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.
Trail cam photo of a wolf in the forest.
In the media

Dive into wolf conservation ethics on the Nerdy About Nature podcast

As a guest on the Nerdy About Nature podcast, Chelsea sat among the trees with Ross Reid to discuss all things wolves.
Belted Kingfisher on a branch.
Conservation updates

All we want for the holidays is a belted kingfisher in a fir tree!

As we move into the last thirty days of our collaborative campaign to purchase and protect this 45 acre forest, we are reflecting on all of the reasons why conserving this habitat and others like it is so important.
Boat on a vast forested coastline at sunset.
Conservation updates

This giving season, Raincoast offers you two opportunities to double the impact of your donations!

To celebrate the end of the year, we are so happy to be able to offer matching campaigns on two of our most urgent fundraising initiatives. 
Wolf standing on the beach.
Investigate and inform

The story of Coastal Douglas-fir forests: Coexisting with carnivores

Dr. Justin Suraci shares his experiences studying predator-prey relationships in the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) ecosystems of the Gulf Islands.
Persia Khan standing in front of some trees wearing a Raincoast Toque.
Raincoast updates

Raincoast toques and hats are now available!

We are so happy to have our Raincoast hats back in stock. Supply chain issues meant that these hats took much longer to make than we expected, but we were willing to wait because we know these hats are so worth it! Our team wears them in the sun, rain, and snow, which is how…
Aerial view of the Barrowtown pump station.
Backgrounders

A former lake re-emerges: A backgrounder

The catastrophic floods of late 2021 in southern British Columbia (Canada) and neighbouring Washington State (USA) destroyed homes, farms, and businesses, with excess water spilling debris, animal carcasses, and diesel fuel into historically productive fish habitat.
Illustrated representation of the vision for the Healthy Waters mobile lab, a van, set near the water with mountains and a city looming in the background, and icons surrounding it.
Conservation updates

Help us design, build, and deploy our new mobile lab

We’ve been working behind the scenes to design, build, and deploy a mobile, community-oriented lab in support of healthy waters in BC.
Birds eye view of a forest with development plans over.
Conservation updates

The story behind our campaign to protect KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest

With an approved development plan in place, a road already built, and 15 wells drilled, the “Harbour Hill Subdivision” would have soon claimed this piece of maturing coastal forest and wetland that had so far managed to escape development.

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.