The Mayne Conservancy decided over a year ago that we needed to engage with the provincial government on the overabundant invasive fallow deer problem on Mayne. Since then we have shared with you our letters and the one response from the government. We decided that with the recent change in Read more…
With the recent changes in the provincial government Cabinet, the Conservancy wrote to Nathan Cullen, Minister of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, on January 16, 2023 requesting that the government of BC take action on the fallow deer issue on Mayne by providing a funded solution. Here’s our letter: To: Read more…
When I first arrived on Mayne I was enthralled to see so many deer wandering along the island roads and paths. They are beautiful animals, and they would stand and look at me with their big brown eyes as I took their photo. But I soon learned that the deer Read more…
When environmental factors change, as is happening with global climate change, the geographic boundaries that a species can survive within shift as well. This is known as a range shift, range expansion, or range reduction depending on the circumstances.
The Mayne Island Conservancy is asking its members and concerned community members to respond to the Government of BC’s survey regarding hunting regulations on Mayne Island. The deadline to respond to the survey is midnight on January 23. While the survey asks respondents to choose one of three options, we are Read more…
In October, 2021 the Mayne Island Conservancy Board of Directors approved a policy regarding overabundant deer on Mayne Island. See the full policy here; below are some of its key points. The Mayne Island Conservancy has an important role to play by providing evidence-based information on the environmental impacts associated Read more…
The Many, Many Deer of Mayne Island When driving down a Mayne Island road in the evenings, it’s common to see deer in the headlights – many, many deer. As with most of the Gulf Islands, Mayne has more deer than are ecologically sustainable. European colonization has reduced human hunting Read more…
Recording of the Zoom presentation “A Return to Stewardship: Indirect Human Effects on the Conservation of Native Species”, March 24, 2021. UBC Professor Dr. Peter Arcese joined us for a discussion of the ecological impacts of exotic herbivores in the Southern Gulf Islands.
As I was making a salad for dinner last night with fresh greens from our small greenhouse (which made a surprisingly amazing bounce back following our late season cold snap), my six-year-old son started talking to me about science. Now, my son tends to be extreme in all things, sometimes Read more…
There are many more deer on Mayne Island now than in previous centuries. The evidence for that statement is available for anyone to see: most native plants on Mayne Island are decreasing in abundance as a result of deer browse. Have you seen sword fern with its tips chewed off? Read more…