Stories & Events

Here’s what you made possible in 2024

2024 was another impactful year for Sierra Club BC. With many challenges still ahead, we want to take a moment to celebrate the milestones we’ve achieved this year and reflect on the things you’ve helped us accomplish.

From protecting old-growth to safeguarding biodiversity to stabilizing the climate, you helped accomplish so much this year! (Photo by Mary Paquet/Sierra Club BC).

Protecting old-growth ecosystems and biodiversity

In May, the B.C. government released their latest old growth update which outlined their plans on old-growth protection and forest management.

Unfortunately, this update did not contain the critical actions and timelines needed to shift the paradigm in forest stewardship. It also delayed finalizing a Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health (BEH) Framework to 2025.

Sierra Club BC developed feedback and an online letter-writing tool to help interested community members have their voices heard, and thousands of people provided input to strengthen the BEH Framework and continue asking for old-growth protection.

We will continue to advocate for change on the ground for old growth and a provincial biodiversity law. With your support, in 2024 this has included increasing public attention on this crisis through social media campaigns reaching tens of thousands of people, working alongside Indigenous nations, providing reports and input to inform policy change, mainstream media stories, legal challenges, popular webinars, empowering local leaders, and film tours that are putting old-growth conversations right on kitchen tables across B.C.

A Court Win for Migratory Birds & Old-Growth Conservation!

We partnered with Ecojustice and Wilderness Committee to take the federal government to court to advocate for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats across Canada. We made the case that Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault had failed in the government’s duty to protect bird habitat by protecting only their nests and not the wider habitat they need to survive and recover.
We won the case! In February, the federal court ruled that Minister Guilbeault needs to strengthen the federal government’s protection statement, which outlines duties to protect at-risk migratory birds’ critical habitat under the Species at Risk Act.
This is especially important for species like the Marbled Murrelet who nest in towering old-growth trees. The outcome of this case is also a reminder why B.C. needs biodiversity legislation.

Over 300K hectares of land protected thanks to Indigenous-led efforts

This past summer, almost 300,000 hectares of new protected areas were announced. These are the largest additions to protected areas B.C. has seen in years!
The Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and the B.C. government announced 76,000 hectares of new conservancies in Clayoquot Sound, nearly doubling the area of protected old-growth rainforest within the iconic region.
The Saulteau and West Moberly First Nations announced that the Klinse-za Park will be expanded, permanently protecting 200,000 hectares of endangered caribou habitat. The new protected areas, years in the making, will also support development of sustainable economic opportunities for the Nations toward conservation and community well-being. And they move B.C. closer to the goal of protecting 30% of the lands and waters by 2030.

The Ahousaht, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, and the B.C. government announced 76,000 hectares of new conservancies in Clayoquot Sound, nearly doubling the area of protected old-growth rainforest within the iconic region (Photo by Wayne Barnes/Tofino Photography).

Our Forest Film Tour: A huge success!

We hit the road for 7 days across 7 towns on Vancouver Island to tour the award-winning B.C. documentary Silvicola – a film about B.C. forests and people who depend on them.
These screenings were followed by community town halls and forest walks. We were joined by the film’s director Jean-Philippe Marquis and ecologist Erik Piikkila who helped lead our guided hikes.
We engaged over 400 people and fostered rich conversations with community members about how we can work together to better care for these ecosystems while upholding Indigenous rights and supporting a thriving economy.
CBC came out to cover the Cumberland film screening and forest walk, publishing both a video and an article. Learn more about the tour here.

Nearly 1000 registered for webinar about biodiversity crisis

British Columbia is the most biodiverse province in Canada, but it is also home to the most species at risk of extinction in the country. Our webinar Signs of Life: Hope in an era of extinction was a panel conversation with author and environmental journalist Sarah Cox, Spô’zêm First Nation Chief James Hobart, and SCBC Senior Policy and Science Advisor Jens Wieting.
Almost 1000 people registered for this webinar to learn more about the biodiversity crisis and what gives us hope for the future of over 1,900 species on the brink in B.C. Watch the webinar here if you’re curious to learn more.

Going Viral: Watch our old growth video series

Our old-growth video series was a huge hit, garnering over 100,000 views!
These easy to understand videos answer questions like “What even is an old-growth forest?” and bust the myth that old-growth forests are a renewable resource.
If you haven’t watched the videos yet – give us a follow on social media and check them out here.

Our old-growth video series was a huge hit, garnering over 100,000 views! (Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg/Sierra Club BC).

Community members connecting with their local forest on a guided walk (Photo by Mya Van Woudenberg/Sierra Club BC).

Keeping the people and places we love safe

The impacts of the extreme droughts, floods and wildfires that B.C. has experienced in the last few years extend beyond the front-page stories about atmospheric rivers and communities like Lytton and Jasper. Fossil fuel pollution is making these unnatural disasters more frequent and deadly. Inaction is putting the health and safety of our communities at risk.

That’s why we’ve continued to mobilize folks, with thousands of letters sent to MLAs and MPs calling for bold action. We joined over 500 diverse organizations — including Indigenous leaders, faith groups, doctors, teachers and more — calling for a phase out of fossil fuels by the federal government. And we’ve connected with community leaders, helping folks talk to their networks about climate change to inspire local action. In 2025, we’ll be offering new resources, like a free online toolkit library for those wanting to take action.

