| People who visit and live on Mayne Island know that it is a very special place. MICS will continue to develop best stewardship practices in collaboration with private landowners and other conservation groups associated with Mayne Island. The Society's mission is to ensure that the island's fragile eco-systems will be enhanced and its natural beauty will be protected for future generations.
Current Projects
Broom Action Team
BAT’s activities are centred on the mechanical control and elimination of Scotch broom in parks, public lands
and on adjacent private properties. Our core activity is our weekly broom removal sessions which have focused on Henderson Park throughout the current year .BAT’s largest single organized activity is the community broom bash held in April each year to educate and to motivate the public to participate in our program and to eliminate broom from their own property and from neighbouring roadsides. We also work with other community agencies in the pursuit of these objectives, produce and distribute educational material on Scotch broom and other invasive species, and network with other conservancies and organizations interested in invasive species control
Henderson Hill Restoration
Henderson Hill and the Vulture View Trail afford opportunities for the Mayne Island community to explore new areas and to experience new vistas of the adjacent islands. The area under park designation includes ecosystems that are representative of what are considered some of Canada’s and the world’s most endangered ecosystems—the Coastal Douglas Fir Zone and the Garry Oak and associated ecosystems. Because of the nature and condition of this new park, the Mayne Island Conservancy and the Mayne Island Parks & Recreation Commission have jointly agreed to pursue management and restoration of the valued ecosystems found here. The “Henderson Park Restoration Plan” (available in the Library) includes background information on the general underlying physical and biological components found within the park; detailed information on rare and endangered
species and ecosystems inventoried and mapped using outside expertise (BC Conservation Data Centre and Parks Canada); and the extent of disturbance, invasive species and other factors (eg. deer browse). The report also highlights key ecological values, the sensitive areas within the park and strategies for restoration using decision support tools and best management practices. These make up components of the restoration plan.
Active Pass IBA
Active Pass was designated an Important Bird Area because it supports significant numbers of two species of waterbirds over winter (Pacific Loon and Brandt’s Cormorant) and supports populations of a third species during the fall and spring migration (Bonaparte’s Gull). As well, up to ten pairs of Bald Eagles nest along the shores of the IBA, and upwards of 100 eagles occasionally forage here in the winter months. In all, there are about 40 species of marine and marine associated birds that regularly use Active Pass at some time in their annual life cycle.
Eelgrass Mapping and Sandlance Habitat
With the help of volunteers, 7 sandy beaches have been surveyed for the presence of Pacific sand lance eggs. No eggs were found and a higher frequency of sampling is being planned for the 2009/2010 winter spawning window.
All known eelgrass beds on Mayne Island have been delineated with the help of volunteers. Three of the 13 sites were mapped and monitored in more detail (density and leaf area index in addition to delineation) with the help of freediver/kayak teams. Polygons are being produced that will enable the calculation of the total area (m ) of eelgrass on Mayne Island.
A community mapping exercise at the Saturday Market is conducted (July-October) to glean local knowledge about the location of eelgrass beds, identify potential restoration sites and recruit volunteers.
Opportunities to Get Involved: MICS is seeking interested parties to support the society's purposes by:
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Becoming a member of MICS ($5 annual fee).
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Offering expertise to MICS in the areas of: land conservancy, eco-friendly commercial and residential development, water stewardship education, land acquisition, and fundraising.
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Bringing environmentally sensitive issues on the island to the organization's attention.
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Making contributions of resources such as money and time to MICS
Do You Want to Join MICS?
Download
Form in word format
Download
Form in pdf format
You can mail it to:
Mayne Island Conservancy Society,
Box 31, Mayne Island, B.C.
V0N2J0
You can drop it off at Gulf Port Realty, Mayne Mall during opening
hours.
Address your envelope to: Mayne Island Conservancy Society.
2009
Saturday April 11th
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9:30 am Community Broom Bash
- Meet at the Fire Hall for the symbolic burning of the ``Broom Man``
- Cut broom along Felix Jack Road removing invasive species and reducing dangerous fireload
- Help preserve the natural Mayne and Save the Planet
- Bring loppers, saws, pruners if you have them
- Refreshments brought round to hard working volunteers (everyone welcome, loppers or not!) between 11:30 and 12:00
Details of the full Mayne Island Conservancy Society`s 2009 - 2010 program of interesting and informative talks and ``MICS Movie Nights`` will be posted when our calendar is fully organised.
