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CPAWS-BC
@cpawsbc.bsky.social
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Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – British Columbia Chapter
An environmental non-profit working to protect lands, waters and nature in British Columbia
www.cpawsbc.org
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cpawsbc.bsky.social
📣 LAST CALL! Jan 31st is the deadline to apply for our free youth conservation program! Youth ages 18-30, jump on this unique opportunity to impact conservation policy in BC! Visit our website for full details: https://cpawsbc.org/take-action/our-young-leaders-program/
January 27, 2026 at 6:55 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Youth leadership is vital for climate action and nature protection — and that’s why we’re investing in the next generation of young leaders! Apply to our free youth conservation program by Jan 31:
https://cpawsbc.org/take-action/our-young-leaders-program/
January 15, 2026 at 6:50 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Youth leadership is vital for climate action and nature protection — and that’s why we’re investing in the next generation of young leaders! Apply to our free youth conservation program by Jan 31:
https://cpawsbc.org/take-action/our-young-leaders-program/
January 6, 2026 at 11:35 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
🌱 We’re hiring an IPCA Coordinator

If you care deeply about Indigenous-led conservation, value relationships and collaboration, and are adaptable, thoughtful, and creative, this role might be for you.

🔗 Full details + how to apply — https://cpawsbc.org/about-us/career-opportunities/
December 22, 2025 at 7:10 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
✨ We’re hiring a Youth Engagement Coordinator

If you’re action-oriented, creative, strong in project management, and passionate about uplifting youth voices, this could be the role for you.

🔗 Learn more + apply — https://cpawsbc.org/about-us/career-opportunities/
December 19, 2025 at 5:05 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Are you 18+, live in the Okanagan, and passionate about art & environmental advocacy?

Artvocacy supports emerging artists to develop original work and showcase it publicly – inviting community members and local decision-makers into dialogue.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/M2LK7k84kmLvxcAz6
December 19, 2025 at 4:30 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Collingwood Channel marine refuge.

https://cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-sound-glass-sponge-reef-wildlife/
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A map of Collingwood Channel glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife A Pacific sanddab blending into a sandy ocean floor with mottled brown and tan coloration. Photo by: Gregory C. Jensen (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Pacific sanddabs are excellent at camouflaging. They can change their color and pattern to match their surrounding sandy or muddy habitats. A kelp greenling, a fish coloured with intricate patterns of red and brown, rests near rocks Photo by: Hewittdoesit (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Kelp greenlings have a unique mating behavior where males attempt to fertilize eggs in the nests of males other than their own. A striped surfperch, a fish with iridescent blur stripes along its body, rests near the ocean floor Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Female striped surfperch can produce anywhere between 11 and 92 live young each year.
December 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Carmelo Point marine refuge.

https://cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-sound-glass-sponge-reef-wildlife/
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A map of Langdale and Mariner's Rest glass sponge reef marine refuges with icons of marine wildlife around them A shiner surfperch, coloured green with darker stripes, swims in dark water. Photo by: Shelby Connelly (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: During breeding season, males turn almost all black, covering their shiny stripes. The head of rock sole, a flatfish with two bulbous eyes right side of its head, blending in with sandy seafloor. Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Young rock sole live in shallow waters and move deeper as they get larger. They are are slow-growing fish and can live for over 20 years! A Pacific sanddab, a flatfish with speckled brown colouration, blends into the muddy seafloor. Photo by: Gregory C. Jensen (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Unlike many other flatfish, Pacific sanddabs are “left-eyed” instead of right-eyed, meaning both of their eyes are on the left side of their body.
December 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Carmelo Point marine refuge.

