An Interim Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Hakai Institute and the False Creek Friends Society (FCFS), in collaboration with the
City of Vancouver and several local community partners, undertook community
engagement activities (i.e. outreach, education and community science) and scientific
initiatives between April and September 2022 to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the biodiversity of the seafloor, the water and the shorelines of the
False Creek area in Vancouver. While full analyses of the scientific initiatives are ongoing,
preliminary results are presented in this interim report. The collaborators look forward to
providing an update to this report in early 2023 when more results will be available.
False Creek
It is estimated that over 200,000 people interact with False Creek every day – crossing over its three bridges, going under it on the Canada Line, walking or rolling along the seawall, or encountering it from above on paddleboards, Dragon Boats, or as passengers on its little ferries.
But how much do we know about what’s under its sparkling surface?
False Creek BioBlitz
False Creek BioBlitz 2022 included scientific and community-led efforts to generate a comprehensive understanding of the biodiversity of False Creek. Through a variety of observations from April to September 7, 2022, including walking surveys and taking samples of the water and surrounding intertidal zones, the project looked for clues to determine what impacts industrialization and urbanization have had on biodiversity over the past century and a half. The boundary of this project is the historical shoreline, identified by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, of what is now known as False Creek.
False Creek BioBlitz 2022 Objectives:
- Better understand False Creek’s current ecological status
- Catalyze community-driven stewardship
- Contribute to local biodiversity inventories
- Support co-development of future initiatives to support the stewardship of False Creek
Hakai Scientists, False Creek Friends lead a BioBlitz for Sea Smart summer camp at Kits Point on Wednesday, July 13th, 2022
BioBlitz Supporters