And of course, we’ve continued to hold the B.C. government accountable, reporting back on the latest emissions data and trends.

It can feel like an uphill battle, but your support helps keep us going. We are so grateful you’re on this journey with us. Together, we can build a healthier and safer future.

Hundreds joined our Turning Down the Heat webinar!

Our webinar Turning Down the Heat: Solutions in an era of wildfire focused on the climate action and forest stewardship solutions we need to be safer in this new era of fire.
Hundreds of people joined this webinar that featured a panel conversation with John Vaillant, author of ‘Fire Weather’; Joe Gilchrist, Salish Fire Keeper from the Skeetchestn Indian Band and leader in cultural burning; Meghan Fandrich, writer, editor, and parent whose cafe burned down in the Lytton fire; and Scott Rennick, a Wildfire Officer and former resident of Lytton where he served as Incident Commander.
Watch the webinar here if you would like to learn more.

Getting to ‘net zero’ in Canada

This report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, supported by Sierra Club BC, outlined how through phasing out fossil fuels and implementing bold policies and incentives now, we can stabilize the climate and have a livable future.
Getting to Net-Zero in Canada was picked up by 61 media outlets, including the CBC, sparking conversations across the country.

Mobilizing networks to create tangible change

Sierra Club BC is a trusted home for people seeking a path forward in times of grave environmental harm. People often reach out to us with a strong desire to connect with others and create positive change in their communities. We are responding with grassroots activations and programs designed to build networks of informed and active leaders pushing for bold changes in B.C.

Getting to ‘net zero’ in Canada

MTLLP helps leaders to develop community-based solutions to the intersecting crises we are faced with — including climate change, old growth and biodiversity — that are grounded in their own traditions and wisdom.

Since launching in 2022 we’ve supported 40 participants representing youth and faith-based communities of over 6,500 people across the Lower Mainland. Learn more about MTLLP, and this year’s cohort here. Here are a few examples of the amazing projects MTLLP participants are working on:

Creating sermons and workshops on climate action to engage and mobilize their faith communities
Working to divest their personal and institutional savings from fossil fuel investments
Creating pollinator gardens in their neighbourhoods and running workshops to help others join the movement
Organizing an environmental art series to help foster a deeper relationship with the plants and animals in their neighbourhood
Working with First Nations on watershed restoration.

Mahalia Reiner, Mother Tree program facilitator, lead the cohort through their forest walk (Photo by Nila Sivatheesan/Sierra Club BC).

Move the Dial

Since launching our highly successful Move the Dial workshops and mentorship program last year, we have helped our growing network of ‘dial movers’ to pass pro-biodiversity resolutions in over a dozen municipalities.
In 2024, Move the Dial created a Climate Ready Communities toolkit, designed to assist local governments in maintaining and expanding green infrastructure – such as tree canopy and rain gardens – even as our towns and cities grow and change. The toolkit will launch in the new year and our Move the Dial alums are ready to run with it!

Making your voice heard: Over 41,000 letters sent

Thank you to everyone who used their voice this year. Through our online letter-writing tools, over 41,000 letters were sent to decision-makers calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels, urgent action to protect at-risk old growth forests, better forestry practices to reduce the risk of drought and wildfire, and a law that protects biodiversity in B.C.
If you haven’t sent a letter to the newly elected B.C. government yet, now is the perfect time to speak up for the people and places you love. Take action here.

Connecting with the SCBC community

We are so appreciative of every chance we get to connect with you! In 2024 we hosted 30 events including…

8 film screenings on Vancouver Island and the mainland that were attended by over 400 people;
6 high impact webinars, with almost 5K registrations, to foster conversations about forests, biodiversity and climate action;
3 keynote speeches that brought environmental conversations to audiences across diverse sectors and backgrounds;
7 informative forest walks across Vancouver Island;
2 activating workshops: “How to talk to your networks about climate change”;
And a Walk and Draw with Dr Julius Csotonyi where we had a blast in the intertidal zone!

Erika, SCBC Facilitator of Learning, leads a class through an outdoor education workshop at Kitsilano Beach (Photo by Mary Paquet/Sierra Club BC).

Education Program

In 2024 our education team organized 300 outdoor education workshops, visiting over 18 communities, and reached almost 7,000 students across B.C.
Over 6,000 people of all ages signed up for the four Learn to Draw webinars we organized in 2024, including over 200 teachers watching with their classrooms. Participants learned to draw beavers, snow geese, salmon sharks and wolverines!
We also published and shared over 9 new Education resources on our website. Check them out here!

Learning about Indigenous legal orders

This year we continued to deepen our engagement with Indigenous legal orders. While Indigenous legal orders operate around us all the time, environmental groups have not learned to recognize them. At SCBC, we have committed to learning how to engage with these laws. Working with the Indigenous Law Research Unit, an academic research institute dedicated to the revitalization of Indigenous law and governance housed in the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law, SCBC staff worked with Indigenous stories, case studies, and academic works to better understand and support Indigenous legal orders. Sierra Club BC will continue this learning journey to build our understanding of how to engage with Indigenous legal orders in our own work.

Thank you for your support!

Thank you so much for all your support this year. And thank you for being a part of our thriving ecosystem of local leaders, activists, partners, and Sierra Club BC members. We couldn’t do this work without you! We can’t wait to continue on this journey with you in 2025.