Squamish Environment Society

SES is a membership driven, volunteer organization operating in the upper reaches of Howe Sound, in the Squamish river watershed of south western British Columbia.

SES memberships include membership in BCNature and a subscription to the quarterly BC Nature magazine.

Yearly membership renewals are due at or before the annual general meeting in October. New memberships are welcome at any time of year. Please, print, complete, and mail the application form at the bottom of this page. Our address is on the form! Alternatively, you can pay online now by clicking the button below:

Background

SES was formed in 1982 as a result of a proposal by BC Rail to construct a port facility that would have reduced productive estuarine habitat to zero. SES members have spend countless hours at meetings, written hundreds of letters, conducted tours for residents, visitors, and politicians advocating for the preservation of large areas of the estuary. This effort has resulted in improvements to the Squamish Estuary Management Plan and the soon to be announced Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area. Development pressures are relentless, so community vigilance is more important than ever.

In 2002, we changed our name to the Squamsih Environmental Conservation Society (SECS) to better reflect our concern for environmental issues beyond the needs of the Squamish Estuary.

It was found over time that the short name, SECS (sex) was often a barrier to serious conversation, while the full name, Squamish Environmental Conservation Society was very long and unpractical to say and was not as easy to remember. Thus, in 2009 it was voted at the annual general meeting, that the operating name be shortened to Squamish Environmental Society (SES), though the official legal name will not change.