Supporting the Nuchatlaht title case 

• The Nuchatlaht Nation took the B.C. government to court to reclaim their territory in the eyes of the colonial court system. 
• Friends of Nuchatlaht supported the Nation on their request with media support, digital amplification, organizing sign painting night, town hall and solidarity rally. This resulted in the case getting widespread media attention. The court’s decision is still pending.

Bear den protection 

• We released a bear den report with the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre and bear biologist Helen Davis. The report showed that bear dens in B.C. need urgent protection. Read our media release. 
• One of the report’s main findings was that black bears on Vancouver Island rely on dens associated with large-diameter trees most commonly found in old-growth forests, and that a century of logging has decimated suitable denning trees.
• The report generated a public outcry and thousands of letters sent through our letter-writing tool. MLAs took notice and in October a bear den bill was tabled in the B.C. Legislature.
• Helen Davis presented a bear den talk for a local group in Qathet/Powell River, and published a scientific paper on how protecting old-growth is the best way to ensure healthy coastal bear populations.
• This coming year we will keep an eye out for a re-tabling of the bear den bill or for its inclusion in the Wildlife Act, which is under review for amendments.

Good news: The Skagit Donut Hole was protected (learn more in our Spring Sierra Report)

Biodiversity work

• We called for a provincial biodiversity law to be co-developed with Indigenous Nations after releasing a Species-At-Risk Report with Wilderness Committee that highlighted huge legal gaps driving species extinction in B.C.   

• • The report received social media and traditional media pickup (including The Narwhal, National Observer, Vancouver Sun, and more). Read our media release. 
  • We shared the report with key government officials and invited them to meet with us to work on solutions together.

• Why Are The Relatives Leaving?

• • This year we began learning from Indigenous partners about a different way of seeing species at risk. We asked ourselves: Why are the Relatives Leaving? As we view the biodiversity crisis in B.C. through an Indigenous lens. We will continue to explore and share about our reciprocal relationships with the non-human relatives.  

• COP15 – UN biodiversity conference in Montreal

• • International negotiations for COP15 created a deal ratified by roughly 190 countries committing to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030 and prevent further loss of biodiversity.
  • The 30×30 goal is central to Sierra Club BC’s 2020 strategic plan. We thank you for stepping up and supporting this goal at the global scale!
  • During the first week of COP15, Premier David Eby issued mandates for his new cabinet, including a clear mandate for the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship to protect 30 percent of B.C. by 2030. 

• We took the federal government to court over migratory bird nesting violations 

• • This includes the threatened marbled murrelet, a seabird that relies on coastal old-growth forest for nesting in British Columbia.
  • The lawsuit was filed by Ecojustice in Federal Court on behalf of Sierra Club BC and Wilderness Committee. Learn more here.

Climate accountability legislation 

• With the help of Ecojustice, we took the B.C. government to court for failing to present plans to achieve several key climate targets, as required by its own climate change legislation. Read our media release. 
• We had our first day in court in October, where we hosted a solidarity rally outside the courthouse in Vancouver. Read more about it here. 
• Thousands of people wrote to their local representative in support using our letter-writing tool. 
• We expect a decision from the courts in 2023.

Invite to Action 

• We launched our Invite to Action program and platform to bring together concerned folks who want to create the societal conditions needed for change to take root. ITA facilitates individuals and communities to step in and contribute to the paradigm shift in meaningful ways. We invite you to join this network of action-takers here. 
• Through online and in-person events and gatherings, we supported a community of over 300 artists sharing and connecting on the Sierra Club BC Artists Facebook page. 
• We provided ongoing mentorship of the Nanaimo Youth Climate Action Hub 
• We connected Nurturers with resources from our Education team and looped them together with people from their town or city to build more connected and resilient networks. 
• We engaged with members via emails containing monthly prompts tailored to each group and invited them to step into a deeper relationship with the natural world.  

Forest walks: An invitation to see differently

• The Forest School walks are participatory co-learning educational experiences that centre Indigenous knowledge and re-story how we need to come together as a society to face this moment of climate and ecological crisis. These walks draw on Coast Salish teachings and are guided by skilled Indigenous and intercultural educators.  
• We piloted our first Forest School walk series with ‘Place-Based Field School’ students at Emily Carr University of Art and Design between January and April. Over 85 people joined the walk series by the end of 2022.  
• We were honored to receive a $200K contribution from St. Andrews Wesley United Church to expand the forest walk series through new programs tailored to Indigenous youth, faith leaders, and youth climate activists.

Re-storying our Relationship 

• We hosted an arts-based workshop to re-story our connections to nature. This week-long workshop was facilitated by Andrea Vela Alarcón. 
• Participants engaged with the practice of “re-storying” through writing and illustration exercises. In each session, participants re-imagined narratives that encourage reciprocal relationships with the natural world and those who inhabit it. At the end of the workshop, participants’ creative work was showcased in a collective online publication.

Faith-based organizing 

• In February we teamed up with the Climate Emergency Unit and For the Love of Creation to co-host an event for thirty faith and spiritual leaders across the country. We called it ‘The Stories that Move Action.’ 
• We co-hosted an Indigenous law and mindfulness retreat in collaboration with the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council and Victoria MultiFaith Society. The event brought together more than 100 participants, Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders, academics, students and others at the Sorrento Centre.