Metchosin

A coastal beach in Metchosin

About this conservation project

A dedicated group of Metchosin residents, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in Greater Victoria, has shown we can protect anything if we work together.

Two years ago, the Metchosin Foundation put out a call to their neighbours to protect a rare, biologically diverse piece of land. With help from the BC Parks Foundation, 32 acres in the Bilston Conservation Corridor – a rich, biodiverse link home to keystone species like wolves, bears and elk, as well as prime riparian areas and mature forests leading to the Bilston Creek watershed –is now a protected, nature reserve.

Why is Metchosin important?

What makes this area so unique and so important is its close proximity to the city, while still supporting so much key biodiversity, coastal Douglas fir forests and wetlands, and thousands of plants and animals.

A community conservation legacy

“It all started with the Metchosin Foundation who wanted to preserve this jewel in their community,” says Andy Day, CEO of BC Parks Foundation. “With help from a local family who wanted to create a conservation legacy on their land, residents jumped in without hesitation to help fund it. Donors like Wilson 5 Foundation and the Victoria Foundation also gave generously. It’s a wonderful legacy and example of what communities can achieve.”

“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the family who for generations have loved and cared for this land,” says Valerie Jaeger, President of the Metchosin Foundation. “And we hope this is only the beginning. We look forward to working with other Metchosin residents who may have an interest in exploring options for creating conservation legacies.”

This area in Metchosin is an example of how a community can work together to protect a vital part of BC’s biodiversity and preserve it forever.