With your help, we have saved enough B.C. wilderness to cover nearly all of Belize, or almost four Prince Edward Islands! Working with other conservation organizations, Sierra Club BC spearheaded winning campaigns that protected more than 2.07 million hectares of B.C.’s wild places. These include the mystical Great Bear Rainforest and the Khutzeymateen Valley grizzly bear sanctuary.

We also helped develop the certification standard for sustainable forestry in B.C. as part of the internationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Most recently, our joint campaign to preserve endangered mountain caribou habitat celebrated a major milestone when the provincial government announced it will protect 2.2 million hectares of mountain caribou habitat in north-eastern B.C.

Our global warming campaign played a key role in pressuring the B.C. government in 2007 to adopt world class targets for carbon emission reductions. Our two sea level maps of the Lower Mainland and Greater Victoria drew public attention to the potential impact of climate change on B.C.’s coastal communities. We also helped stop plans for two coal-fired power plants and a gas-fired power plant that would have unnecessarily increased B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions.

We successfully lobbied for a wild salmon conservation policy, and spearheaded a groundfish reform process that led to mandatory at-sea monitoring of trawler by-catch. Our wallet-sized seafood card continues to help Canadian consumers and retailers make seafood choices that support healthy marine ecosystems.

40 Years of Achievements

Over the past 40 years Sierra BC has achieved so much, and though we face numerous more challenges, let’s celebrate the work of those early days.  Below are just a few of our many, many successes over the years-successes made possible by the support of people like you.

•    In 1969, we launched our very first campaign to protect Nitinat Triangle on Vancouver Island, winning that fight along with the world-renowned West Coast Trail.

•    We’ve since helped saved enough BC wilderness to cover an area equal to four Prince Edward Islands. These include the Khutzeymateen Valley Grizzly Bear Sanctuary and South Moresby on Haida Gwaii.

•    We’ve protected critical old growth forests and watersheds on Vancouver Island, including Carmanah, Brooks Peninsula and Clayoquot Sound.

•    We spearheaded campaigns to protect Species At Risk like wolves, cougars, bears and mountain caribou. 

•    We helped kill two coal-fired power plants proposals, the reversal of which seemed to herald a sea-change in the province’s view and action on climate change.

•    We worked hard to change the way we manage BC’s forests, including helping form the Coalition for Sustainable Forest Solutions and publishing key research that sparked discussion around the prospects for BC’s forest communities.

•    Sierra Club was one of the founders of Forest Stewardship Council in BC.

•    We helped start Markets Initiative, now Canopy, protecting forests through business practices. Check out the Canadian Harry Potter - on ancient forest-friendly paper!

•    Taking nature into the schools - from the Rainforest Bus to our Sustainable High Schools, over 100,000 students have participated in our hands-on programs.

•    Through our Marine Campaign, we’ve helped protect our stunning marine life.  In 2006 we had success in winning approval of the groundfish reform process that significantly reduces trawler by-catch and helps beleaguered halibut and groundfish populations.

•    After more than 10 years we celebrated the Great Bear Rainforest Agreements in 2009, covering more than 5 million acres of coastal BC. This includes more than 2 million hectares of old growth forest permanently protected from logging.

•    Pesticides, sustainable transportation, sewage, regional land use planning, tanker traffic -  just a few of the many issues that our Sierra Local Groups have tackled over the years.|

•    And the Sierra Club BC Foundation also supported countless other environmental initiatives from Enviro North’s work on the Muskwa-Kechika, to Fraser Headwater Alliance, Granby Wilderness Society, Cassiar Watch Society and many others.