayoquot and Barkley Sound region through education and community stewardship. Our aim is to enable citizens within and beyond the Clayoquot and Barkley Sound region to participate knowledgeably, effectively and responsibly in the work of shaping this future for our region and for our planet. Learn more: https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are

Meet Sarah! After serving the RES for many years on our board of directors, Sarah is joining the team as our Communications Director. Visit our team page to learn more about Sarah and the rest of the RES team! https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are/team/

Farewell Shanti! Listen to Shanti imitate a mallard duck during one of our Waterfowl surveys last year :D Shanti has been involved in organizing the Tofino Shorebird Festival for many years but has been on staff with the RES since 2018 when she joined the team as the Director of Operations. ... Often referred to as the 'brains behind the operation', she has been the key player in keeping everything organized and running smoothly over the past few years. We will miss her leadership and wisdom around the office. All the best on your next chapter Shanti! Taylor will be taking over Shanti's role as our Program Director. We are excited for this new era at the RES! See more

Some behind the scenes shenanigans from Field School at home. Stefania here, I chose to post this video because it represents some of my favourite memories of the RES and one time when I got to be in front of the camera - this is my farewell post! Over the past few weeks we have been introducing our team members, new and old. Well today's the day you get to meet me, the voice behind our social media! ... My name is Stefania and I have been with the RES for just over a year. It has been both the longest and shortest year of my life. It was long because I learned and experience so much. Short because every moment was so much fun! During my time in Tofino I got way better at surfing but also really enjoyed sharing the work we do at the RES with you all through each social media post, video edit and event poster I created. Why would I ever leave?!? Like many of you the pandemic made me realize what I truly value. I am leaving to spend more time with my family and I have some new and exciting opportunities in marine conservation and science lined up. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the RES and I will miss the warmth and support of our west coast community. Thank you to everyone who made it a great time! Shout outs to Mark, Shanti and Taylor who were there through it all

Introducing Kira our new Ucluelet Field School Coordinator! You may recognize her from our recent thank you post, she has definitely hit the ground running. Growing up by the ocean in White Rock, B.C., on the traditional territory of the Semiahmoo First Nation, sparked Kira’s love for exploring coastal ecosystems. Her parents’ adventurous spirit rubbed off on her at an early age, as they explored much of B.C. and Canada during family camping trips. ... The past couple of years have landed Kira in many places and she is now beyond stoked to settle down and call Ucluelet her home. She is excited to combine her experiences, knowledge and passion for B.C.’s lush ecosystems as the Ucluelet Field School Coordinator. Kira is passionate about facilitating outdoor programs that encourage curiosity, a better understanding of our natural surroundings and inspire environmental stewardship. She is grateful to have the opportunity to explore the traditional territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations with the students and teachers of Ucluelet Elementary School. Learn more about Kira on our website here: https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are/team/

Earlier this year we participated in a learning exchange with West Coast NEST We taught our regional partners about storytelling using video and the NEST taught us about the SDGs (sustainable development goals). We learned how our work at Raincoast Education Society lines up with the goals for Life on Land, Life Underwater, and Quality Education! Watch to learn how our work monitoring shorebirds in Clayoquot Sound is one example of how we are putting the SDGs into action!... Clayoquot Biosphere Trust #research #shorebirds

Introducing Maddy our new Tofino Field School Coordinator! From a youthful age, Maddy spent every spare moment she had collecting ladybugs, snorkelling on shipwrecks for hours and playing in the forest collecting flowers. Maddy has always known that she was meant to spend her life outside. Exploring the great lakes and forests of Ontario, she cultivated a love for nature, conservation and all things aquatic. Since these times of budding and sprouting interests in the natural... world, her love and passion for the outdoors has taken her all over the world to places as diverse as Costa Rica, Australia, the Caribbean, Botswana and South Africa. Prior to working with RES, Maddy was working as a tree planter in Northern British Columbia, getting down and dirty, planning ahead and exhibiting her comfort with spending her entire day outdoors, despite rain, snow, hail and scorching sun. She is looking forward to spending more time outside with the students growing together to learn about how their classroom lessons can be applied to the dynamic and growing environment around them. Her passion for education and science exist at the perfect cross-section for the Tofino Field School Coordinator position. When she’s not working, Maddy can be found practising yoga, surfing skills and cooking up an awesome vegetarian meal, usually not all at the same time. To learn more about Maddy and the rest of our team visit our website: https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are/team/

