If you’ve been down the Miners Bay pier this past summer, you might have noticed an unusual piece of equipment tied to the near end of the long dock: a white bucket, bobbing in the ferry wake, with a large water jug visible below the surface of the waves. Maybe Read more…
Never underestimate bull kelp. At this point in the year, you may see bull kelp in the intertidal zone looking more like organic sludge than the epic growing algae of the Pacific. What is witnessed in the winter washed up on beaches, its stalk wound round itself in lifeless knots, Read more…
Being underwater during our annual eelgrass monitoring surveys is one of my favorite parts of my job as a biologist with the Mayne Island Conservancy. The nearshore marine environment is rich in energy and nutrients, so everywhere you look is teeming with life, nowhere more so than amongst the waving Read more…
Did you know the Ocean’s Day Intertidal Exploration has been running since 1995? Begun by Michael Dunn and the Mayne Island Naturalists, this annual event has seen a variety of different incarnations, at a variety of different beaches around the island. Held on, or close to, Ocean’s Day or World Read more…
Thank You to All Cleanup Volunteers! A hearty thank you to all beach captains, cleanup teams, recycling depot volunteers, and supporting businesses who helped make the 2023 beach cleanup a success. Even mother nature helped out, giving us a break from the rain just in time for the cleanup start Read more…
These days it seems like you can’t visit the beach or take a walk along the shoreline without spotting refuse of some kind: plastic bags, old shoes, rope, an increasing amount of single-use face masks, and Styrofoam, Styrofoam, Styrofoam everywhere! Cleaning up beach plastics can sometimes feel like a hopeless Read more…
2022 Christmas Bird Count There are many factors (weather, temperature, visibility, number of counters, food supply, suitable habitats, etc.) that influence the outcomes of the annual Christmas Bird Counts (CBC). Either singly or in combination, they can cause great variations within count areas, between adjacent count areas and the whole Read more…
2022 marked the 13th year of eelgrass monitoring by the Mayne Island Conservancy. One year ago, in December of 2021, we reported a shocking decrease of 26% in the area covered by eelgrass since 2009. Through the spring and summer of 2022 our staff selected nine eelgrass beds to monitor, Read more…
The water is like a dark flat mirror, and I can almost feel the first rays of the sun waiting to dash over the horizon. For now, the bright light of day has yet to disturb the quiet of the pre-dawn. My kayak lies before me, straddling the ocean’s edge Read more…
The Mayne Island Conservancy is pleased to have participated in the purchase of Edith Point, and in ensuring that it is protected forever! The Graves family, who owned the point for almost three decades, consulted with Michael Dunn, Executive Director of the Conservancy, over a number of years, discussing options Read more…