Intertidal Sampling at Thormanby Island

Our intertidal surveys are one of the most challenging surveys we do. They take the most amount of time to complete and require lots of people. We started three days of intertidal sampling at Thormanby Island last week. We were lucky with the weather on the first day, but the wind swept through on the second day. They crew muscled through the cold southeast wind and rain to complete the soft sediment intertidal and to start the rocky intertidal survey. It was an adventurous water taxi ride home! We decided to postpone the rocky intertidal and have rescheduled it March 19 - March 20.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped last week. You are amazing!

If you are interested in taking part in the next rocky intertidal survey, please email Jenn.

Baker Beach & Thrormanby Island

We were spoiled this week with glorious weather during both of our forage fish surveys! On Wednesday we completed a survey at Baker Beach and Friday we were at Thormanby Island. While at Thormanby the fog rolled in and added a bit of adventure to our return home. A huge thank you to everyone who helped. It is always a great time at the beach!

Salmon Spawning in Myers Creek

Have you seen the salmon spawning yet? Chum salmon arrived to our creeks late in September and are now reaching their peak numbers – over 1,100 in Anderson Creek and just under 500 in Myers Creek were observed this week! We have been out weekly counting the returns and reporting our findings to Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

To count the fish we have several people in waders and one swimmer in a dry suit. We monitor the creek in sections, from the mouth of the creek to up past the Sunshine Coast Hwy. Spawning season is an extremely sensitive time in these ecosystems, so we try to reduce our disturbance by avoiding redds (dug out areas where eggs have been laid) and minimizing our time in the water.

If you want to see for yourself, the spawning chum salmon can be observed from the viewing platform at John Daly Park. As it is a sensitive time, please do not enter the creek. Look around and you may also observe other animals that are a part of this diverse, coastal ecosystem, such as bald eagles, ravens, or the American dipper.

Using iNaturalist

Want to sign up for Bioblitz but not sure how to use iNaturalist? It’s easy! You can either download the app and use it on your phone, on go directly through the website on your computer.

Mobile:

Download the free iNaturalist app from iTunes or the Google Play Store.

Create a username and password, then log in.
Click the drop menu in the left hand corner and then click on projects.

Search 15th Annual Sunshine Coast BioBlitz. It will have a loon icon beside it.

Click on the BioBlitz and join the project.

Start using the app by adding new observations.

This is done by taking a picture in the app. The observation will be automatically uploaded to the project.

Desktop:

Go to the website https://www.inaturalist.org

Create a username and password, then log in.

Join the project at 
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/15th-annual-sunshine-coast-bioblitz-

Under your name, click edit observations. There will be a tab to add observations.

Upload a picture of your observation for submission.

The observation will be automatically uploaded to the project.

Happy World Octopus Day!

In celebration of these magnificent creatures, we are sharing some amazing videos and images, captured by local divers Sam Beaton and Vince Burnett.

PODS is on schedule as planned!

Hello all and Happy Holidays!

We have some really good news. We are delighted to announce that we received our development permit for the PODS facility last week. This is a major milestone for PODS and the Loon Foundation, and we much appreciate all the kind cooperation and encouragement from our neighbours who have been eagerly awaiting this development.

We are very sorry that we have had to close the boat ramp but for safety reasons we had to do this to comply with our insurance requirements.

We are ALSO now set for the BIG make-over of our new EarthFair Store in Madeira Park WHICH WE are aiming to reopen on November 1st.

Lastly, we are in the process of applying for a very substantial grant to help in the construction of PODS.

Exciting times indeed!

We could not possibly have come this far without your amazing support, and we are now within sight of breaking ground in the new year. Of course, there are still many ways in which you can continue to help the Foundation in reaching the finishing line:

Help with Store Renovations

We’re working hard at making the EarthFair Store bigger and better than ever in its new location, which will include a large open patio and landscaped woodland area for mingling over freshly made donuts, a cup of coffee, or gelato courtesy of the amazing Donut Maiden! We aim to create a new community hub that will comfortably seat up to 50 people under social distancing guidelines, and are even planning a small stage for performances and book readings. Help us add to the beauty and vibrance of Madeira Park by contributing materials, joining in with the work parties or by making a donation to the EarthFair Store today! We are looking to raise a total of $30,000! 

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Join the Loon Foundation

Becoming a member is an easy way to continuously support the Foundation’s operations and help us get approval for grants. We currently have over 250 members and aim to double that by October 1st. Your membership allows you more input in our activities, and of course provides perks such as sizeable discounts on EarthFair Store goods at different seasons! Find more information here.

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Follow us on Social Media

For more info on what we’re up to by following our social media accounts!

PODS Facebook
PODS Instagram
EarthFair Facebook
Loon Foundation Facebook

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Stay safe and have a great weekend!

August Fish Survey

We cannot believe how much we fit into a short week! It all started with a trip to Thormanby Island for forage fish surveys with Sean and Joel. We had a phenomenal day out there on Tuesday collecting samples from 2 different sites. Thank you Martin for helping us with the processing!

Next we moved on to the soft sediment intertidal survey in Malcolm Bay. We were extremely fortunate to have Joanne, Diane, Martin and Judy help out the first day and Michelle, Martin, Diane and David on the second day. It is an incredible amount of work sorting through so many samples. 

We also completed a juvenile salmon survey in Whiskey slough on Wednesday with Jim, Lynette, Diane and Joanne. We found stickleback, sea cucumbers, bay pipefish and juvenile salmon! Friday we completed a seine at Irvines Landing with Jim, Lynette, Chris, Joel, Jess, Portia and Thea. This time we found forage fish larvae, bay pipefish, stickleback and juvenile salmon! 

Lastly we completed a nearshore bird survey at the harbour entrance and pinniped survey at Hodgson Islands. We were joined by Brent, Ally, John, Jim, Lynette, John and Chris. We saw Bonaparte's gulls for the first time since we started our surveys. 

A huge thank you to all our volunteers! Your dedication is absolutely outstanding!