Summer Outreach Ambassador - Bella's Blog
Welcome to Isabella Johnston’s blog. With funding support from the Canada Summer Jobs program, Bella, a third-year University student with a passion for sustainability, is gaining real-life experiences in the field while supporting the ongoing outreach and engagement with the community about the Biosphere. bellajohnston@howesoundbri.org
Bella writes:
The first month working for the Biosphere was an amazing experience filled with lots of learning and new faces. Come along with me as I share some of my highlights from my first month with the biosphere.
First Week - May 13, 2023 - Executive Director, Ruth Simons and I attended the Lions Bay Community Bird Friendly Event in early May. This was my first day and event with the Átl'ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere. We set up a booth with the Marine Stewardship Initiative, a partner to the biosphere. Various societies attended the event advocating for bears, bats, the Squamish estuary, eagles, and promoting native pollinator plants. One group that observes eagles in Squamish gave a super interesting presentation on eagles in the area.
Ruth and I also took a walk in Lighthouse Park to familiarize myself with the West Vancouver side of the Biosphere watershed boundaries. We observed signage and the new Yellow-Cedar Tree Cookie on Beacon Trail, which has a cool backstory. We also left brochures near the parking lot and the start of the Lighthouse Park trail system.
May 23rd - I joined one of our partners, the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, at Porteau Cove Provincial Park. They organized a marine interpretation event for students at the St’a7mes School, which is based out of Squamish, BC. They had a dive team from the University of British Columbia gathering marine creatures off Porteau Cove and bringing them up to the surface as an educational experience for the students to learn more about the surrounding ocean. The children also got to see the divers heading into the water and had a lesson on various diving procedures/equipment.
May 24th - Tiffany Brunke, Education Outreach Coordinator for the Squamish Watershed Society gave me a tour of the Squamish Estuary specifically the newly reopened spit. This was my first trip to the estuary. It was a beautiful sunny day in the area, and I was blown away by how serene the spit was. Tiffany taught me about the history of the spit and current ongoing projects.
May 25th - I attended the St’a7mes School Pole Raising Ceremony at Porteau Cove Provincial Park. This was my first pole-raising ceremony, and it was amazing to watch. This welcoming figure was created with help from the St’a7mes School and local Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw carvers Neil Baker and Delmar Joseph. The pole is a symbol of truth & reconciliation.
May 26th - I tagged along on a trip to Bowen Island with Mica (Project Director) and Joey (Research Assistant). We got a tour of the island from seven-generation local Adam Taylor, the president of the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, a biosphere partner. Adam picked us up from the ferry and took us on a tour of the island, explaining significant history as we drove through the island. We made our way to the West Coast Nature Refuge and met with a member from the Bowen Island Conservancy. The Conservancy is responsible for creating this refuge and sanctuary. After a beautiful walk in the nature refuge, we headed back to Adam’s place. Adam grew up on the island and is a long-time experienced diver. An old friend of Adam’s discovered the ancient glass sponge reefs in Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound. He works to protect these reefs as well as the rockfish in the area. Currently, there is a lack of enforcement to protect these reefs and groundfish species. Mica is currently creating a terrestrial atlas alongside research assistant Joey. Therefore, the history of these endangered species is crucial to their research. Adam is a wealth of information and I learnt so much. A great day out in the community!
May 31st - I took the ferry to the Sunshine Coast. Ian Winn, Sunshine Coast local and a Director with the biosphere, took me on a tour for the day, explaining the biosphere boundaries in the area. We also met up with several marina operators along the way to give them educational materials provided to us by the DFO on rockfish conservation. We then headed to the Nicholas Sonntag Marine Education Centre, to learn more about their operations and ongoing projects. We then headed to the Gibson’s Public Library for a screen showing of Uncharted Waters. Ian and I gave a presentation following the screening and led a Q&A. This was my first presentation for the biosphere! An awesome day exploring the coast:)
June 1st - I headed up to Squamish to help Tiffany Brunke, the education coordinator for the Squamish Watershed Society. She brought a grade 8 class out from Howe Sound Secondary School into the estuary to complete an invasive species pull. The kids were awesome and got two big bags of periwinkle out of the estuary. They also found an old rusty car and took it upon themselves to extract it from the area, which was awesome too!
June 4th - I headed to Hollyburn Sailing Club for a Glass Sponge Reef Discovery Day event. I presented two times throughout the day. Other groups in attendance were representatives from Ocean Ambassadors Canada as well as the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre (Vancouver Aquarium). Adam from the Marine Life Sanctuaries Society, a biosphere partner, was also present and gave an awesome presentation on glass sponge reefs. I gained a lot of knowledge by hearing his presentation. My favourite days on the job are the ones out in the community!
June 8 - World’s Ocean Day at Mamquam Elementary School was an amazing event led by Ocean Enthusiast Minna Koskela-Wild, the founder of BlueMar4Change and the co-founder of Water Wise. The event collaborated with various inspiring speakers from different backgrounds who shared their love for the ocean with the students. One class from the elementary school MCed the event and did an amazing job! Speakers included SD48 Assistant, Superintendent, Paul Lorette who spoke about what the ocean meant to him. I shared the 90-second video on the Átl'ka7tsem/ Howe Sound Biosphere and simple ideas to the kids about how they can make a difference in the biosphere. see-appl-tun (known as Art Harry) and his cousin, Alice Tsawaysia Spukwus Guss both grew up in Squamish and belong to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw. They performed a beautiful song and led the children in a traditional dance. The last speaker was Rich Duncan, a well-known Howe Sound photographer, he shared a slideshow of his amazing photos of the Howe Sound waters.
That night I spoke at the Sunshine Coast Conservation Society’s World Ocean Day event, which included a screen showing of Uncharted Waters and Bob Turner's short film on the biosphere. I presented to the group over Zoom because I could not be there in person due to other world ocean day events. Ian Winn, a Sunshine Coast local and director for the biosphere, was able to be at the event in person and led a Q&A.
Check back soon for the next installment of my blog!
