Welcome!
Find out more about this unique ecosystem and how you can help protect it.
Are you a Bird Watcher? Check out the eBird Canada listing for Esquimalt Lagoon.
All Bufflehead Day Event - Saturday October 19, 10am
The annual return of the Bufflehead, a beautiful black and white sea duck, to our local waters is being celebrated by events at three local bird sanctuaries this week. Join naturalist and ELSI Coordinator Kitty Lloyd on Saturday October 19, 10am - Noon, by the boat house at Royal Roads University on Esquimalt Lagoon. We will look for Buffleheads and other migratory and resident birds, and learn why the lagoon is so important for birds and other wildlife. Please dress for the weather and bring your binoculars or spotting scope. Read more >>
Similar events are being held at Shoal Harbour and Victoria Harbour Bird Sanctuaries.
Urban Sanctuary Project
ELSI, GWI, the Robert Bateman Centre and other regional conservation partners are collaborating to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Migratory Bird Convention Act, enacted by Canada in 1917. The Project goals are to improve stewardship of the upland and marine ecosystems that support birds and other wildlife in our urban centres, and to raise awareness of the 3 sanctuaries in the CRD:
The Urban Sanctuary Project is a collaborative effort of local conservation partners to increase awareness of the three federally-designated Migratory Bird Sanctuaries in the capital region.
Coburg Peninsula on Shaw TV
In February 2016, Lorraine Scollan of Shaw TV did a piece on some of the issues at Esquimalt Lagoon and Coburg Peninsula.
Featured Projects:
Dune Restoration
ELSI volunteers have been working since 2006 on Dune Habitat Restoration project on the Coburg Peninsula. The goals of the project are to:
- restore native dune habitats through the establishment of demonstration restoration plots
- realign beach access points and benches to reduce trampling across sensitive dune habitat
- monitor the effectiveness of restoration
- raise public awareness of dune habitats and engage residents and visitors in stewardship of the dunes.
Read more >>