Easily one of the highlights of having this column for me has been learning so much more about the different volunteer groups that make Halfmoon Bay what it is. Sargeant Bay has been one of my favourite places in the neighbourhood since I first set foot on the Coast and to be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to how or why it’s there. I only learned about the Sargeant Bay Society recently, and thanks to Rand Rudland and others I have been lucky to learn more about the rich (and dramatic) history around this park’s formation, growth and protection.
On its website, sargbay.ca, the society has a fantastic timeline for anyone who wants to read it and it’s wild to think of all the different ways the land and shoreline was almost used. Past proposals included a 175-boat marina with 73-unit condo building to a 145-lot subdivision, previous owners of the land even going as far as pre-emptively dredging the wetlands behind Colvin Creek in preparation, without the necessary permits. It was destructive and unauthorized alterations to the land and the dream of its protection and preservation that lead to the establishment of the Sargeant Bay Society.
Established in 1978, officially known as the Society for the Protection of Sargeant Bay –– they began to work to support, enhance and protect the ecologically sensitive habitats found within Sargeant Bay, its watershed and neighbouring wetlands. The Sargeant Bay Society presented a brief to the SCRD Planning Committee in 1986, promoting the idea that establishing a park was the only sensible solution while a study was under way on the suitability of the land for development. While the society kept a low profile when the official negotiations took place between private owners and government, they never stopped advocating for the land. In 1989, 11 years after the founding of the Sargeant Bay Society, the 57-hectare site was acquired by the Ministry of Parks and in 1990 was officially dedicated as a Class A Provincial Park. In 1997 the park expanded to 142 hectares, now including Triangle Lake and its access trails. Expanding their scope in 2018, the Sargeant Bay Society also became stewards of the wetland habitat located at Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park.
The work of the Sargeant Bay Society is never done and they are active as ever. I recently became a member, for $10 a year, and look forward to attending events and learning about what I can do to give back to an area that has given me so much. Their newsletters highlight past, ongoing and upcoming projects, events and also features beautiful photography. Recently, there was an encouraging update on the fish ladder that went in last year, with volunteers reporting they saw the highest return of coho and chum Salmon in their 35 years of monitoring the area. Their website is a fantastic resource, I highly recommend reading the full history of the creation of the park as well as past newsletters, which they have archived for anyone to read.
Sargeant Bay Society has some great community events upcoming this month. Kye Goodwin, our local botany expert, will be leading the annual Botany Walk through Smuggler Cove Marine Park on May 18 starting at 9 a.m. Participants will meet at the main parking lot at the end of Brooks Road and can expect a fun and informative hike through one of Halfmoon Bay’s most beautiful parks. This route is considered a moderate hike so participants should bring appropriate footwear and water.
Birding on the Berm also returns this May 25, starting at 9 a.m. at Sargeant Bay Provincial Park. This event is led by Tony Greenfield and the annual birding walk starts from the upper parking lot. You will be looking –– and listening –– for migrants as the spring moves into summer and the breeding season is fully under way. Participants can expect to listen for warblers, flycatchers, nuthatches, woodpeckers before moving down to the waterfront to scan for seabirds. The event will finish off by strolling along the berm hoping for vocalizations of the secretive Virginia rail and fly-bys of our three species of swallows, if luck’s on your side. By this time there may be a chance to get a look at juvenile bald eagle nestling(s) in the newly constructed nest high up in a Douglas-fir tree behind the marsh. Please note, a waiver will need to be signed for insurance purposes by those wanting to partake in the above activities.
Thanks again to all the volunteers that spoke with me and spend their time making Halfmoon Bay such a beautiful place to live. Please check out sargbay.ca and consider becoming involved. The Sargeant Bay Society will also have a booth at the upcoming Salmon Release Festival on May 17 at the Chapman Creek Hatchery if you want to learn more in person.
A few other notes for the week. Tomorrow, May 10, make sure you stop by Trail Bay Mall from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to support the Halfmoon Bay Branch of the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary’s fundraiser. They will have a wide variety of baked goods, a raffle for a spring flower basket with $100 worth of scratch and win tickets, a selection of beautiful handmade items perfect for Mother’s Day and lots of plants for green thumbs! All of this is to benefit health care on the Coast. The Jam at Coopers Green will not happen this weekend due to another booking at the hall but will move ahead next Saturday, hope to see you there!
Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any upcoming events to be featured or want to connect about all things happening in Halfmoon Bay. Kyla Trethewey, columnist and Halfmoon Bay Firefighter #36.
