Tag Archives: Tara Martin

Animals, Development

BC is moving millions of frogs for construction—no one knows if they’re surviving

The study finds that frogs and salamanders are moved by the millions, along with smaller numbers of snakes and other reptiles, to clear the way for pipelines, culverts and other development.

By Lou Bosshart, UBC News

New research shows that more than five million amphibians and reptiles were relocated to make way for development in B.C. between 2019 and 2022, yet there is no requirement to determine whether they survived.

Moving millions, tracking few 

The practice, called mitigation translocation, has been standard in B.C. for over a decade: before breaking ground, proponents obtain a provincial permit and move amphibians and reptiles off-site. What they’re not required to do: determine if those animals survive.

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Indigenous Nations

SISȻENEM will be the first land trust returned to a First Nation

By Chadd Cawson, The Columbia Valley Pioneer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

An untouched piece of Indigenous land called Halibut Island, also known as SISȻENEM, near Salt Spring Island, will be the first piece of land given back to an Indigenous community through a land trust. The nearly 436,000 square foot island has been stewarded by the Saanich, or W̱SÁNEĆ, Peoples for thousands of years.

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Rivers & Oceans

BC’s vital salmon route is seriously clogged

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Floundering Pacific salmon stocks are finding little refuge in the lower Fraser River — the lifeblood for the iconic species, and historically, the most significant spawning and rearing grounds on the West Coast of North America.

Researchers have found 85 per cent of the historical floodplain habitat for salmon in the lower Fraser has been lost.

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