A full colour Active Pass 6 panel promotional brochure has been developed using island-based talent which will be available at the usual locations on Mayne. To view the brochure please click here and here
Active Pass "Important Bird Area"
Detail from the sign erected at Georgina Point by Gulf Islands National Park Reserve staff with partial funding from MICS - to see a readable .pdf of this signage click Left Middle and Right. The Bellhouse Park sign on Galiano is posted below. Project Outline
MICS is joint caretaker of the Active Pass Important Bird Area (IBA), an international designation for areas that support internationally and nationally significant populations or species of birds at some part of their life cycle. Active Pass is habitat for three bird species that fall under the designation criteria: Pacific Loon, Brant's Cormorant and Bonaparte Gull. The Galiano Conservancy is the joint caretaker on the Galiano side of Active Pass.
In 2009 MICS initiated the Active Pass IBA Stewardship Initiative to engage property owners along the Mayne Island shore of Active Pass to become active participants in its long-term management. This is the first community based monitoring program for an IBA in British Columbia.
Complete information about all aspects of this research and conservation undertakig can be found at the web site dedicated to the Active Pass IBA
We now have 11 stewards providing regular reporting of activities within the IBA with three reporting on an 'as available' basis for the Mayne Island side. An IBA beach access sign has been on the trailhead to Miners Bay community beach.
Latest News
The information signs about the Active Pass Important Bird Area at Georgina Point on Mayne Island and in Bellhouse Park on Galiano illustrated on this page were dedicated on October 30th in public ceremonies on both islands.
Next spring we hope to have weatherproof racks installed along with these signs for the IBA brochures and other material, which together with the splendid artwork (see links to .pdf files in the "Introduction" section of this page) will provide high quality information to residents and visitors alike.
Over 30 cheer leaders and supporters of the Active Pass IBA turned out for the formal inauguration of signage on Galiano and Mayne Islands. Among them were special guests together with representatives from the sponsoring organisations:
- Mike Hoebel and Ken Millard, Galiano Conservancy
- Michael Dunn, Mayne Island Conservancy
- David Howe, CRD Director
- Pete Davidson, Bird Studies Canada
- Ken Hancock, CRD director
- Rob Walker, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve
- Krista Englund, BC Nature
During the ceremony Mike Hoebell and Michael Dunn outlined the history of the IBA program and specifically the process to create these signs for each of the islands. They also spoke of the partnership that was created within each community to raise the awareness of the Active Pass IBA and the stewardship program that is in place now. Noting that by participating in the IBA network we connect our island communities to the world and the world to our islands and people.Thanks to all who attended especially those who had to travel from Vancouver via Swartz Bay to attend both ceremonies.Pete Davidson spoke of the international nature of the IBA program and its purpose, noting that in the European Union, IBAs have official protective status in all the EU countries where they are identified. In North America, it is a voluntary network that must use local organisations and communities to conserve these essential areas for birds.
Rob Walker, Gulf Islands National Park told the assembled company how important it is for communities within the park and the future National Marine Conservation Area to take on conservation and stewardship initiatives in support of the National Park objectives. The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is fully supportive of and will continue to support such community based endeavours as the Active Pass IBA
Michael Dunn, finding the avian omens and auguries wholly favourable writes:
"At the Galiano dedication, the group was bugled in by a pair of Bald Eagles as well as awed by the sudden swoop of a Sharp-shinned Hawk into the shrubs right behind the new sign. While quieter on the Mayne side, the ceremony was witnessed by roosting flocks of Thayer's and California gulls as well as a flotilla of Surf Scoters. Black Oystercatchers made a brief fly by just as the speeches were ending."
Michael Dunn with Pete Davidson
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Davidson signs up a Cormorant
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Helen O'Brian with guests on Mayne
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4 guests discuss the Mayne sign
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Mayne Sign Group Shoot
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IBA Report for 2011
The 2011 Annual Report, authored by Michael Dunn and Mike Hoebel, has just been completed, including tables of observations from our excellent group of volunteer stewards. The text appears below:
- Introduction
For 2011, 7 stewards continued to provide their observations of bird activities within the IBA. Compared to the first year of steward observations the number of reports were down and coming on a less regular basis. This year is the first full year that the Coastal Waterbird Survey results within the IBA are integrated with other observer information. Michael Dunn and Mike Hoebel, as caretakers, also have done regular observations throughout the year.
- Qualifying Species
The highly seasonal distribution of the IBA qualifying species is much evident in the observations compiled for 2011. Bonaparte’s Gull had peak daily and yearly numbers in the April-May period (this year 5,000 and 2,000 respectively) and lesser highs during the October to December period. Pacific Loon numbers are tied to the spring and winter months and this year peak daily highs were recorded in April-March and November-December periods. Brandt’s Cormorant continues to show low daily numbers with the peak this year in December (45 birds). As reported last year, the numbers reported for two of the qualifying species – Pacific Loon and Brandt’s Cormorant continue to be below historical observations, even though this year the Pacific Loon daily high observations were up from the 2010 reporting year. One bright note with respect to the Brandt’s Cormorant was the observation of 2500 plus birds on rocky islets off Sidney, BC and during the December 17, 2011 Christmas Bird Count, rafts of up to 400 Brandt’s Cormorants were tallied in Plumper Sound and Navy Channel between Mayne and North Pender islands..
