S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest is a 13 acre conservation property located on S,DÁYES (Pender Island) , WSÁNEĆ Territory.

Photo by Alex Harris /
Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

The campaign to protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

In November 2020, Raincoast partnered with the Pender Islands Conservancy to co-purchase a conservation property on S,DÁYES. Despite planning for a six-month fundraising campaign, we secured the required purchase amount in less than three months.

Behind the name: S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

Globally, bird populations are in significant decline.1 2 Olive-sided Flycatchers are among the bird species federally listed as threatened, predominantly due to habitat loss. These birds, in particular, find their homes in the fringes of forests bordering wetlands, and these interface ecosystems on the Gulf Islands are among the few places these birds are thriving. As a species linking forests and wetlands, the Flycatcher was chosen as the land’s namesake. 

Though the Flycatcher was chosen to symbolize the importance of preserving intact habitat, the placename, S,DÁYES, recognizes the WSÁNEĆ people who have known Pender Islands as home since time immemorial. In SENĆOŦEN, S,DÁYES means “wind drying,” which refers to drying salmon.3 This was the name given to what is now widely known as North Pender Island prior to settler arrival in the area.

About the land

S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest is populated by an assemblage of ecosystems characteristic to the Coastal Douglas-fir zone. It is part of the Shingle Creek wildlife corridor, which also includes land protected within Parks Canada’s Gulf Islands National Park Reserve. The forest shows a legacy of logging, as most forests across the Gulf Islands do, with large fir stumps standing as evidence of the mature forest that once occupied this regenerating system.

Today, maturing Western redcedar and coastal Douglas-fir trees dominate the forest’s canopy, while stands of peeling arbutus occupy the higher elevation slopes at the property’s edges. A forested swamp, now colloquially known as Muskrat Pond, at the north-western corner of the property supports populations of riparian plant species including oceanspray, bigleaf maple, and red alder. Over 50 bird, 4 bat, and a number of amphibian species, including iconic Pacific chorus frogs, call S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest home. 

Support restoration work

The future

S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest is the first property purchased by Raincoast with the intention of healing the land and securing its long-term protection with a conservation covenant. Raincoast is working with our property co-owners, the Pender Islands Conservancy,  to develop a management and restoration plan for the land. Once a management plan is established, we will register a covenant on the land title. Active restoration and education projects are often underway at S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest, which to date have included native species planting, removing invasive species (particularly Daphne laurel), and creating a native plant meadow. 

donate towards restoration

This campaign was made possible due to the  support of many individuals and organizations, including:

  • Greater Victoria Savings Credit Union
  • Sitka Foundation
  • McLean Foundation
  • Pollinator Partnership
  • Habitat Conservation Trust Fund

Sponsors & supporters

  • Sitka Foundation logo.
  • The McLean Foundation logo.
  • GVSCU Legacy Foundation logo.
  • Public Conservation Assistance Fund logo.
  • Pollinator Partnership logo.
A collage of images and graphs from a published peer reviewed article on salmonid species diversity and bear health: Hakai, Raincoast, University of Victoria, and Spirit Bear Foundation logos at the bottom.
Scientific literature

Salmon species diversity predicts salmon consumption by terrestrial wildlife

Research by scientists at Spirit Bear Research Foundation, Raincoast Conservation Foundation, and the University of Victoria, led by Christina Service, shows that salmon species diversity – the number of spawning salmon species available – is far more important and positively related to salmon consumption in coastal black bears than biomass abundance…
J50 and J42 in the Salish Sea.
Investigate and inform

Canada should rethink unproven, dangerous chemical ‘cleanup’ of marine oil spills

As noted, Corexit can also be toxic to wildlife. For some species, such as herring embryos, toxicity occurs because Corexit does what it was designed to do: increase the concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons in the water column. However, there is also a growing body of research, much of it conducted in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010…
Southern Resident killer whales J50 with her sister, J42, in July of 2018, swim by in the Salish Sea.
In the media

Misty MacDuffee joins Adam Stirling on CFAX 1070 to discuss Washington State’s billion dollar plan to aid killer whale recovery

Misty MacDuffee and Adam Stirling discuss the benefits and the shortcomings of Washington’s investment, the problem with dams, aid to Chinook hatcheries and new hatchery production. They discuss the genetic and ecological implications from hatcheries and why MacDuffee believes this makes them a poor investment for salmon recovery and Southern Resident killer whales.    …
The Achiever rests at night on the BC Coast: Tracking Raincoast into 2019.
Tracking Raincoast

Tracking Raincoast into 2019

Raincoast science is contributing to a large and growing body of evidence that shows the current levels of Chinook abundance, ocean noise, vessel disturbance, and pollution, create conditions that make population recovery for the Southern Residents untenable…
A wolf sits in the intertidal zone and stares out: Safeguard Coastal Carnivores.
Conservation updates

We did it! Fundraising for the Nadeea tenure is complete

With online donations, cheques arriving in the mail, and match funding in place, we can now confirm that we’ve finally met our fundraising goal of $500,000! In the coming weeks we will formally complete our purchase of the Nadeea hunting tenure…
A Southern Resident killer whales, J50, glides through the water in the Salish Sea.
Conservation updates

Chinook salmon, 74 killer whales, and the future of the Salish Sea

2018 closes with just 74 Southern Resident killer whales remaining in the world. You’ve been with us through a year of huge wins and some heartbreaking losses and it’s worth a recap as we close the year and prepare for 2019. January – With 76 Southern Residents remaining, Raincoast and partners petition the government to…
Ilona Mihalik stands in front of an epic Grizzly bear photo as part of the One Shot for Coastal Carnivores exhibit.
Investigate and inform

Friday is the last day to make a bid in our online auction

You can still support the campaign and keep a memento through the purchase of a limited edition print and you have until Friday at 6pm to make your bid…
A Grizzly bear rests on the shores of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Investigate and inform

On the brink of campaign success – New $50,000 match funding

From community events to marathon runners, grizzly bath bombs to grizzly bars, so many people have stepped up to support our efforts in partnership with Coastal First Nations. Each dollar you donate will now be doubled. Help us make 2018 a year to remember…

Notes and references

  1.  BirdLife. (2022). State of the world’s birds 2022: Insights and solutions for the biodiversity crisis. https://www.birdlife.org/papers-reports/state-of-the-worlds-birds-2022/
  2.  Rosenberg, K.V et. al (2019). Decline of the North American avifauna. Science, 366. 120–124. https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/bring-birds-back/
  3. Elliot, D. (1990). Saltwater people: As told by Dave Elliot Sr. School District 63 (Saanich): Victoria, BC.