ELI Project - Citizen Science and Environmental Education on Haida Gwaii
Provide an opportunity for volunteer citizen scientists and students of all ages to participate in hands-on environmental monitoring, research, and stewardship.
About You
About You
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Laskeek Bay Conservation Society
Organization Website
Organization Country
Canada, BC, Queen Charlotte
Country where this solution is creating social impact
Canada, BC
Region in BC where your solution creates social impact
Coast and Mountains, Northern British Columbia.
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
How long has your organization been operating?
More than 5 years
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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Established (past the previous stages and has demonstrated success)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for more than 5 years
The Need: Describe the need for your solution and the size and characteristics of the community(ies) your solution is engaging
The islands of the Haida Gwaii archipelago are home to unique marine and terrestrial ecosystems with high levels of biodiversity and great conservation value, however some of these systems are threatened by resource development, global climate change, and introduced invasive species. Effective, sustainable management of the environment requires good baseline data and reliable long-term monitoring regimes.
These remote areas also provide a fantastic venue for regular people to respectfully engage with nature and learn about the plants, animals, and processes which comprise these important ecosystems. To fully accomplish this, there needs to be an established infrastructure for transport and accommodation, as well as competent organization and instruction in planning and in practice.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
LBCS provides opportunities for volunteer "Citizen Scientists" and students of all ages to participate in hands-on environmental monitoring, research, and environmental education in a remote field camp setting. The flagship program is the long-term monitoring of the Ancient Murrelet, a threatened species of burrow-nesting seabird which breeds on the islands of Haida Gwaii, but we also carry out numerous other programs with different species of seabirds and forest birds, marine mammals, rare plants, and introduced species.
Volunteers spend one week on East Limestone Island assisting with the various monitoring and research projects. Students visit for one day and night on a trip organized in partnership with School District 50, and they participate in the Ancient Murrelet monitoring. Under the tutelage of our two trained staff biologists, they learn about the island ecosystems they are visiting, as well as the skills and methods used to monitor and protect the species being studied.
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include the primary activities involved in your solution.
Typically, volunteer "Citizen Scientists" spend one week on East Limestone Island assisting in the various research programs based out of the field camp. This includes capture and release of Ancient Murrelet chicks, burrow monitoring of Cassin's Auklets and Pigeon Guillemots, at-sea surveys for seabirds and ducks, marine mammal sightings, forest bird observation, inventory of rare plants, surveys of Black Oystercatcher populations and nest scrape sites in Gwaii Haanas, Glaucous-winged Gull surveys, introduced species monitoring, and various other stewardship related tasks. Similarly, students from local schools visit the island to learn about the research programs and assist in the Ancient Murrelet monitoring.
The overarching theme is the engagement and involvement of relatively untrained community members and students in real conservation efforts and valuable research in a remote field location.
Over our 23 years of operation, we have had over 550 volunteers spend at least one week in our field camp. Approximately half of them have been from local communities, while 59 have been international visitors from 15 different countries.
We have hosted over 600 elementary and secondary-school students from 5 different schools in 85 separate visits.
We offer an internship program for senior-year post-secondary students studying biology, environmental sciences, or similar programs. This provides them with invaluable hands-on field experience related to their studies. We have had 20 post-secondary students working or studying at our field camp since 1990.
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others working to address the same needs as you and indicate what sets you apart from them.
We do not have any direct competition in our field.
We work in a close co-operative partnership with the local Research Group on Introduced Species, who are conducting research on the impacts of introduced Sitka Black-tailed Deer on the island landscapes of Haida Gwaii. While our project has a large focus on community involvement and education, theirs is more focused on academic research yielding scientifically robust results, which can later be applied to management plans.