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| Sunday, April 19 |
Earth Day |
| Saturday, May 16 |
May Day IV |
| Saturday, June 6 |
Oceans' Day |
| Sunday, July 12 |
Pacific Sand Lance Ecology
Join biologist Pam Thuringer at Conconi Reef Park @1:00 pm for a talk on Pacific sand lance ecology. Pam attained her Masters Degree studying this fascinating sand-burrowing, beach-spawning fish.
To get to Conconi Reef Park take Horton Bay Rd., turn onto Gallagher Bay Rd. and take the right fork where the left turn takes you down the hill to Piggott Bay. Turn left on Mariners Way and then left onto Navy Channel Rd., keep left as you go down the hill. The park is marked by a sign on the right hand side of the road |
| Saturday, July 18 |
Parks Canada Day
Join us for this national day of celebration of parks and recreational areas across Canada.
We will explore Henderson Community Park and look at the restoration work and find out more about the natural history of this area of Mayne Island.
Meet at the turnabout at the end of Beechwood Road, starting at 0930 am.
See you there!
Contact Peter Askin, 250-539-2199 or Michael Dunn 250-539-5745 |
| Saturday, July 25 |
Mayne Island Conservancy Society’s Beach Ecology Walks
Intertidal Ecology
@ 2:00pm
Join BC Parks ecologist Doug Biffard at Oyster Bay for a talk on intertidal ecology, including rocky and mud habitats.
Doug has extensive experience in the marine environment as a SCUBA diver and instructor and a participant in numerous marine related surveys |
| Sunday, August 2 |
Marine Birds and Beach Forming Processes
Migratory bird specialist Michael Dunn gives a talk on marine birds and the geological and oceanographic processes that form beaches. (9:30 - Location to be announced). |
| Saturday, August 8 |
Celebration of the Night
Bats of B.C. with Dave Nagorsen
followed by
Star Gazing with the Royal Astronomical Society and Ptarmigan Theatre
in Dinner Bay Park |
| Sunday, August 16 |
Eelgrass Meadow Ecology and the Critters it Sustains
Join Nikki Wright and Sarah Verstegen @ 11:00am at Bennett Bay for an interactive talk on the ecology of eelgrass meadows and the organisms that live there. Divers will collect critters from the eelgrass meadow and hold them in an aquarium. Bring your children early (10:30am) to help build a protective habitat in the aquarium! |
| Saturday, September 26 |
ISUNI’s Good Life Festival |
| Tuesday, October 20 |
Reslient Mayne – follow-up session with Stephen Sheppard |
| Saturday, November 7 |
Mysteries of Mushrooms and Fungi
An illustrated talk by Andy MacKinnon. 7:00 at the Ag Hall |
| Sunday, November 8 |
Mushroom Walk
A directed field trip with Andy. Meet at the Ag Hall at 9:00; done by Midday |
| Saturday, November 21 |
Postponed - will be rescheduled in the new year
Movie Night
Ag Hall 7:30. Admission by Donation -Free Popcorn |
| Sunday, December 6 |
Bird Identification and Bird Walk with Michael Dunn
The morning will be a bird identification workshop followed by a tour to identify birds in the field. Starting at 0900 am till noon, then lunch (bring your own) and then leaving from the Ag Hall at 1 pm for the tour. Carpooling is encouraged. Open to all levels of birders and feeder watchers. |
2010
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| Saturday, January 16 |
Movie Night |
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For more information about the Mayne Island
Conservancy or to obtain an informational
brochure, contact:
Helen O'Brian, Board President
Phone: (250) 539-5619
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For more detailed information and photographs of the Programme Activities and Projects
of the Mayne Island Conservancy Society, please visit our Web Site: http://www.conservancyonmayne.com
Publications
Available on request or at the following locations:
Tread Lightly – Available at both Realtors & The Mayne Island Library
Tips for Visitors – Available Seasonally in plastic dispenser boxes located Miners Bay, Remax on Mayne, and at the Fernhill Centre
Mayne Island Bird Checklist – Tree Frog & Happy Tides
Invasives Brochure – Farmers Marketkt from the Mayne Island Conservancy Society’s display table
Toast to the first Stewardship
Agreement
Stewardship agreements indicate that the landowners are
honouring conservancy guidelines concerning living "green".
Anyone with any property can sign this voluntary form, have
a conservancy member walk through and help sort out what
is on their land, and whether there is historic or ecological
value that hasn't been charted, and generally help share
in maintaining the Mayne Island Conservancy Society values
as stated in the constitution.
Download
the Mayne Island Conservancy Stewardship Pledge.
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