https://cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-sound-glass-sponge-reef-wildlife/
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A map of Carmelo Point glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife A whitespotted greenling, speckled brown, grey and white, rests on the sea floor. Photo by: Hewittdoesit (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: After laying eggs, the females will leave while the males stay and protect the fertilized eggs from predators. A decorated war bonnet, with branched cirri on its head, pokes its head out from behind cover. Photo by: dougcoutts (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: This fish’s head decoration or “war bonnet” is known as a cirri, and helps with camouflage and luring prey or mates. A spiny dogfish, a small gray shark, swims close to sandy ocean floor. Photo by: Hewittdoesit (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Spiny dogfish have two venomous spines to use as a defense against predators. These spines are located in front of each dorsal fin.
December 4, 2025 at 8:00 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Bowyer Island marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Bowyer Island marine refuge with icons of marine life around it 2 redstripe rockfish swim along the bottom of the sea Photo by: Jackson W.F. Chu (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Redstripe rockfish spend their first 3-12 months as free-swimming pelagic larvae before settling to the bottom as juveniles. A cookie star, coloured orange with 5 stubby arms Photo by: Sara Thiebaud (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Cookie stars get their name from the granular bumpy structures covering their bodies that give them a doughy texture. An Alaska pollock, coloured light grey with splotches of red, swims along the ocean floor. Photo by: Katherine Panfilova (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Younger pollock live in the mid-water region of the ocean. But as they get older (age 5 and up) they will typically dwell near the ocean floor.
December 1, 2025 at 11:08 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Lost Reef marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Lost Reef glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine life around it A freckled dorid, a white sea slug wiuth plumes coming out of the top if its body crawls on the sea floor Photo by: imcote (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: These sea slugs have razor-sharp "teeth" on their tongue, called radula, which they use to feed on prey. An English sole, a brown flatfish with white speckles and eyes on the right side of its head, sits on the sea floor Photo by: Shelby Connelly (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: English soles can live up to 22 years, with female soles living about 4 years longer than male. A blood star, a bright red starfish, sits on a rock Photo by: Erica (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Despite the blood star’s bright red color, they don't actually have blood. Instead, they use seawater to circulate nutrients and oxygen.
November 26, 2025 at 11:52 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Anvil Island marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Anvil Island glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife around it A slender sole, a pale coloured flatfish speckled with pink and brown, lies flat on the sea floor. Photo by: Gregory C. Jensen (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Slender sole are the only species in their genus known for being highly tolerant of incredibly low oxygen levels. A stubby squid, coloured dark red with large iridescent eyes, sits on the seafloor. Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Stubby squid are nocturnal hunters and often spend their days buried in the sand, leaving only their eyes exposed. A spot prawn, a pale pink shrimp with shite spots on its abdomen and stripes on its legs, crawls on the sea floor. Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Spot prawns begin life as a males but towards the end of their lives, change sex to become females.
November 24, 2025 at 9:47 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the East Defence Islands marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of East Defence Islands glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife around it A green striped rockfish, coloured white with pale green horizontal stripes, swims in front of a glass sponge. Photo by: Neil McDaniel (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Greenstriped rockfish have venom glands in the spines of the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins to protect themselves from predators. A yellowtail rockfish, coloured pale yellow with brown patches, swims by rocks on the seafloor. Photo by: Daniella LoScerbo (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Yellowtail rockfish can release gas from their swimbladder. This means that when they are caught from the deep they are able to avoid the barotrauma that would be fatal to other rockfishes. A feather duster worm, with white branched tentacles coming out of its stalk, is attached to the ocean floor. Photo by: Neil McDaniel (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Featherduster worms use their highly-branched tentacles for breathing and filter feeding small particles of food drifting in the water currents.
November 20, 2025 at 8:16 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Vancouver's new @thepwhl.com team, the @pwhlgoldeneyes.bsky.social, play their first home game this weekend!

After featuring the males last time, we're now showcasing the females!

