Nature Squamish AGM 2025 Recap – Squamish Environment Society

Nature Squamish just wrapped up a year of incredible nature-based activity at our 2025 Annual General Meeting. Members came together to reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future. Guided by our mantra of seeking understanding, sharing knowledge, and acting for nature, the evening was filled with inspiring presentations, project updates, and heartfelt community connections.

Feature Presentations:

This year’s AGM featured two exciting presentations:

Wildlife Connectivity Project – Kate Andy: Kate shared the draft multi-species ecological connectivity map, the first of its kind in our region, and highlighted how habitat cores and linkages can help wildlife, from grizzly bears to frogs, navigate a changing landscape. Refinements continue with input from project partners and the map will be available via a knowledge-sharing hub to support conservation planning across the Sea to Sky.
Purple Martin Recovery Project – Davina Dubé & Claudia Cridge: Davina presented updates on the project, including breeding numbers and nesting activity. Claudia introduced a new nest box temperature study, comparing artificial structures with natural cavities to better understand how climate stress affects chick survival.

Watch the presentations: Purple Martin Recovery Project and Temperature Study | Wildlife Connectivity Project update

Project Highlights:

The AGM also celebrated progress across our active projects:

Biodiversity Squamish: Thousands of new iNaturalist observations and over 100 new species were added to the project this year, continuing to strengthen our understanding of local species.
Birding Programs: Monthly bird counts experienced a facelift in the form of a new portal to view all the data collected since 1991, and an integration of the count process into eBird. The next count is November 9th. Meet us at the Howe Sound Brew Pub at 8am! The first-ever Squamish Bird Festival brought the community together to celebrate migratory bird day on May 10th.
EagleWatch and Winter Eagle Count: EagleWatch volunteers recorded strong eagle numbers and the Winter Eagle Count reached its highest tally since 2007. Interested in volunteering but don’t own any binoculars? No problem! We have a binocular lending program to help make wildlife watching accessible for all. Email eaglewatch@squamishenvironment.ca for more information on how to get involved.
Western Toad Monitoring: Volunteers at Alice Lake and Garibaldi Springs continue to monitor breeding and migration activity, building knowledge and reducing impacts to western toads. A potential new breeding site in the Squamish Valley was been reported, which is exciting news for the toads (and us!). New barriers at the Mashiter Skatebowl appear to be effective in preventing amphibian and other wildlife entrapments.
Community Engagement: From the Brackendale Fall Fair to collaborations with developers and stewardship events, Nature Squamish was active across the community.

Hello’s and Goodbye’s:

We expressed gratitude to outgoing board members and coordinators, and welcomed new directors and project leads who will carry the work forward.

2025-26 Board of Directors: Meet the new Board of Directors

We said goodbye to directors Tiffany Brunke and Judith Holm, and thanked them for their contribution to Nature Squamish. They will be missed greatly.
A warm welcome to new board members Melanie Tardiff, Claudia Cridge & Niall Bell. We’re excited to have you on the board!
Great appreciation for our returning directors Rachel Shephard, Gwen L’Hirondelle, Murray Journeay & Carl Halvorson. We appreciate your hard work.

New coordinators:

Niall Bell – Monthly Bird Count Coordinator
Griffin Duckworth – Monthly Bird Count Lead
Claudia Cridge – Bird Friendly Squamish Coordinator

Raffles and Recognition:

The evening included a special recognition of long-time volunteer and birding coordinator Judy Vetsch, whose dedication and gentle touch as ambassador for bird conservation has shaped our programs to what they are today. As for raffle prizes, the handcrafted bird nestbox by Carl Halvorson and calendar by wildlife photographer Brian Aikens were well received by our winners and added to the celebrations of the evening.

Thanks to You:

Nature Squamish is powered by volunteers, members, funders, and partners. Every observation, every survey, and every event is made possible by the collective effort of our community. We are deeply grateful for your support!