With conservation initiatives, there’s usually an identifiable moment where doing nothing is no longer an option. And that was when 20 nestlings died during tree work in Spring 2021 that a small group of volunteers embarked on the Lions Bay Bird Friendly Initiative. Distraught residents wrote to Council asking for a bylaw amendment to prohibit work during the nesting season and thankfully, they agreed. 

Knowing there was much more to be done, we looked for anything that would progress this first step and help us further protect birds. Google led us to Nature Canada’s Bird Friendly City program, and so it began.

Because it’s a grassroots-driven program, it was possible for us volunteers to drive the initiative, later supported by Council resolution. We focused on educating residents about reducing threats to birds and creating native, biodiverse backyards while also gathering information for the application to become a Bird Friendly City. In 2022, we received our certification in the new small town category. 

And then…

As we became more involved with other organizations, we discovered ways to preserve and restore habitat on a larger scale. Our natural heritage also provides important services to the community. For example, as a village on the steep Coast Mountains, beautiful mature forests provide slope stability, keep neighbourhoods cooler during increasingly hotter summers and mitigate the effects of more frequent atmospheric rivers. 

In 2024, we initiated a conversation with Council’s Climate Action Committee to explore the adoption of a municipal Natural Assets Strategy and a shift to Nature-based Solutions. A motivator for local governments is always cost-efficiency – they have a duty to consider cost and funding when addressing infrastructure needs. It’s helpful that it’s now possible to calculate the monetary value of services healthy, biodiverse ecosystems provide, especially when compared to an engineered, man-made solution. We also recently engaged members of the Infrastructure Committee in this initiative. Our goal is to advocate for Nature-based Solutions as the municipality addresses priority projects such as stormwater management and ocean level rise.

If our communities look at nature and its benefits with fresh eyes; birds – the proverbial canaries in the coalmine – and citizens can thrive together. All it takes is a small start.