We also work as a supporting partner with Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage site in their ongoing project, "SGin Xaana Sdiihltl’lxa: Night Birds Returning," which aims to protect and re-establish seabird populations which have been decimated by introduced predators such as rats and raccoons.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
The Laskeek Bay Conservation Society was founded around a campfire in 1989 by local men and women who had been working as field staff for a Canadian Wildlife Service research project on Ancient Murrelets on Reef Island in Laskeek Bay. As the six-year CWS study came to a close, they saw that a long-term monitoring program would provide much more valuable data, and that a volunteer-based project model would make it both viable and valuable to the greater community of environmentally-conscious individuals on Haida Gwaii and beyond.
The group decided to base their research on the more comfortable East Limestone Island, where they built a cabin in 1990 and begun research on Ancient Murrelets in the inaugural field season on 1990. The Laskeek Bay Conservation Society was officially founded later that year, and in the following 23 years the programs have expanded and morphed to try to give a unique view into the interactions of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Haida Gwaii.
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Three Main Goals:
1. To undertake and support research and long term monitoring of wildlife populations of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Haida Gwaii, especially the Laskeek Bay area.
2. To provide opportunities for non-scientists, especially students and local residents of Haida Gwaii, to participate as volunteers in our field programs, and offer training to impart necessary field research skills.
3. To promote better understanding of the marine and terrestrial ecosystems of Haida Gwaii, especially the Laskeek Bay area, by providing information to youth, local residents, and to the public in general in the form of publications, meetings and exhibits.
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
Over our 23 years of operation, we have had over 550 volunteers spend at least one week in our field camp. Approximately half of them have been from local communities, while 59 have been international visitors from 15 different countries.
We have hosted over 600 elementary and secondary-school students and 200 teacher chaperones from 5 different local schools in 85 separate visits.
We have hosted over 20 post-secondary students in internship positions, providing valuable hands-on field experience related to the study of biology, ecology, and similar disciplines.
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
We hope to continue to engage potential citizen scientists in the week-long volunteer program. Each field season requires roughly 30 volunteers for ideal workload, which means we would like 150 volunteers over the next five years.
We also hope to continue to support and reestablish the student programs, which have faltered in recent years due to dwindling numbers of students at local schools and diminishing interest from the over-worked teachers at these small, shrinking schools. This year the school visits were cancelled due to the ongoing teacher's strike, but we can expect around 15-20 students per year, with aim to increase that number to 20-30.
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Secure sufficient funds for 2013 field season.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Negotiate more integrated partnership with Gwaii Haanas and BC Parks.
Task 2
Make successful proposals to a number of granting agencies.
Task 3
Participate in a number of outreach events and generate interest in the volunteer program, yeilding volunteers for spring 2013.
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Begin transition from monitoring and conservation to active restoration of populations affected by introduced predators.
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Implement a more thorough raccoon eradication program.
Task 2
Expand monitoring to West Limestone Island.
Task 3
Begin various activities associated with seabird colony restoration.
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
We are partners with the Research Group on Introduced Species, who are studying the impacts of introduced Sitka Black-tailed Deer on Haida Gwaii.
We are partners with Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in their project "SGin Xaana Sdiihltl'lxa: Night Birds Returning," which aims to restore populations of nocturnal, burrow-nesting seabirds, which have been decimated by introduced mammalian predators such as rats and raccoons.
We also work closely with the Canadian Wildlife Service and the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations.
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your solution? If so, where and why?
We don't have any specific target populations or areas; we feel environmental stewardship is an ideal that transcends age and place. However, we do need our volunteers to be physically able to work in rugged and remote field conditions, and just because of convenience we tend to attract volunteers primarily from Haida Gwaii and secondarily from other parts of BC, but we have had international volunteers almost every year, and we feel our message is not lost on anyone, regardless of their age or where they come from.
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
In addition to the uniqueness of our program and the beauty of our field operations, LBCS has been lucky over our 23 years to have a consistent stream of excellent field staff. Our volunteers continually remark that they are not only knowledgeable and helpful, but also very easy-going and pleasant to live with in the camp setting.
Our longevity could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of the board of directors, office staff, and field staff, for whom LBCS is not just a job but a valuable and worthy cause. Staff and volunteers have always gone above and beyond what has been required, always for the benefit of the organization. For this we are always thankful.
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
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