Save Estuary Land Society
Protecting and Restoring Habitat for Wildlife, Plants & People
Thank You Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation!
We are very grateful to the Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation for awarding the Save Estuary Land Society an Annual Community Fund Grant of $3,750.00 in support of our volunteer Habitat Restoration projects at the French Creek Estuary Nature Preserve.
Since 2023, dedicated volunteer crews have committed to weekly habitat restoration—removing invasive species, amending soil, building fences, installing water cisterns and nurturing native plants through dry seasons. Essential grant funding provides the important safety equipment and supplies required to sustain this ongoing work.
We were thrilled to host Charlene Smith, Executive Director of the Parksville Qualicum Community Foundation, when she visited usat the French Creek Estuary Nature Preserve. We greatly appreciate her taking the time to present our grant, meet some of our wonderful volunteers, and tour two of our restoration sites.
Restoring the French Creek Estuary Nature Preserve
The Nature Preserve lies within the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As, Qualicum and K'ómoks First Nations whose cultural connections to the land, water and Salish Sea date back to time immemorial and remain today. It lies between the urbanized areas of Parksville and Qualicum Beach in the RDN's Electoral Area G. Protecting and restoring its natural habitat is essential for sustaining and enhancing the unique biodiversity of the east coast and ensuring its long-term resilience.
The first restoration project was to remove and restore unsanctioned bike jumps which had disturbed culturally significant areas, caused harm to plant & wildlife species, and risks to community safety. The RDN removed the bike jumps and built trails. Volunteers from the Arrowsmith Naturalists, Friends of French Creek Conservation Society, Mid Vancouver Island Habitat Enhancement Society, Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute and the Save Estuary Land Society planted 385 native trees & shrubs by first removing invasive species, digging holes, remediating the soil, then caging vulnerable plants to protect from deer browsing.
Thanks to the Amazing Volunteers Who Make This Possible!
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Before photo of bike jump area, photo by SELS
Volunteers planting native species, photo by Deborah Freeman
Volunteers meet every Tuesday, 9:00 - 11:00 am. A team waters the native plants that were planted in the former bike jump area, so important during times of drought. A 2nd team removes invasive plants in several locations including Daphne, English ivy, English holly, Himalayan blackberry, Periwinkle, and others to help native plants flourish.
Interested in Volunteering? Email us at saveestuaryland@gmail.com
Volunteers install a water tank, photo by SELS
Special thanks to Warren and Christina Kinney, owners of the Mulberry Bush Book store, for providing their truck & trailer to transport invasive material to the Transfer Station. And a shout out to their son Jack for helping!