🌲 March 2026 Newsletter 🌲
- Mar 12
- 6 min read
Hi, friends!
It’s getting closer—the time is almost here to open the Nature House doors to visitors once again! As the winter cold makes way for spring warmth and the great outdoors starts to shine bright, GWAS is hard at work preparing the Nature House and providing new and exciting experiences for everyone to enjoy!
The spring season is also bringing many new events and experiences within the community, and you can bet that GWAS will be a part of those. With February coming to a close, let’s dive right into the coming month—we are eager to share what’s in store for the beginning of spring!
FEBRUARY RECAPS
🦀 Esquimalt Family Day Event Recap 🦀
True or False: Family Day at Esquimalt Rec is the best!
Very true! GWAS joined Esquimalt Recreation for a Family Day full of fun! We had a fantastic time running our legendary crab trivia! Thank you to everyone who participated and the amazing words of appreciation from our community—it made the day absolutely crab-ulous!
🐳 Critical Distance Opening Recap 🐳
A remarkable opportunity, GWAS got the chance to be one of the first to experience the brand-new Critical Distance augmented reality exhibit at the Royal BC Museum. The exhibit allows guests to discover the world of the endangered Southern Resident Orcas of the Salish Sea and the pressing challenges they face in their ecosystem, through an innovative and immersive virtual display described as “a powerful blend of art, science, and technology.” Combined with some remarks from guest speakers and some light refreshments, and this was no doubt an event to be remembered. The Critical Distance Augmented Reality Experience is live now at Royal BC Museum until July 9th, 2026; be sure to check it out yourself!
To learn more, visit the Critical Distance webpage.
🤝 UVic Changemakers Summit Recap 🤝
The drive and enthusiasm of University of Victoria’s students continues to inspire us! GWAS’ Stephanie Gurney and Andrea Kwok were invited to speak on a panel at the UVic Changemakers Summit at the Dock Centre for Social Impact. It was a day of inspiring conversations surrounding community challenges of food sovereignty, environmental conservation, community housing, and political assembly. We left feeling more committed to our community than ever.
To learn more, visit the Changemakers Library.
🎓 Tapestry Conference Recap 🎓
W.B. Yeats said that "Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire." And indeed, ideas were ignited at the Tapestry Conference in February, an annual gathering of British Columbia’s educators to participate in professional development workshops and networking. GWAS and the Ocean Conservation & Education Action Network: South Vancouver Island (OCEAN SVI) were able to connect with local teachers, and share resources and details about our place-based programming. Fueling the fire of the next generation’s environmental champions is at the core of our work, and we look forward to connecting with more students than ever this year!
📋 Royal Roads University Job Fair Recap 📋
We never turn down an opportunity to connect with post-secondary students who are gearing up to gain employment or volunteer experience to supplement their studies. The students of Royal Roads University came out to this year’s Employer Connect job fair with amazing enthusiasm! We had a blast chatting with students from a diverse range of faculties about our various summer positions and volunteering opportunities. Check out our website’s “Get Involved: Volunteer” section to learn more yourself!
🗻 David Suzuki Event Recap 🗻
GWAS was honored to attend a true “Conversation of a Lifetime” this past month with world-renowned scientist and activist David Suzuki at the University of Victoria. Organized by the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) and the David Suzuki Foundation, we had the opportunity to participate in a night full of reflection, conversation, and aspirations for the future of climate action. GWAS was also given the privilege of being the donor recipient of the proceeds generated by the event, which we are so grateful to be able to put back into helping the Gorge waterway and our local communities flourish!
🌳 Greater Victoria NatureHood Anniversary Event Recap (Early March) 🌳
Ten years of a nature collective is a big feat and something to be celebrated, so that’s just what we did. GWAS joined its fellow organizations within the Greater Victoria NatureHood for a wonderful night at Camosun College Lansdowne to remember all the amazing accomplishments the collective has done. GWAS’ Brad Procter, GVNH’s Rick Searle, environmental professor Dr. Rick Kool, and Nature Canada representative Jason Barron shared some great speeches about the history of the collaborative and what it means to be a naturehood, with some thought-provoking questions about what it means to “live like you intend to stay.”
