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.
Three women standing 6 feet apart talking to each other in a Coastal Douglas-fir forest
Events

Carbon stewardship workshop focusing on Gulf Islands forests and coasts

Later this month, Raincoast, along with partners, will be hosting a workshop exploring the feasibility of implementing carbon stewardship projects on the Gulf Islands and across the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) zone in the Salish Sea. This workshop aims to establish a civic and Indigenous community of learners. Our goal is to collaboratively develop a nature-based climate project financed from conservation, restoration and improved ecosystem management.
The salmon song is sung by drum and on Sto:lo land.
Events

Join us for a webinar examining the concept of Two-Eyed Seeing

In this week’s episode of Coastal Insights, join us as we visit with Albert Marshall, the creator of the two-eyed seeing concept, balancing Indigenous knowledge and contemporary science. We will also be joined by Indigenous fisheries scientist, Andrea Jane Reid, as we examine how this concept is being used today.
Two painting float in the foreground of an out of focus fern from Flycatcher Forest.
Investigate and inform

How art will help protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest

We are incredibly grateful to every person who transformed this initiative from the hopes of one person into reality, and because we cannot thank each of you individually, we wanted to recognize a few of the artists who have donated their time and talent to the permanent protection of local ecosystems.
Wetland at the S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest with the sun in the background.
Conservation updates

You did it: 13 acres in 3 months!

We are excited to announce that together with the Pender Islands Conservancy, we have raised the funds required to purchase and permanently protect S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest on North Pender Island…
A snapshot of the Conservation Biology research article floats in front of a giant grizzly bear in the mist.
Scientific literature

Research: The eroding social license to hunt carnivores

A new study suggests killing predators like wolves, grizzly bears, and cougars for trophy is a potential threat not only to these sensitive animals, but also to other hunters…
Close up photo of a cedar bough.
Investigate and inform

BC’s Coastal Douglas-fir zone needs protection now

In an era where climate change is a modern reality and biodiversity is in crisis the world over, the province’s continued support of industrial logging in old growth forests is out of sync with global scientific consensus and policy objectives. This is especially true in the Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) biogeoclimactic zone, the smallest and most endangered of 16 such zones in BC…
Shauna Doll looking up at a large Douglas-Fir tree.
Conservation updates

Permanent protection of S,DÁYES Flycatcher Forest now within reach!

In November, when Raincoast teamed up with the Pender Islands Conservancy to purchase 13-acres of Coastal Douglas Fir forest on S,DÁYES, North Pender Island, we were given 6-months to raise the required funds. Now, less than three months later, and thanks to your overwhelming generosity, we are only $4,018 away from reaching our goal…
Coastal Insights education series – Season 2 launch
Raincoast updates

Coastal Insights education series – Season 2 launch

It is with great excitement that we launch our newest season of our Coastal Insights, aptly named ‘Eyes on the Coast’. Taking off where season 1 ended, we will be diving deeper into coastal British Columbia’s rich history, ecosystems and conservation issues using a two-eyed approach…

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.