Wildlife Connectivity Project Engagement Portal
We need your help to collectively identify and protect areas that are important to wildlife connectivity in and around Squamish!
Engagement Opportunities
Information + Collaboration Session (Recording)
View recorded presentations from the Information + Collaboration Session that was hosted virtually on February 16, 2023 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (PST). This interactive workshop was attended by 38 individuals representing First Nations, local and provincial governments, academic partners and collaborators, environmental NGOs, funding organizations, species expert groups, consulting firms and neighbouring connectivity initiatives. The workshop included presentations from Murray Journeay and Karlene Loudon (project overview), Brian Stewart (Conservation Northwest), Katherine Andy (Simon Fraser University, wildlife camera study), and Greg Kehm (TerrAdapt.org).
Interactive Mapping Tool
Use the Interactive Mapping Tool to share areas of importance or concern relating to wildlife habitat and connectivity in and around the Focus Area .
Survey
This survey is now closed. A huge thank you to all who completed the survey to share your knowledge and values about wildlife habitat with us! Thank you for your thoughts on the focus area, focal species, shared objectives, use cases and concerns.
Number of Questions: 9 Approximate Duration: 5-10 mins Survey Closing Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023, 11:59 pm
Indigenous Knowledge
Indigenous peoples hold significant knowledge regarding wildlife and wildlife connectivity in and around Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw. To share this knowledge with the Project, please contact Jonny_Williams@squamish.net and Rachel_Munger@squamish.net
Steering Committee
Join the project's Steering Committee! We are seeking membership from land management groups within the Focus Area. For more information, check out the Steering Committee Overview document and contact us (contact info below).
Focal Species Expert Groups
Join a Focal Species Expert Group! Wildlife connectivity studies often start by mapping areas of importance for a few (up to six) species. These species are referred to as 'focal species'. This work is often done in collaboration with wildlife and species experts. To find out more or express interest in joining a Focal Species Expert Group, please contact us!
Focal species are usually umbrella species, meaning that the protection of habitat for that species indirectly protects the many other species that share the same habitats (the umbrella effect). They can also be species at risk, species of specific concern to a community, or culturally valuable species.
Please take a few minutes to fill out a quick survey to help us prioritize wildlife species and related habitat that you think are most in need of being protected, restored, and/or maintained to increase the adaptive capacities of ecological connectivity networks in the Sea-to-Sky region. Your input will help guide development of a wildlife habitat connectivity model to be carried out in the next stages of our project.
Collaboration + Spin-off Projects
We are surrounded by smart people doing great work, and the opportunities to collaborate are abundant! If you are currently working on a project that has synergies with the Wildlife Connectivity Project or are interested in developing a spin-off project that can contribute to or build upon this project, please contact us!
iNaturalist
Don't forget to record your wildlife (and other species) observations via the Atl'ka7tsem Howe Sound Biosphere Region iNaturalist collection project!
About The Project
The Project
The Wildlife Connectivity Project is being led by the Squamish Environment Society in collaboration with the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society. For more information, check out the Project Overview (1-pager) and the Project Website .
Focus Area
The Focus Area includes the District of Squamish and surrounding lands.
Background
Squamish and surrounding lands are experiencing rapid population growth, largely driven by people who are attracted to the area’s beautiful, natural outdoor spaces. More than 25% of wildland habitat in the Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region of southwestern British Columbia has either been lost to permanent human settlement or disrupted by ongoing resource development activities and a supporting road infrastructure that is increasingly transforming the backcountry into a human-dominated landscape ( BC Cumulative Effects, 2021 ). Development continues to fragment natural landscapes, potentially making it difficult for wildlife to move through the region. Local land managers and residents have expressed interest in protecting wildlife corridors. In order to protect these corridors, we need to be able to identify areas important for connectivity, including:
Areas of Importance: Known or suspected habitat (e.g., core areas, stepping stones or corridors), areas that are frequently used or travelled by wildlife, or other areas of importance relating to wildlife.
Habitat Core Areas (Patches): Larger intact areas that provide food, water and shelter to wildlife.
Stepping Stones: Smaller intact areas that allow wildlife to seek refuge as they move through a developed landscape.
Habitat Corridors: A network of land that links Habitat Core Areas or Patches together that would otherwise be separated by developed or cultivated land or roads.
Areas of Indigenous Value: Historic or current wildlife habitat, hunting areas, or other areas of Indigenous value related to wildlife.
Areas of Concern: Areas prone to vehicle-wildlife collisions, human-wildlife conflicts, existing or proposed development that may impact wildlife habitat and connectivity, or areas that could be restored in order to improve habitat connectivity.
Project Goals
Through strategic partnerships with local and regional governments, First Nations, Provincial and Federal agencies and other organizations who share a mandate for biodiversity conservation, we aim to:
Increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity threats in our region to help inform local conservation planning efforts in accordance with UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-T15 Targets).
Identify and map habitat core areas and connectivity pathways that facilitate the movement of wildlife and ecological processes that increase the prospects of habitat resilience for the broadest possible range of native species.
Evaluate opportunities to enhance and restore habitat connectivity through existing protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures.
Questions? Want to be involved?
Please contact us!
Murray Journeay, Ph.D. Researcher & Director Squamish Environment Society mjourneay@shaw.ca