New IBA Brochure
In April 2010, we completed a new brochure designed to stimulate interest and awareness of birds and the IBA program amongst the general public. Click here to view the brochure and please contact us if you would like some brochures to distribute.

Caretaker Network
In February 2010, we added one more volunteer Caretaker to our network for Nootka Island Banks IBA – bringing the total to 78 of BC’s 84 IBAs (93%)! Thanks again to those individuals who have joined our network of volunteers. More >>

A list of IBAs and Caretakers
A list of BC’s 84 IBAs and their associated Caretakers was added to this website in March 2010. More >>

New IBA Canada Website
Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada are thrilled to announce the launch of a new website for the Canadian Important Bird Areas Program (http://www.ibacanada.com/). The site’s main goals are to share information about IBAs in Canada, and to empower more Canadians to reconnect with nature as volunteers for the IBA Caretaker Network. The new, fully bilingual website provides information, tools, and mapping features to help IBA partners and volunteers more effectively monitor birds and assess conditions at key sites.

IBA Photos by Caretakers

A Male White-tailed Ptarmigan (photo: Scott Wilson)

Many IBA Caretakers contributed photos of their IBAs during a 'photo contest' held in 2008 and 2009. Representative photos of each IBA were compiled into a slide show, which can be viewed here. Thanks to Mountain Equipment Coop, the Victoria Bird House, and Wild Birds Unlimited Stores in Langley, Surrey, Victoria, Vancouver and North Vancouver, for donating items for the prize draw!

IBA in the Spotlight: Mount Arrowsmith and Area
One of the long term goals of the BC Important Bird Area program is to increase legal protection of IBAs across BC. Last September, the Regional District of Nanaimo, with support from the Hupacasath First Nation of the Alberni Valley, the Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC, and the Alpine Club of Canada, designated 1300 ha of alpine wilderness within the Mount Arrowsmith IBA as a regional park. This new protection will help ensure that the area is preserved for both its high recreational and ecological values.

Mount Arrowsmith IBA, along with Strathcona Provincial Park, is unique in BC because it was designated to protect an endemic bird. The Vancouver Island White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus saxatilis), a sub-species unique to the island, is found nowhere else on earth. Strathcona Provincial Park and Mount Arrowsmith Area Mountains both contain core breeding and wintering habitat for ptarmigan. Other birds that can be observed in the Mount Arrowsmith area include Blue Grouse, Northern Pygmy Owl, Three-toed Woodpecker, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Spotted Sandpiper, Grey-crowned Rosy Finch, Common Raven, Gray Jay, Pine Siskin, Red Crossbill, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Swainson’s Thrush, to name but a few.

Nearing the summit of Mt Arrowsmith (photo: Karen Barry)

As well as the rich bird life, Mount Arrowsmith IBA has many other ecological features. It is the headwater of two significant watersheds, the Englishman River on the north and the Little Qualicum on the south, both of which are important wildlife corridors and salmon rivers. The wild mountainous area is home to cougar, black-tailed deer, wolves, black bear and Roosevelt elk. A rare endemic mammal, the Vancouver Island marmot, used to live on the Arrowsmith Massif, but their numbers have dwindled to near extinction. Sightings have been few, although occasional whistles have been heard on remote parts of the mountain and the Vancouver Island captive breeding program will hopefully aid in the marmot’s recovery and restoration.

With these exceptional values, it is not surprising that the Mount Arrowsmith IBA and the surrounding landscape were recognized as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) Biosphere Reserve in 2000. Biosphere reserves are designated under the Man and the Biosphere Program and recognized internationally by UNESCO to demonstrate practical approaches to balancing conservation and development. They are comprised of “one or more core protected areas, a buffer area in which activities compatible with conservation occur, and a large area of cooperation where sustainable resource management practices are promoted and developed" (Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Reserve.) It is encouraging that the core protected area of the Mount Arrowsmith IBA and Biosphere Reserve have expanded. Continued efforts are needed to ensure that conservation pressures from logging and recreation in the watersheds are effectively managed in this fast developing region of Vancouver Island.