Shoreline Care

Our Mayne Island Shoreline Atlas Report is now complete: click here for more info and a link to the full report

Shoreline Care

A Heron About to Go Fishing
Photo credit: Leanna Boyer

Project Description

The Shoreline Care Program began in 2009 to raise awareness about the marine life that surrounds Mayne Island. This program has a strong emphasis on marine habitat monitoring and engages the community through volunteerism in all aspects of the program. We started off the program with eelgrass monitoring, forage fish spawning habitat surveys and monitoring of marine birds as co-caretakers of the Active Pass Important Bird Area. In 2010, we began monitoring Bull Kelp. This program also has a strong emphasis on stewardship and outreach. In 2011, we began work on providing resources for shoreline (shoreland) property owners to learn about how the physical and ecological significance of shorelines. Alternatives to harmful shoreline alterations were considered. Mayne School students participate in beach days and eelgrass monitoring.

Program Components

To learn about the different aspects of this program you can visit the following pages:

Volunteer Opportunities

There will be opportunities during 2013 to help us with monitoring the kelp beds that have been fully mapped over the last three years. As we now have a special page that draws together volunteer activities across all our programs & projects go there for a listing of current opportunities. If your tastes stretch to messing about in kayaks with GPS equipment we will schedule those "calls" there too, but a bit later on in the year.

We update our Facebook page frequently with comments and reports on the work done by our staff and volunteers, accompanied by pictures illustrating the action & the people involved.

For the Salish Sea!

Project Management

Leanna Boyer, the Conservancy's Executive Director acts as the Society's Marine Studies Coordinator in overall charge of the project. Leanna is responsible for the scheduling of volunteer activities, hiring the professional and technical specialists needed for the execution of the planned work, as well as continuing involvement in on-site investigations.