Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and increasing use are changing the conditions that plants and wildlife depend on. The Conservancy works to understand what is here, protect what matters most, care for the lands entrusted to us, and help build a wider culture of care across the island.
PROTECT
Learn about the lands we hold in trust: the Wild Coast Nature Refuge, Cape Lands, Fairy Fen, Singing Woods and conservation covenants protecting private properties across the island.
PARTICIPATE
Membership, volunteering & community action. The Conservancy runs on community. Whether you donate, volunteer, join as a member, or simply stay informed, there’s a place for you.
→ Get involved
DONATE
We benefit from members, donations and land. Here is text about donating.
→ Join the Conservancy
→ Other ways you can contribute
DONATE
We benefit from members, donations and land. Here is text about donating.
→ Join the Conservancy
→ Other ways you can contribute
LEARN
Science, research & the Bowen Diversity Plan. Our science program helps us and the whole community understand what lives here and what it needs to thrive.
→ Explore our science and research
PROTECT
Learn about the lands we hold in trust: the Wild Coast Nature Refuge, Cape Lands, Fairy Fen, Singing Woods and conservation covenants protecting private properties across the island.
PARTICIPATE
Membership, volunteering & community action. The Conservancy runs on community. Whether you donate, volunteer, join as a member, or simply stay informed, there’s a place for you.
→ Get involved
CARE
Stewardship, land management, and community care. Learn how we monitor, manage, and advocate for the natural systems that make Bowen Island extraordinary.
→ See how we care for the land
ABOUT
Who we are and how we work. We’re a volunteer-led, community-based registered charity. Learn about our history, our board, and the strategic direction guiding our work through 2030.
→ Explore our protected lands
LEARN
Science, research & the Bowen Diversity Plan. Our science program helps us and the whole community understand what lives here and what it needs to thrive.
→ Explore our science and research
DONATE
We benefit from members, donations and land. Here is text about donating.
→ Join the Conservancy
→ Other ways you can contribute
CARE
Stewardship, land management, and community care. Learn how we monitor, manage, and advocate for the natural systems that make Bowen Island extraordinary.
→ See how we care for the land
ABOUT
Who we are and how we work. We’re a volunteer-led, community-based registered charity. Learn about our history, our board, and the strategic direction guiding our work through 2030.
→ Explore our protected lands
ABOUT
Who we are and how we work. We’re a volunteer-led, community-based registered charity. Learn about our history, our board, and the strategic direction guiding our work through 2030.
→ Explore our protected lands
LEARN
Science, research & the Bowen Diversity Plan. Our science program helps us and the whole community understand what lives here and what it needs to thrive.
→ Explore our science and research
DONATE
We benefit from members, donations and land. Here is text about donating.
→ Join the Conservancy
→ Other ways you can contribute
DONATE
We benefit from members, donations and land. Here is text about donating.
→ Join the Conservancy
→ Other ways you can contribute
Title One
An opportunity to let your photos tell a Bowen biodiversity story.
Our science partners have mapped the ecological priorities for Bowen Island. Freshwater systems, unprotected hotspots, and the case for acting now.
We have inaugurated a new digital library containing ecological information about Bowen that has been hidden in boxes and shelves for many years.
Our science partners have mapped the ecological priorities for Bowen Island. Freshwater systems, unprotected hotspots, and the case for acting now.
We have inaugurated a new digital library containing ecological information about Bowen that has been hidden in boxes and shelves for many years.
We have inaugurated a new digital library containing ecological information about Bowen that has been hidden in boxes and shelves for many years.
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and increasing use are changing the conditions that plants and wildlife depend on. The Conservancy works to understand what is here, protect what matters most, care for the lands entrusted to us, and help build a wider culture of care across the island.
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and increasing use are changing the conditions that plants and wildlife depend on.
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and increasing use are changing the conditions that plants and wildlife depend on.
An island shaped by nature. Bowen Island / Nexwlélexwm is a small island with an extraordinary variety of life. Forests, wetlands, creeks, shorelines, bluffs, gardens, and neighbourhood green spaces form one connected living system. Much of what makes the island special remains healthy. But growing pressure, habitat loss, climate change, invasive species, and increasing use are changing the conditions that plants and wildlife depend on.
Dryocopus pileatus
A KEYSTONE SPECIES is one which provides habitat or food for other species, often underpinning a full ecosystem. By excavating holes in old trees, these insect eaters provide homes for mammals and birds.
Invasive Holly and Broom bushes replace trees that woodpeckers can use. Join the conservancy and help us weed them out.
Article by Will Husby and Sheree Johnson | Photo by Kwanseon Kim, “Crimson Table of the Woods” The robin has been caught mid-meal — head tilted, beak open, one bright red huckleberry waiting just ahead. At first glance, Kwanseon Kim’s…
Article by Will Husby and Sheree Johnson | Photo by Kwanseon Kim, “Crimson Table of the Woods” The robin has been caught mid-meal — head tilted, beak open, one bright red huckleberry waiting just ahead. At first glance, Kwanseon Kim’s…
On a Sunday morning in February 1996, twenty-two Bowen Islanders gathered to hear writer and conservationist Des Kennedy talk about the conservancy movement. They left with a steering committee and began learning what a local conservancy could do.
The years that followed brought conservation covenants, stewardship partnerships and a growing body of ecological knowledge. Fairy Fen and Singing Woods became lasting examples of local care in partnership with Islands Trust Conservancy.
Community support made the 32-acre Wild Coast Nature Refuge possible in 2020. In 2024 the Conservancy acquired 160 additional acres at Cape Roger Curtis from Metro Vancouver. The 2026 Biodiversity Plan and Board-approved Strategic Plan now provide a broader island-wide foundation for the years ahead.
Today, we are a community land trust, a BC society and a registered Canadian charity.
Our work is based on the community’s efforts. Volunteers, members, donors, researchers, and partner organisations contribute the time, knowledge, and support behind permanent land protection, careful stewardship, and useful public information.
