Village ursine residents still very much around Mama bear scopes out the neighbourhood for her two cubs. Photo by kc dyer. What has been a very bear-centric summer is coming to a close, with the number of regular visitors to the Village undiminished, the death of a bear after entering a Village home, and the misidentification of a would-be grizzly as a few of the many summer encounters. Lions Bay Bear Smart has recorded hundreds of reported sightings of various ursine individ

LBSAR rescues climber after swarming Wasp-stricken climber is prepared to be airlifted to safety. Photo courtesy LBSAR. Fall is in the air on our local mountains, but the wasps are still out in force. Just last week, members of Lions Bay Search and Rescue were called in to help a climber on the Redoubt Wall (near Loggers Creek) who had received multiple wasp stings. A ground team carrying emergency medical equipment, including epinephrine, was deployed to render aid. And when

Lightning ignites wildfires; hikers trapped on mountain Lightning dances above Horseshoe Bay during Saturday's electrical storm. Photo by David Zhang. The electrical storm that tore through the South Coast on Saturday night created chaos on a number of fronts. Thousands of lightning strikes peppered Vancouver Island and the South Coast, creating havoc at Vancouver International Airport and causing sweeping power outages. Vancouver Island, which this season has experienced jus

Air quality shows some improvement, fire situation remains critical Smoky skies over Átl'ḵa7tsem / Howe Sound. Photo: kc dyer. Smoky skies continue in the Lower Mainland and the Sea to Sky, with vivid sunsets balanced with poor air quality. British Columbia remains in a state of emergency because of the fires still raging across the province. However, according to FireSmoke.ca, given forecasted wind patterns, there is a possibility that some of the smoke could blow out of the

Numbers are up, and hikers need to be prepared Screen shot from Petr Lebedev's Sea to Sky Wasp Watch site. Lions Bay Search and Rescue (LBSAR) member Maria Masiar wants hikers to be on the alert for wasp nests on the trails, and to be prepared if the worst should happen. "Search and Rescue teams have been getting reports of stings since May this year," Masiar said. "It was a warm winter, which meant more queens survived, which has meant more and larger colonies along hiking t

Nature Lions Bay teams up with BC Nature Photo by Danielle Wills. by Penny Nelson Nature Lions Bay is thrilled to announce the society is now a member club of BC Nature. BC Nature, a registered charity, acts as a federation of organizations throughout BC, giving them a collective voice on conservation and environmental issues to foster awareness, appreciation and understanding of nature and to advocate for the sustainable use of natural spaces so that they are maintained fo

Fifteen Years of Working Together Bear cub (Tsaw'in) prior to rescue, December 2022. Photo by Michelle Langford. This year marks Lions Bay's 15th anniversary as a Bear Smart community, but the history of supporting bears and other wildlife in and around the Village goes back even farther. In 2004, Lions Bay's then-Chief Administrative Officer Lori Pilon worked together with resident Norma Rodgers to apply for a new "Bear Smart Community Program" grant being offered by the M

How to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites Last year, a study identified invasive mosquito species in the Sea to Sky region, and experts have now expanded the study to include the North Shore. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) is again partnering with the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation), Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Zoology, and this time

A celebration of all things LGBTQ+ begins this month June rainbow over Lions Bay. Photo by Gail Craig, June 10, 2026. The Watershed welcomes your thoughts. Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local independent journalism by subscribing to The Watershed HERE.

Western Tiger Swallowtail frolics in the flowers Photo by kc dyer. Seeing more butterflies, bees and other pollinators around lately? You can thank the hard-working Butterflyway Rangers for promoting the growth of indigenous plants in gardens around the Village. Want to encourage more pollinators in your garden? Reach out to local Butterflyway Rangers Val Morton and Hana Boye on their Facebook page HERE. This Western Tiger Swallowtail was spotted on June 6, frolicking on the

Bear pauses in Sunday sunshine to allow fans a photograph Photo by Norma Rodgers, May 31, 2026. Spot a bear? Make sure you report the sighting to Lions Bay Bear Smart. While you're there, take a look around the site to learn all the tips and tricks for keeping bear encounters positive and conflict-free. The Watershed values your opinion. Share your thoughts below, or email editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local

Local residents return to find unexpected new tenants When Lions Bay residents Trevor Hoffmann and Bobo Zhao recently returned from a work trip, they were met by a unexpected group of gate crashers. A window that had been left cracked open to offer a little air circulation while they were away proved to be an invitation to an uninvited visitor with homemaking plans of her own. All photos by Trevor Hoffmann. A nest, complete with four perfectly positioned eggs, had been neatly

Wishing a lovely long weekend to all Watershed readers A Lions Bay rhododendron offers a glorious display. Photo by kc dyer. The Watershed welcomes your thoughts. Leave your comments below, or email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local independent journalism by subscribing to The Watershed HERE.

Our power, our planet What you do matters. The daily actions of communities, educators, workers, and families helps sustain and give momentum to environmental progress, according to the organizers of Earth Day. The international celebration of this planet and its fragile environment has taken place every April 22 since 1970. This year, organizers chose the theme 'Our Power, Our Planet' to remind people that environmental progress doesn’t depend on any single administration or

Andrea Bradshaw: Hummingbird whisperer? Hummers enjoy a nosh at one of three Bradshaw feeders. Photo by Andrea Bradshaw, April 14, 2026. The return of spring means the local hummingbird population is out in force. And nowhere more so than in the Bradshaw/Wuetherick garden. Andrea Bradshaw has been feeding the local hummingbird population for four years, year round. She says she's careful about consistent feeding over the winter when the resident birds have no other natural fo

How will you mark International Dark Sky Week? A global celebration of the night sky began Monday with International Dark Sky Week. Held annually during the week of the new moon in April to allow for best possible viewing of the night sky, the event started in 2003 when American high-school student Jennifer Barlow launched an initiative to get people to reduce unnecessary outdoor lighting and reconnect with the night sky. Today, organizers note that dark nights "sustain criti

Organizers hoping many hands will make light work photo by kc dyer Val Morton wants your help making the Village entrance (even more) beautiful. She and Hana Boye are hoping to corral a large group of volunteers on Sunday, April 19 to remove all the ivy around the Lions Bay sign beside the steps leading to the underpass along Lions Bay Avenue. "It's important that the native plants that will be used in the entrance garden are planted relatively soon so they can take full adva

(...And they're hungry) BC Conservation Officer removes bear trap from Village on April 2, 2026. Photo by Norma Rodgers. It's that time of year again. With the return of our ursine neighbours, it's also time to lock in those good habits to help protect the local wildlife. A year ago, former Mayor Douglas Miller shared his thoughts on keeping bear traps out of Lions Bay. Nothing has changed since then. Bears wake up hungry after their winter hibernation, and their excellent se

Captured by the crew of Artemis II Photo courtesy Canadian Space Agency. Do you have a beautiful photo to share? Email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local independent journalism by subscribing to The Watershed HERE.

photo by kc dyer Watershed subscribers can expect the March digest in their email boxes this weekend. Not a subscriber yet? Follow the link below. Happy Easter! Have a beautiful photo to share ? Email us at editor@lionsbaywatershed.ca Like what you're reading? For as little as $5/month, you can support local independent journalism by subscribing to The Watershed HERE.