- Conservation Threats
No new conservation threats were observed over 2011 including no discernible increase in boating traffic.
- Habitat Quality
- Other Conservation Opportunities
The Mayne Island Conservancy has completed mapping of eelgrass within the IBA and has begun a monitoring program to measure changes over time. The forage fish inventories have continued but no spawning occurrences were detected in 2011 within the IBA. The kelp monitoring has developed a monitoring protocol but monitoring was not undertaken in 2011. The Mayne Island Conservancy and Mayne Island Recycling Society again hosted a community beach cleanup for Earth Day April 22, 2011. The Mayne School children cleaned the main beach at Miners Bay while members of the community cleaned other beaches of the IBA. In total there were 35 students plus 8 staff and parents who participated. For the IBA 254 kg of marine debris was collected, plastic of all kinds made up the bulk of this material. This amount was up from the previous year.
- Outreach Activities
In addition to the work being done for the Stewardship Program noted above, updates on IBA activities have gone in to Mayne Island’s local newspaper. Presentations on the IBA and the stewardship program have been made at the all islands Conservancies annual meeting on Mayne Island. The IBA was also highlighted at a meeting with Nature Canada, Bird Studies Canada, BC Nature and the Sidney Channel IBA caretaker held in October 2011.
With respect to the larger information signs to be placed within Bellhouse Provincial Park on Galiano Island and within Georgina Point Lighthouse Heritage Park on Mayne Island, both signs at time of this report are completed. The Galiano Island is an original artwork that will be converted into a sign. The Mayne Island signage has been completed and the mounting frame fabricated. On October 30, 2011 both signs were officially unveiled with at concurrent dedication ceremonies on each island (See news item & pictures elsewhere on this page - ed.). Representatives from local government, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve and the IBA partners were in attendance.
In early December 2011 Michael Dunn held a winter bird identification course for interested people, this included some of the IBA stewards. The course included a focus on the over-wintering marine birds found around Mayne Island, particularly Active Pass. The course was followed with a field component that included some birding of the Active Pass IBA at Miners Bay.
- Volunteer Time
It is estimated that volunteers contributed over 250 hours of time toward the Active Pass IBA and its ecosystems. This includes the work of the caretakers, the stewards, the Mayne Island Conservancy, and the park commission and the Mayne School children. This represents 65 volunteers over the 2011 year.
- Additional Comments
Part of the stewardship program was to record observations of marine mammal activity and any strandings of birds or marine mammals. The field monitoring form designed for the IBA include fields to record marine mammal movements and unexpected events. Attached are the 2011 results of this monitoring component. The most exciting observation was of the Humpback Whale off Georgina Point in November. There were several sightings of this species in Active Pass during the fall.
This year we had 1 observation of beached marine mammals. A Harbour Porpoise washed up in Miners Bay during the summer. DFO officials were contacted and removed the carcass for research purposes.
The marine feeding areas used by the vast majority of birds (tidal upwelling, fronts and rapids) continue to be used heavily and appear to provide optimum feeding opportunities for these species. No discernible changes in habitat quality were detected over 2011.
The 2010 document and its table of observations is available in the original MS Word format here, and here as a .pdf document.
The first Annual Report from 2009 is posted here.
Our Funding Partners
We are grateful to our partners for their generous support of this project, by way of money and resources as well as their practical assistance and enthusiasm :
- VanCity Savings Credit Union enviroFund
- Mayne Island Parks and Recreation Commission
- Galiano Island Conservancy Association
- Galiano Parks and Recreation Commission
- BC Nature
Project Management
Michael Dunn leads the IBA caretaker program for Mayne Island. He retired from the Canadian Wildlife Service as senior habitat conservation coordinator for Pacific Region (May 07) where he led marine conservation programs for the region. Michael has led science-based and interdisciplinary teams on many bird conservation issues, and was the CWS lead for the creation of the proposed Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area. He has experience and knowledge on shorezone and eelgrass mapping and classification, the development of stewardship programs and the creation of communications products. Michael has been a naturalist and community educator for 35 years.
Facts & Stats
- Pacific Loons
- population is poorly known but 2 to 4,000 loons regularly occur at the pass during winter forming the largest concentration in the Strait of Georgia
- these numbers represent about 2% of the estimated world population.
- Brandt's Cormorant
- 4,000 wintering Brandt's Cormorants have been recorded in Active Pass
- may be as much as 3% of the world's Brandt's Cormorant population
- Bonaparte's Gull
- present in large numbers with about 10,000
- 4% of the estimated world's population
- possibly as much as 14% of the Pacific flyway population are temporary residents during fall migration
- between 7,000 and 15,000 are usually present during the spring migration
Volunteer Opportunities
Any shoreline property owner interested in participating in the Active Pass IBA Stewardship Initiative can contact Michael Dunn by e-mail, or phone 5745
More Pictures
The Lowdown on Active Pass
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Bonaparte's Gull Actively Passing
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Heron at his Active Pass Post
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Bonaparte - Take-off, eh!
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Go ahead - I'll be Along in a Minute
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You can find many more photographs and illustrations of our projects in action by visiting our Gallery pages
