It's Pacific Sand Lance Day!

Pacific Sand Lance, Ammodytes hexapterus, are an ecological cornerstone in our coastal marine environment. Over 100 species rely on this little fish as a major food resource, including juvenile salmon, of which the sand lance make up to 60% of their diet! However, these fish and understudied and in danger due to habitat loss, changing ocean dynamics, and increased red algae blooms.

Along with our partners in the Coastal Forage Fish Network, including Parks Canada, Peninsula Streams Society, Project Watershed, Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, we aim to raise awareness the lesser-known fish while investigating signs of spawning across our network's area. Join us to be part of this project and the future of forage fish on the Sunshine Coast!

Below are the times and places you can volunteer with us, we hope to see you there. Please email our Field Research Supervisor, jenn@openpods.com, to sign up!

Friday, Dec. 8

9:00AM Baker Beach

9:00AM Martin Cove

5:00PM Bargain Harbour Park

sATURDAY, Dec. 9

8:30AM Sunset Cove

Come celebrate World Ocean Day with us!

To celebrate World Ocean Day on Tuesday June 8, we will be conducting beach cleanups throughout the Pender Harbour Region.

Did you know that according to the Great Canadian Shoreline cleanup (2015), in one year alone, 70 dump truck loads of trash were pick up off shores in Canada, with cigarettes being the most prevalent item of trash found?

To comply with COVID protocols and to ensure everyone’s safety, we will be doing this as a self-guided rather than in person event. Staff will be onsite at local beaches to set up garbage containers in the morning on Tuesday June 8 at 9am. We will also be conducting cleanups throughout the day. At the end of the day we will collect containers for disposal. Please bring your own gloves and/or hand sanitizer.

We can make a difference to our oceans by removing marine trash debris from our beaches!

To participate, head to the beach, clean up some trash debris, and then let us know! Send us a picture of you in action to enter to win PODS swag. Tag us on Facebook at the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station or on Instagram @openpods. You can also use the hashtag #PODSWorldOceanDay.

Local beaches include:
Baker Beach,
Bargain Harbour and
Irvines Landing.

We can’t wait to see your photos!

Iris Griffith Centre Makeover

Our beloved Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretive Centre (IGC) has recently received a much-needed spring refresh! Over the last month teams of volunteers have been hard at work, putting in over 150 collective hours – wow! Thanks to this massive effort, much has been done. The building exteriors have all been power washed, the interior floors painted, and the woodshed has received a roof replacement and a fresh stockpile of wood. All of our lovely wooden Adirondack chairs have been sanded and revarnished, and last-but-not least, our trails and lakeside areas have been groomed, making them ready to once again welcome nature-lovers! Next on the list will be brand new educational displays for inside the centre.

The IGC has been closed since last March due to COVID. We are hopeful that we can reopen to the public in July!

Nature Therapy Gardens at the EarthFair Store

Renovations at the new EarthFair Store continue, as we begin our work transforming the undeveloped backyard into a native plant garden and community gathering space! The Nature Therapy Gardens will be a hub for community members to gather and relax in downtown Madeira Park, and provide a site for various community activities such as nature school programs, workshops, and arts and cultural events. The space will feature new landscaping including a retaining wall, large lawn, and native and medicinal flora. Ample picnic tables and benches, as well as a stage for performances, will be built and installed by some of our skilled volunteers. Local artist Emily Gray will be painting two impressive murals on the back wall of the store, facing the gardens. There will be plenty of space to safely gather as a community, enjoy activities and events, and take in the beautiful surroundings!

This project has been made possible thanks to our many dedicated volunteers and a generous $15,000 grant received from the Island Coastal Economic Trust!

The Nature Therapy Gardens are expected to be completed by July 18th.

June's loons have arrived!

June's Loons have arrived in style at the EarthFair Store!

We cannot thank June Malaka enough for donating such a priceless work of art to the Loon Foundation! Her beautiful stained glass 'Loon Family' brings a poignant and meaningful new perspective to our new EarthFair Store, and the colourful light from this window will always shine down on the staff and customers and brighten up all our days.

The installation is so timely as the loons have just arrived back on our local lakes here and over the past few days they have been yodelling and tremeloing away in celebration of their return.

The time and effort that June has put into this amazing work of art is simply astounding and we are so privileged to be the recipients of this tremendously generous gift.

Of course, we should not forget the hours that her assistant, John Field, has put into making the frame and overseeing the installation. And while we are on that subject, we would also like to thank our brilliant carpenter, Sunny Mountain Bute, for creating the most beautiful hemlock and fir doorway - which is an absolute pleasure to open, close and walk through!

What better way to welcome our brilliant supporters and customers to our talented local artisans, and to bring a smile to so many faces!

We look forward to seeing you all soon and hopefully we will be able to have an official opening ceremony before too long.

Thank you, June, John and Sunny for making our lives so much brighter!

Go, Cody, go!

10-year-old Cody Kelso and his mum, Megan, are walking 115 km walk from Gibsons to Powell River to raise awareness about current climate challenges and to raise funds to proactively reduce our footprint.

Here are some shots of Cody and Megan with Jenn and Dale at the EarthFair Store.

Read the full story here:

https://www.thelocalweekly.ca/codys-climb-for-climate.../

Swan Lake

These beautiful birds arrived last night on Garden Bay Lake and were up at the crack of dawn. They are Trumpeter Swans and they actually do make a sound just like a trumpet - particularly when they are in flight. Definitely one of the most graceful birds in the world and we are honoured to have them here even if it is only for one night!