New initiatives to track the movement of birds and whales on and around Haida Gwaii, using the latest in high technology, have been undertaken by the GawGa Kwaan GawGa kaaganda gud ad is Laskeek Bay Conservation Society (LBCS), a non-profit conservation and education organization.

From its field station on East Limestone Island, the LBCS has, for the last 33 years, given hundreds of volunteers and students the opportunity to learn about the natural environment. Its area of study lies within the K’uuna Gwaay Haida Heritage Site/Conservancy which is formally protected by both the Haida Nation and the province. It was founded by a group of Haida Gwaii residents and Dr. Anthony Gaston, a seabird scientist with the Canadian Wildlife Service.

Lately, the society has done ground-breaking work in three areas:

• New night-time cameras allow the monitoring of the Ancient Murrelet colony on East Limestone Island without having to conduct overnight watches in person. The remote cameras record chick movements as they emerge from their burrows and run through the dark forest down to the sea, to re-unite with their parents in the waters around the island.
• The use of “smart nest-box technology” in the LBCS collection of Pigeon Guillemot nest boxes. Solar-powered video cameras record Pigeon Guillemot nesting activity within the nest box colony, capturing parent birds as they lay, incubate and hatch their eggs. They also monitor what the parents feed the chicks, how long the chicks stay in the nest box, and the early life cycle of this seabird with the distinctive bright red feet.
• The expansion of its cetacean monitoring program. LBCS has received funding from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to expand its monitoring of killer whales, humpbacks, other cetaceans and sea lions in the Laskeek Bay area. Coincidently, the society’s humpback whale data matches two individuals on the Happywhale website at happywhale.com/user/15619 - humpbacks sighted in Alaskan waters and off the southwest coast of Vancouver Island. One of the latter humpbacks was recently sighted in Hawaii.

The society believes its work will lead to greater understanding of the dynamic interactions between ocean and forest. The vision grew into an opportunity to involve local people, school groups and off-island volunteers in citizen science. LBCS activities continue to grow and expand. It offers programs in local schools, produces annual newsletters, books and research papers, and hosts internships via post-secondary institutions.

During the last three years of uncertainty due to the global pandemic, LBCS was able to maintain its research programs by operating a limited field season. It met local and provincial health and safety guidelines. School groups and general volunteers were not able to participate in LBCS activities, but the society is now ready to welcome people back to East Limestone Island for the upcoming 2023 field season.

Interested in Volunteering?

During the May-July field season each year, small groups of volunteers and school groups are invited to make the journey to East Limestone Island to assist our biologists with their research. Volunteers camp at our field station for one week at a time, helping with all field camp operations. School groups come and tour the island and participate in whatever the biologists are doing that day. Other groups may also visit East Limestone, coming via local charters and tour operators.

Sound interesting? If so, please visit our website www.laskeekbay.org to apply for one week time slots throughout the 2023 field season. Volunteers must be able to climb in and out of boats on rocky shores and be comfortable living in tents in a remote field camp setting.