BOWEN ISLAND CONSERVANCY — NEW WEBSITE
PROTECT — Wild Coast Nature Refuge — Page Draft | Phase One — Build | June 2026
Individual place page for the Wild Coast Nature Refuge — 32 acres at Cape Roger Curtis, acquired December 2020. Content drawn directly from Conservancy source material.
HERO IMAGE
Suggested: looking west from the Wild Coast Nature Refuge — open water, shore pines, lichen-covered rock. Conveys wild character and ecological richness.
Wild Coast Nature Refuge
A protected coastal refuge where forest, bluff, shoreline, and sea meet at Cape Roger Curtis.
[HERO PHOTO] Looking west from the Wild Coast Nature Refuge.
QUICK FACTS
Location
Cape Roger Curtis, Nex̱wɬélex̱wm / Bowen Island
Size
32 acres
Protected since
December 2020
Protected for
Rare coastal bluff ecosystem, shoreline marine habitat, forest, wildlife, sensitive plants, natural recovery
Protection tools
Land acquisition and conservation covenant
Public access
Walking trail and viewpoints only
Special protection area
Western portion designated as a Nature Sanctuary and closed to visitors
Dogs
Not permitted
Part of
Cape Lands (160 acres, acquired 2024); combined protected area at Cape Roger Curtis approximately 192 acres
WHY THIS PLACE MATTERS
Stand at the edge of Cape Roger Curtis and the scale of the place hits you all at once. The land falls away to open water. Lichen covers the exposed rock. Shore pines lean into the wind. Whales pass offshore. Looking east on a clear day, you can see Vancouver. Looking west, Texada Island sits far out on the horizon.
The Wild Coast Nature Refuge protects 32 acres of waterfront at the southwestern tip of Bowen Island — rare coastal bluff habitat, sensitive plants, forest, shoreline, and marine ecosystems in one connected place. These are not separate things. The forest shades the soil that holds the roots that anchor the bluff that protects the shoreline that shapes the water below.
This land was not easy to protect. The Conservancy began working toward a waterfront conservation area at Cape Roger Curtis in October 2019, when private funding for land acquisition first became available. After more than a year of planning and negotiation, the purchase was completed and the Conservancy took possession on December 16, 2020. A conservation covenant, supported by Bowen Island Municipality, now protects the land in perpetuity.
The work now is long-term: caring for what is here, helping disturbed areas recover, managing visitor access carefully, and giving the plants and wildlife of this coast room to go about their lives.
WHAT THIS PLACE PROTECTS
Rare Coastal Bluff Habitat
Look closely at the bluffs. The rock itself supports an ecosystem — lichens, mosses, thin soils, plant communities shaped by salt air, wind, and coastal exposure. These are among the most sensitive habitats on Bowen. A footstep in the wrong place can damage what takes decades to grow back. The refuge protects these bluffs from the kind of repeated disturbance that gradually strips them bare.
Forest to Shore
The land moves from forested interior toward open bluff and tidal shoreline. That transition matters. Different wildlife use different parts of it — for shelter, for movement, for feeding, for nesting. An otter has been spotted on the rocky foreshore. Birds that need both forest cover and coastal access find both here. Keeping the whole corridor intact is the point.
Shoreline and Marine Life
What happens on land reaches into the water. Erosion, runoff, soil disturbance — all of it affects the health of the shoreline and the intertidal life below. The refuge protects its shoreline marine ecosystems not as an afterthought, but as a core part of its value.
Wildlife Refuge
Animals need places where they can feed, rest, move, and shelter without constant interruption. Even quiet human presence changes behaviour — birds flush earlier, small mammals stay hidden, shoreline creatures are driven off. The refuge gives wildlife at Cape Roger Curtis somewhere to be less watched and less disturbed. Over time, that matters.
Part of a Larger Conservation Area
The Wild Coast Nature Refuge does not stand alone. In 2024, the Bowen Island Conservancy acquired the adjacent Cape Lands — 160 acres of coastal lots, forest, creek corridor, and inland property. Together, the two holdings form a connected protected area of approximately 192 acres at Cape Roger Curtis, one of the most significant conservation holdings in the Átl'ka7tsem / Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region. See the Cape Lands page for more.
Sensitive Recovery Areas
Parts of the refuge were disturbed by preliminary development activity before protection — grading, cleared ground, compacted soil. These places do not recover overnight. Restoration work and careful trail planning are slowly helping. Given time and care, disturbed ground can become habitat again.
HOW THIS PLACE WAS PROTECTED
The Conservancy started working toward a waterfront conservation area at Cape Roger Curtis in October 2019, after learning that private funding for land acquisition might be available. After more than a year of community fundraising and negotiation, the purchase was complete. The Conservancy took possession on December 16, 2020.
A conservation covenant, secured with the help of Bowen Island Municipality, now protects the land in perpetuity. The Municipality also supported the project with an exemption from property taxes — a significant and ongoing contribution to the refuge's long-term care.
The campaign drew support from across the island and beyond. One donor put it simply: "We are grateful to be a part of the campaign to create a new conservation area on Bowen. We were touched by the commitment and dedication of the people involved in making it happen."
HOW WE CARE FOR IT
The Conservancy manages the Wild Coast Nature Refuge under an approved Management Plan. The trail system was designed to give people access to the coastal viewpoints while keeping the most sensitive areas intact. The western portion of the refuge has been designated a Nature Sanctuary and is closed to all visitors.
Monitoring, invasive species management, and restoration work continue on an ongoing basis. Understanding these 32 acres well — their ecology, their seasonal rhythms, their recovery — is part of how we care for them.
PLEASE VISIT GENTLY
Use the marked loop trail and viewpoints only.
Do not walk on the coastal bluffs. They are sensitive and easily damaged by foot traffic.
Do not enter the Nature Sanctuary at the western end of the refuge.
Stay on the trail. Leave plants, lichens, and soils undisturbed.
Watch wildlife from a distance. Do not approach or disturb animals.
Keep noise low. Pack out everything you bring in.
Dogs are not permitted.
Why Dogs Are Not Permitted
Birds and other animals experience dogs — even calm, well-behaved ones — as predators. They detect a dog's presence through sight, smell, and sound before you may be aware of it, and change their behaviour accordingly: flushing earlier, staying hidden, abandoning feeding areas. In natural areas where dogs are not permitted, people consistently see more wildlife and can get closer to it.
The Conservancy Board reviewed a significant body of scientific research before making this decision, including a detailed literature review compiled by the City of Portland Metro Parks and Nature Department on the impacts of dogs on wildlife and water quality. Dogs are not permitted in the Wild Coast Nature Refuge so the land can function as the refuge it is intended to be.
There are several nearby trails and parks where dogs are welcome, including options close to Cape Roger Curtis.
CALL TO ACTION
[ Support Our Work ] [ Become a Member ] [ Volunteer for Stewardship Work ] [ Learn About the Cape Lands ] [ Report a Concern ]