This energetic outdoorsy woman is a force of nature! Taylor joined RES as our Tofino Field School Coordinator last year and has done an amazing job teaching the kidlets (her word!) and pivoting to create Raincoast Field School @ home. Did you know she learned to film and edit while also writing lessons for the Field School @ home video series?!? Check out the IGTV videos on our @raincoastfieldschool page. We are excited to announce Taylor is now transitioning to be ou...r Program Director! Learn more about Taylor and our team here: https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are/team/ See more

Our logo - the Western Red-backed Salamander: The Western Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon vehiculum) in our logo is an amphibian. Most amphibians spend the first part of their lives under water, and then transform to land-based, air-breathing adults. The life cycle of the amphibian therefore crosses aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Our salamander serves as a reminder of the interconnections among all ecosystems and it also keeps us aware of the possibility of transfo...rmation. Amphibians are important biological indicators. The health of amphibian populations in an area is an indication of the health and sustainability of the overall ecosystem. In a similar way, we believe that the level of research, education, and discussion in a community is an important social indicator of the community’s ability to work towards sustainability. The salamander is a symbol of our commitment to maintain a healthy, active, and respectful interaction among the diverse perspectives that make up the social environment of our region. Learn more about our mission and organization on our website: https://raincoasteducation.org/who-we-are/mission/ Photo: Capturing the Coast Submission

Beep Beep, Raincoast Bus coming through! Clayoquot Biosphere Trust has awarded Raincoast Field School with a $2000 grant. The funds will help us transport local students to trails, beaches, and other biomes! Learn more about what we've been up to in Field School on our Field School instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raincoastfieldschool/ Thank you Clayoquot Biosphere Trust

Our Double your Dollars campaign was a success. We were able to raise a total of $24,819.21 before matching. With matching funds from Long Beach Lodge Resort in Tofino, BC and two generous community members we now have $49,638.42 for the 2020/21 year of Raincoast Field School. We launched the fundraiser in hopes of securing enough funding to keep year-round programs like Field School up and running. Field School delivers about 200 field trips per year to students at Wickanin...nish Community School in Tofino and UES in Ucluelet. We run about 200 field trips per year, which means each and every student K-7 gets about 10 trips per year. These trips focus on delivering elements of the BC science curriculum in a hands-on, outdoor setting, helping promote community connections and environmental stewardship. The funds raised make up about half the yearly budget for Field School and we feel that with additional ongoing community support we can continue to deliver the program year round! Thanks to all of you :D A special thank you to Clayoquot Biosphere Trust, we gratefully acknowledge Clayoquot Biosphere Trust’s support of this campaign, our long-time partner in sustainability education in the Biosphere Region. Their donor network was instrumental in the campaign's success. The CBT also administered this matching campaign so that the RES receives 100% of donations with no overhead or transaction fees. In the video: That's Kira our new #ukeefieldschool coordinator, welcome Kira! Learn more about field school here: https://raincoasteducation.org//yo/raincoast-field-school/

The UVIC Southern BC Adult Salmon Diet Program uses the guts from Chinook and Coho salmon to study the fishes diet and learn more about long term changes in the ecosystem. Anglers are encouraged to participate by submitting the entire digestive tract from their catch to a local depot. How to participate:... When you catch a Chinook or coho, carefully cut out the whole stomach and intestine and bag it with a piece of paper recording (at a minimum) date, location, species, length, and adipose status (for more detailed instructions contact us by email - link below). Freeze the stomach right away, and drop it off at one of the depots listed below (please talk to staff to make sure your sample is put in the right place; not all staff may be familiar with the program) or contact us directly to arrange pick-up or drop-off. You can also pick up zip lock bags and waterproof data cards from totes in the freezers at depot locations (although scrap paper is fine too), or contact us and we will mail them to you. Contact the University of Victoria’s Fisheries Ecology and Marine Conservation Lab at [email protected] for more information. You can check out updates on the program on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BCASDP/ Many thanks to all the anglers who have supported the program so far, our funders (Pacific Salmon Foundation, WWF Canada, and DFO Stock Assessment), project partners (Raincoast Education Society, Project Watershed and Pacheedaht First Nation) and to all our current depot locations. 2020 Depot locations: Island Outfitters (Victoria), Tyee Marine (Campbell River), Bucky’s Sports (Duncan) Pacific Net and Twine (Parksville), Home Hardware (Sidney), Esquimalt Anglers Association (Victoria), Bon Chovy Charters (Granville Island), Powell River Outdoors (Powell River), Chapman Creek Hatchery (Sechelt), Pacific Angler (Vancouver), Tofino Resort & Marina (Tofino), Bamfield Mercantile and Marine (Bamfield), and Ucluelet Aquarium (Ucluelet)