Good News from the Biosphere - Summer 2024

We are pleased to share the good news stories from our partners and collaborators in our region. Here are some of the many summer news headlines. The collective efforts of individuals and small and large organizations make a difference.

Reconciliation and Sustainable Development:

This summer, people are enjoying the new Spawkus Feather Oceanside Park at the Oceanfront Squamish Development. Officially opened May 25th, the park features many amenities. Squamish Nation spokesperson Wilson Williams said “I’m particularly proud of the work of our Squamish mén̓men (children) in designing the playground based on an important Squamish oral history—this important piece of cultural recognition will remind everyone who visits that they are on Squamish land,”

The playground has QR codes that will play audio recordings of local children and youth from St’a7mes Elementary, who share Nation stories and culture from the surrounding land. Additional signage with Nation culture and language is installed throughout the park as well.

Marine Environment:

  • Howe Sound Marine Debris Clean up and Shoreline Clean up in Squamish: In collaboration with Marine Stewardship and our organization, Ocean Legacy Foundation will be travelling around Howe Sound to pick up marine debris and tackle some old discarded creosote logs and larger items September 13-15th. More details will be shared soon. Bookmark this page.

  • Rockfish Monitoring with Marine Life Sanctuaries Society: Volunteer divers continue to ID and count rockfish. So far, 40 individual divers have participated in 12 days of dive surveys, with 5 to 14 divers per dive day, each typically conducting 2 dives per day. There have been a total of 947 volunteer hours to date!

  • The Province of BC has its first Coastal Marine Strategy: We have been engaged in the development of this strategy and see alignment with many of the actions recommended in the Howe Sound Ocean Watch 2020 report.

Good work!

Inspiring Conservation news!

Volunteers in the News:

Squamish and Lions Bay Search and Rescue teams are featured in the second season of the Knowledge Network Series Search and Rescue North Shore. Episodes two and three show the stunning scenery of our biosphere region and the heroic efforts of the search and rescue volunteers. Find out more here.

We may have missed more good news about conservation, sustainability initiatives, reconciliation and social causes in your community. Please email us and we can include it the next time - info@howesoundbri.org


Ruth Simons