Head to the GVNH webpage to learn more about this incredible collaboration.
🌎 Partners in the News 🌎
A big shoutout to our friends at Rocky Point Bird Observatory for taking part in the creation of a new headquarters and bird sanctuary in Metchosin with the BC Parks Foundation! The new Hummingbird Hill is 21 hectares and will serve as a natural habitat for a wide variety of bird species. We are looking forward to seeing all the great work that will be done at this new location. You can read the full article here.
COMING UP THIS MONTH...
🐟 Herring Spawn Season 🐟
Photo Credit: SeaChange Marine Conservation Society
Spring on the BC coast brings one of the most vibrant marine events of the year: the Pacific herring spawn!
In protected bays and inlets (including the Gorge Waterway), female herring blanket eelgrass, seaweed, and other surfaces with tens of thousands of eggs. Males follow with milt, tinting the water a brilliant turquoise—a colour that signals new life in the nearshore ecosystem. Unlike salmon, herring return to spawn again and again throughout their lives. After spawning, you may notice eggs washed up along the shoreline. Within two weeks, they hatch into larvae that linger in shallow waters for safety. Over the next few months, they grow into juveniles and spend their first summer tucked into sheltered habitats. Once they reach two to three years of age, they join larger offshore schools and take their place in the wider marine food web.
Follow Pacific Herring Spawn Reporting on Facebook for updates and spawning locations around BC.
🌊 Join the Wave 2 Workshop 🌊
Whether you are a well-seasoned event host, or curious about hosting an Ocean Week Victoria event for the first time, you're invited to JOIN THE WAVE 👋
The second Join the Wave workshop will take place on Thursday, March 12th at the Royal BC Museum's Conference Hall from 9:30am-12:00pm. The in-person workshop will be a great opportunity to receive guidance on planning and registering your event for Ocean Week Victoria, and to connect with local community members who might be interested in supporting or co-hosting an event with you. Don’t miss out, follow this link to register!
🗓Thursday, March 12
🕰9:30am-12:00pm
🏠 The Nature House opens March 14th! 🏠
It’s our favourite time of the year again: Gorge Waterway Nature House is opening its doors for the spring season! Visitors can swing by on weekends between [hours], open for all ages! We’ve got lots of engaging activities and informative material to take a peek at; from our specimen gallery to our watershed model, from picture books to game sheets, there’s never a dull moment at the Nature House!
But you don’t have to be just a visitor; with the doors opening, we’re looking for volunteers again! Be sure to check out our Volunteer page or email us at outreach@gorge.ca for more information on how you can help us out.
💧 World Water Day at UVic 💧
On March 19th, you’ll find GWAS at the University of Victoria celebrating World Water Day! The Project on Ecological Governance (POLIS) has invited us, along with local leaders and sustainability-focused organizations, to come together in shared love for all things water. This completely free event will include a Resource Fair (and free pizza!), a screening of the film “Nechako: It Will Be A Big River Again”, and a Q&A session after to discuss the film with some amazing speakers. Take a look here for more information, and we hope to see you there!
🗓Thursday, March 19
🕰3:30-7:00pm
🙌 Nature House Opening Celebration 🙌
With the Nature House opening for the spring season, we’re inviting you to come celebrate it with us at the House on March 21st from 11am-2pm. This family-friendly event is completely free and fun for all ages with touch-tank demonstrations, nature walks and so much more. Come have some fun and meet our awesome Nature House team; we can’t wait to see you there!
🗓Saturday, March 21
🕰11:00am-2:00pm
We hope you're feeling pumped for brighter evenings and engaging events! We'll see you in the next newsletter.
Sincerely,
The GWAS Team
Comments