Join the HAT Team: Conservation Technician -- term position (28 weeks)

Details: Created: Tuesday, 25 August 2020 11:02

Join the HAT Team: Conservation Technician - term position (28 weeks)

APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO APPLIED, WE ARE BLOWN AWAY BY THE MYRIAD OF QUALIFIED APPLICANTS. PLEASE GIVE US SOME TIME TO PROCESS THE APPLICATIONS.

We're looking for a hard-working, enthusiastic person to support our programs in conservation. See details below and apply by August 31 2020 at 11:59pm.

Learn more about the wonderful world of wetlands

Details: Created: Monday, 24 August 2020 15:12

The Wonderful World of Wetlands

As part of the Good Neighbours Program, HAT has been focusing on wetland stewardship in and around the Wildwood Watershed. The Stewardship Team has been training with the BC Wildlife Federation's Wetland Education Program learning how to be a Wetlandkeeper and how to Map Our Marshes. With this knowledge, we are putting together a webinar all about WETLANDS, with a special link to pollinators.

WEBINAR: Wetlands for Pollinators

DATE: Wednesday September 2, 1:00pm to 3:00pm

COST: Free!

Register here (full free recording will be available after the webinar)

This webinar is part of a Series of Pollinator Steward Webinars hosted by Pollinator Partnership Canada with Habitat Acquisition Trust, Saanich Native Plants, and Parks Canada. The webinar series is for land managers, students, farmers, and gardeners with a focus on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Webinars will cover the why and how of supporting pollinators through habitat creation and maintenance, outreach, and citizen science. Discover why bees and other pollinators are so important, common misconceptions that are hindering conservation, how to create and maintain habitat (with specific information for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands), how to maximize benefits through outreach and education, and how to observe and monitor pollinators. Join local experts with the opportunity to ask questions during the live webinars.

In this webinar, learn unique opportunities, challenges, and benefits of restoring wetland areas for pollinators. Learn how to incorporate wet areas into landscapes, extending floral bloom for late-season pollinator species and support a diversity of wildlife. Local techniques and examples will be presented.

Press Release: Bats are on the move!

Details: Created: Thursday, 20 August 2020 15:06

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August Stewardship - Fieldwork Fridays

Details: Created: Tuesday, 04 August 2020 16:21

Fieldwork Fridays - Stewardship Volunteer Crew needed

Starting August 7, the Stewardship Team will be operating Fieldwork Fridays for the month of August and looking for independent volunteers with some invasive plant removal experience to join us. The work will be supporting Habitat Stewards in the western communities (Metchosin, Langford, Sooke, East Sooke) to conduct habitat restoration activities on private lands. This will be primarily removing invasive plant material, but also site visits to assess properties for wildlife habitat potential and identify native plants/ecosystems.

IMPORTANT:

Due to COVID-19 health and safety precautions, we are unable to offer carpooling for volunteers at this time, so your own transportation is required. Volunteers are expected to follow new COVID-safe protocols and procedures, and space is limited to 5 volunteers. Half-day (3hr) or full-day (6hr) options, available dates include August 7, 14, 21, or 28. For more information, email Stewardship Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Have you heard of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas?

Details: Created: Tuesday, 04 August 2020 15:09

Have you heard of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas?

by Katie Blake

HAT Executive Director

In Canadian culture, we have largely come to know protected landscapes in the form of parks, ecological reserves, wildlife protected areas, and world heritage sites . Land trust and non-profit owned conservation areas, as well as conservation covenants (better known as easements outside of BC) have been more recent additions to the list of lands that Canadians count as conserved. This collective conservation work has surely prevented the loss of many species and ecosystems that may otherwise have succumbed to resource development, housing, and other land conversion. Protected areas are considered by many as the cornerstones of conservation that will safeguard biodiversity, provide clean air, fresh water, and food, buffer us from floods and droughts, and provide us with outdoor recreational opportunities.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of these protected areas were created without the involvement of Indigenous communities. These protected areas often restrict or outright exclude Indigenous communities from traditional use of large portions of their territories. We are now living in an age in which improving relationships between Canadian society and Indigenous communities has been embraced as a collective priority, and Indigenous rights and sovereignty are increasingly understood. How can the practice of land conservation be reconciled with supporting Indigenous communities and their long-standing relationship with the land?