In the early 1990’s, a collective of NGO groups came together to protect the headwaters of the Chapman and Gray Creek Community Watersheds. Their efforts led to the creation of the Tetrahedron Provincial Park in 1995. In 1996, the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA) was incorporated as a charitable non-profit conservation organization.
Over the past two and a half decades, the SCCA has become the unifying voice of conservation for Sunshine Coast residents. As a deeply collaborative organization that engages with and supports numerous environmentally conscious groups, the SCCA develops multifaceted conservation strategies to fulfill its mandate.
We pursue our mission through research and mapping, government relations, alliance and capacity building, education and outreach. We engage with First Nations, all levels of government, civic organizations, industry, and the public, and utilize a range of legislative tools to achieve our goals.
Some past accomplishments and ongoing programmes include:
- Partnering with member groups to conserve ecological values in Tetrahedron, Spipyus and Mt. Richardson Provincial Parks; Ambrose Lake Ecological Reserve, Storm Bay, Hidden Grove, and Carlson Point
Collaborating with forestry companies to protect wildlife habitat, Ambrose Lake, stop old-growth logging on the Sechelt peninsula and stop logging in Gibsons Aquifer Recharge Area;- Preservation of mid-low elevation old growth forests for Wildlife Habitat Area and Old Growth Management Areas, including 45,000 ha of Mountain Goat Winter Range.
- Mapping, nominating and advocating for the protection of Marbled Murrelet Habitat and Fisheries Sensitive Watersheds.
- Collaborating with local governments and First Nations to protect Chapman Creek Watershed; filing a precedent-setting health hazard complaint about logging in the Chapman; engaging and informing the community to advocate for water conservation, watershed management and protection.
- Partnering with governments and Land Trusts to conserve ecologically sensitive private lands.
- Initiating precedent-setting legal challenges before the BC Supreme Court to overturn logging approvals;
- Submitting North America’s first successful complaint against one of BC's largest logging companies through its own certification program
Working successfully with local and national conservation organizations, industry stakeholders and government officials to protect Glass Sponge Reefs in the Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia);- Supporting stream keeping, data collection and monitoring; coastal eelgrass mapping and restoration; glass sponge and rock-fish conservation education and advocacy;
- Contributing to Environmental Assessments for large projects and government engagement processes, e.g., Burnco, Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) and shíshálh-BC Land Use Plan;
- Maintaining an active membership and volunteer base, collaborating with and supporting individuals, groups and NGOs members in achieving shared conservation objectives.