Posts in category: Projects

In its ongoing Conservation Corridors project, the Metchosin Foundation has been keen to facilitate the larger goal of protecting habitat between Pedder Bay and the Sooke Basin. Containing endangered ecosystems, this area sits at the tip of southern Vancouver Island, on the edge of the growing suburbs of Greater Victoria.

With the Conservation Corridors in mind, we are thrilled to announce the creation of a new conservation covenant property, the second title to be added since the Bilston Headwaters Nature Reserve was announced in May 2024.

Named Hummingbird Hill, this parcel is adjacent to the Galloping Goose Trail, the proposed SC’IA/NEW Tribal Park at Mary Hill and Matheson Lake Regional Park. This is an area of high biodiversity with tracts of Garry oak meadows, ponds, Coastal Douglas-fir forests, veteran old-growth trees, and cedar and maple groves. Together these provide essential stopover habitat for species ranging from Golden-crowned Sparrows to the Northern Saw-whet Owl.

Hummingbird Hill is beautifully represented by the charismatic Rufous hummingbird, the region’s tiniest bird, which has seen a precipitous decline since 1970. Its tiny body contrasts with its outsized, whizzing personality, and a heroic annual migration, flying from wintering grounds in the southern US and Mexico to Metchosin and environs every spring. Hummingbird Hill comes alive with Rufous hummingbirds in the spring as they return to feed on flowers such as salmonberry blossoms and red columbine.

Made possible through funding from the BC Parks Foundation, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Wilson 5 Foundation, Hummingbird Hill will be a sanctuary for migratory birds, and a host to Rocky Point Bird Observatory’s owl banding project and other bird identification activities.

The Metchosin Foundation is delighted to have been part of this conservation initiative. “As a small, volunteer-led group, we act as connector, catalyst, and accelerator in bringing people together to protect the places we love,” says Valerie Jaeger, the Foundation’s President. “We operate at the speed of trust, and the deep trust we share with BC Parks Foundation enables the realization of a shared vision for robust regional biodiversity protection.”

The Metchosin Foundation continues to work hard behind the scenes to build on these successes. We work with landowners to protect the wilderness that surrounds us right in our backyards. If you would like to learn how your property could be a part of this conservation initiative please contact the Metchosin Foundation or visit metchosinfoundation.ca.