Learn how people are working to protect their habitat: cpawsbc.org/campaign/gre...
Text: Meet BC's real goldeneyes! Part 2 The Vancouver Goldeneyes logo and image of a female common goldeneye in front of a coastal background image Images of a female Barrow's goldeneye and a female common goldeneye, both pale coloured ducks with dark brown heads. Photos by: Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Text: Female goldeneyes have brown heads and paler colours — better for camouflage when sitting on eggs and young ducklings.
November 19, 2025 at 8:35 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Halkett Point marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Halkett Point glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife around it A longhorn decorator crab, coloured orange and covered in gray organic matter, hides in a glass sponge. Photo by: Sarah Thiebaud (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Longhorn decorator crabs “decorate” their shells with living anemones and sponges to act as camouflage and make themselves less appealing to eat. A hand holds up a pink shrimp to the sky Photo by: laude Nozères (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Pink shrimp are found mainly in nothern waters. Locally, they are found chiefly in inlets, probably because water temperatures tend to be lower there. A spony scallop has gray coloured sponges growing on it Photo by: imcote (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Spiny scallops have a symbiotic relationship with the sponges that grow on their shells. The sponges get a place to live and protect the scallop from predators by giving it a bad taste.
November 17, 2025 at 7:48 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Vancouver's new @thepwhl.com team, the @pwhlgoldeneyes.bsky.social, play their first game this weekend!

BC is home to two species of goldeneye ducks — the common and the Barrow's. The males can be told part by the white patches on their faces.
Text: Meet BC's real goldeneyes! (the ducks, that is) The Vancouver Goldeneyes logo and images of a common and a Barrow's goldeneye in front of a coastal background image A common goldeneye, a black and white duck with iridescent green head, swims on the water. Photo by: Stefan Berndtsson (CC BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons Text: Males have a circle shaped patch on their face Unlike many diving ducks, common goldeneyes only need to run or “patter” a short 3 to 6 feet across the water before taking off. A Barrow's goldeneye, a black and white duck with iridescent purple head, swims on the water. Photo by: DickDaniels (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons Text: Males have a teardrop shaped patch on their face Barrow’s goldeneyes sometimes congregate near the coast during the early spring herring spawn before migrating inland.
November 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Alberta Bay marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of the Alberta Bay glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of ocean wildlife A sunflower sea star, coloured orange and brown with many arms radiating from its body, sits on the rocky ocean floor. Photo by: Brian (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Once common, their numbers have decreased greatly due to sea star wasting disease and warmer water temperatures caused by global climate change. A squat lobster, colured in bright light and pink hues with small pincers, sits in the opening of a sponge. Photo by: Rachel Munger (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: With their flattened bodies, squat lobsters hide from predators in the crevices of sponges. Their long claws allow them to feed from the safety of these hiding places. A California sea cucumber, coloured red and light brown with spikes protruding from its body, uses its tube feet to crawl on the rocky sea floor. Photo by: imcote (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: The California sea cucumber’s “spikes” are not very useful for defence since they are soft.
November 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Just like the Little Brown Bat, Scorpios are mysterious, determined, and passionate (about eating mosquitoes?).

Join us in calling on the BC government to protect habitat for species at risk like the Little Brown Bat by visiting besthope.ca.
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A little brown bat hangs upside down from a branch Text: Scorpio is the little brown bat A little brown bat hangs upside down in a cave Text: Little Brown Bats, also known as Little Brown Myotis, live all across BC - from coastal rainforests to interior grasslands. They really are very little! Adults weigh only 8 grams and are about 9 cm tall. These bats feed at dawn and dusk. They use echolocation to hunt. They find their prey by emitting sound waves that bounce off their prey, helping the bats zero in on their location. A close up of the very furry face of a little brown bat Text: Unfortunately the little brown bat is considered a species at risk in BC. The biggest threats to the little brown bat are habitat loss and a disease called white nose syndrome, which disrupts their winter hibernation. These bats need habitat like caves and healthy forests to roost and hibernate in without being disturbed. Habitat protection is essential to their survival. Join us in calling on the BC government to protect habitat for species at risk like the Little Brown Bat. A meme showing: Me: "if you need me call me" Also me: do not disturb mode, mute and a sleeping bat pictures Text: Protecting healthy habitats is one of the most effective ways to help the Little Brown Bat Support protecting 30% of lands and waters in BC by visiting besthope.ca
November 5, 2025 at 7:22 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Brunswick Point marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Brunswick Point marine refuge with icons of marine wildlife A Pacific dover sole lies flat on its side, camouflaged with gray and brown colours on the sea floor. Photo by: Sarah Thiebaud (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Pacific dover sole are also known as “slime” or “slippery” sole because they excrete mucous that makes them difficult to hold. A Dungeness crab, coloured grey with orange highlights, walks on the rocky sea floor. Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Dungeness crabs thrive in colder waters, making BC a great fishing area, and the species the most important crab harvested in the province. A sharpchin rockfish, coloured pink with dark red stripes, swims along the muddy sea floor. Photo by: Jackson W.F. Chu (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Sharpchin rockfish are named for the distinct knob at the tip of their lower jaw.
November 4, 2025 at 8:45 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Three new marine refuges are protecting the Great Bear Sea! 🌊💙

