The mission of the Mayne Island Conservancy is to work with the community to conserve the ecology of Mayne Island and its surrounding waters for future generations. In order to achieve this we engage in a variety of community and ecologically oriented initiatives, made possible through the support of volunteers and donors like yourself as well as grants from foundations and government agencies.
Our critical Shoreline Care programme is celebrating its 10th year. This program began with a generous grant from VanCity and has become an important and ongoing project. However, as an ongoing project, it is very difficult to access further funding.
Won't you help us conserve Mayne Island's shorelines forever?
Here's what your donation can help us achieve.
Popular Education Programs
Help fund exciting public programming of guest speakers, films, workshops on topics such as ethical harvesting of nearshore edibles; marine ecosystems of the Salish Sea; the effects of beach detritus on marine life; interpretive shoreline walks; shorebird identification and behaviours
Anchor Out Program
Help us expand our existing “Anchor Out” program to educate boaters about the destructive effects of anchoring in sensitive eelgrass beds that are so important for Mayne Island's marine health
Critical Mapping and Monitoring
Donate to help us continue the annual mapping and monitoring of eelgrass and kelp beds around Mayne Island providing important baseline data for detecting change in these economically and ecologically important habitats
Reaching School Children
Your donation will help us develop a program that provides opportunities for Mayne Island and off-island school groups and others to experience and learn about the care and conservation of shoreline ecosystems
State of Mayne Island
With your help, we can develop and make available cutting-edge public reports, such as the “State of Mayne Island – Marine Ecosystem Health,” for use by other marine communities, graduate students and all levels of government
Shoreline Cleanup
Support us as we expand our annual shoreline cleanup to include a post-summer cleanup, highlighting a marine plastics awareness program for residents and visitors.
Learn More About Our Shores
Articles and features on our shoreline programs:
Eelgrass Monitoring
Mayne Eelgrass Declines by 41 Percent
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…
Kelp Bed Monitoring
Bull Kelp Monitoring 2022: A Collaborative Effort
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…
Caring for the Land
Edith Point Preserved Forever!
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…
Birds
Living Amongst the Eagles
It is autumn and hundreds of gulls are flocking to Active Pass, feeding off the annual flood of plankton. If you stand on the Miners Bay Dock and watch as they twist and turn and plunge into the water, you might notice two bald eagles swooping in amongst them, their Read more…
Mayne Wildlife
Citizen Scientists Unite!
It feels like just yesterday when a video of a writhing bucket of oversized polychaetes marked the first catch of the light trap project at Miners Bay. Whether or not that video was the best marketing choice to attract citizen scientists is up for debate, but despite (or because of?) Read more…
Mayne Wildlife
Bioluminescence: See that Ocean Glow
The ocean bioluminescence that we see in the waters around Mayne Island are created by dinoflagellates: tiny, single-celled plankton. There are thousands of species of dinoflagellates throughout the oceans of the world, and most of them reproduce asexually. It is assumed that dinoflagellates light up when disturbed to intimidate or escape predators.
Mayne Wildlife
Rocky Intertidal Safari
The intertidal zone is the area of shore between the lowest and highest tides. From sea stars to tidepool sculpin, an amazing array of different creatures call this harsh environment home.
Beach Cleanup
2022 Beach Cleanup Results
Despite very wet, cool weather, 90 dedicated volunteers participated in the annual Mayne Island Beach cleanup, held on Sunday, May 15th. A big thank you to all the beach cleaners, captains, and depot crew that came out on Sunday, and also thanks to those of you who have picked up Read more…
Mayne Wildlife
Surprise Octopus at Piggott Bay
From the scuttle of shore crabs to the spray of clams, the intertidal zone is always teeming with new and exciting life! We visited Piggott Bay with the Mayne Island School at low tide to see what we could discover, and the beach did not disappoint. After navigating rocky crevices Read more…
Mayne Wildlife
Let the Surveys Begin! Dungeness Crab Monitoring
New Addition to Miners Bay If you’ve been to the Miners Bay dock in the past couple of weeks, you might have noticed something new in the water. Our light trap has been deployed and will stay floating beside the dock until this September. Not to be confused with a Read more…