🐟 G̱aw Ḵáahlii & X̲aana K̲aahlii Marine Refuges in Haida Gwaii
🪸 Banks Marine Refuge near Lax k’naga Sts’ool (Banks Island), south of Prince Rupert
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Rockfish swim around a kelp forest Text: More Indigenous-led Conservation in the Great Bear Sea! Marine refuges created in Haida and Gitxaała territroies.
October 29, 2025 at 5:52 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Dorman Point marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map of Lions Bay and Kelvin Grove marine refuges with icons of marine wildlife A lingcod, a long fish speckled with brown spots and with a bright yellow eye rests on the rocks of the sea floor. Photo by: Sarah Thiebaud (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Lingcod use their 18 large canine like teeth to feed on nearly anything they can fit in their mouths. A spiny lithode crab, coloured red with spiky hairs of all over its body, crawls out of pale white coloured glass sponge. Photo by: Rachel Munger (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: The spiny lithode crab is covered in spines tipped with hairs, making it look both spiky and furry. A northern ronquil, a long fish speckled dark and light gray swims on the sea floor. Photo by: Rachel Munger (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: While common, northern ronquils are rarely observed as they seem to stay in their rocky, hidden homes.
October 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Ált'ka7tsem/Howe Sound's unique glass sponge reefs are home to amazing wildlife. And they're just minutes away from downtown Vancouver!

Here is some of the marine life found near the Dorman Point marine refuge.

cpawsbc.org/learn/howe-s...
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A map showing the Dorman Point glass sponge reef marine refuge with icons of 4 marine creatures A picture of a Pacific halibut, a flat fish speckled brown, lying on the seafloor. Photo by: Jackson W.F. Chu (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), iNaturalist Text: When halibut are born, they have one eye on each side of their face. As they grow older, the left eye moves to the right side. A great white dorid, a white marine invertebrate with bumps on its skin crawls on rocks underwater. Photo by: saraellison (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: The giant white dorid is a species of sea slug or nudibranch. The fluffy plumes on its back are its retractable gills. A vermillion star, a bright orange coloured sea star, lies on rocks underwater Photo by: Justin Chan (CC BY-NC 4.0), iNaturalist Text: Vermillion stars can move as fast as 40 cm per minute, which is pretty fast for a sea star.
October 24, 2025 at 5:27 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
Passionate about ocean conservation? Join the CPAWS-BC Team! We’re seeking a Conservation Campaigner, Ocean Program to lead advocacy efforts for marine protection in BC.

cpawsbc.org/.../2025.10-....
A humpback whale breaches out of ocean water Text: We're Hiring! Conservation Campaigner - Ocean Team Apply at cpawsbc.org
October 22, 2025 at 10:13 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
We collaborate and support Indigenous-led conservation:
Infographic text: We collaborate with scientists and community partners to study the benefits, opportunities, and impacts of protected areas We support Indigenous-led conservation by providing capacity on projects, amplifying announcements, and raising awareness about the need to support Indigenous-led initiatives with governments and the public Background image of a river flowing through a forest
October 21, 2025 at 9:24 PM
cpawsbc.bsky.social
We inspire and work with partners:
Infographic text: We inspire people to actively engage in conservation by participating in public consultations and advocating for strong protections We work with conservation partners and communities to identify new priority areas and appropriate tools needed for protection measures Background image of tree trunks and forest floor
October 21, 2025 at 9:24 PM