Volunteer Second & Third Fridays - Ecological Restoration
2026-06-12 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-06-19 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-07-10 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-07-17 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-08-14 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-08-21 09:30 - 15:30 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
On the Second & Third Fridays of the month, join us for hands on Ecological Restoration projects! This is a great opportunity to learn more about our ongoing restoration work from our knowledgeable staff while learning more about the GCA owned and managed properties on Galiano.

Please get in touch to let us know you’ll be joining us! The morning volunteer session is from 9:30 am to noon; the afternoon session is from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Feel free to join us for either or both.

Food Forest Saturday Sessions- Nuts'a'maat Forage Forest
2026-06-13 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-18 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Join us for once-monthly Saturday Sessions from 10AM-2PM in the Food Forest/Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest, and enjoy time getting your hands dirty while learning about sustainable food systems, local plants, and herbalism!
Cedana will be leading a variety of activities throughout the season, suitable for all ages- this month, June 13th, we will be working in the Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest. To find the Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest, follow the road past the GCA office along the left fork down to the classroom.

Tools and refreshments will be provided, as well as Forest Garden tea!
Please email cedana.bourne@galianoconservancy.ca to register and with any questions.

Saturday Sessions: Nuts'a'maat Forage Garden
2026-06-13 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Our monthly Food Forest Saturday Sessions continue on Saturday, June 13th, in the beautiful Nuts’a’maat Forage Garden from 10am-2pm. Join us for a day of harvesting yarrow and trailing blackberry, weeding the flower beds, and learning about native species!
Tools, refreshments, and Forest Garden Tea will be provided. This is an all-ages event, please email Cedana at cedana.bourne@galianoconservancy.ca to register and with any questions.
The Nuts’a’maat Forage Garden can be found by taking the left fork in the road behind our office building at 10825 Porlier Pass Rd.

Volunteer Thursdays in the Food Forest
2026-06-18 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-06-25 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-02 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-09 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-16 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-23 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-07-30 10:00 - 14:00, 2026-08-06 10:00 - 14:00 (Asia/Shanghai) and 3 more dates | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Every Thursday, you have the opportunity to join our Sustainable Food Systems coordinator Cedana Bourne, and our dedicated team of interns and volunteers in the GCA’s Food Forest. These 4-hour sessions will help you learn about all aspects of plant care, in the company of like-minded individuals who care about the environment, collaboration and creating a healthier world. You will get hands-on experience with soil building, composting, watering, harvesting, propagating, potting, etc. within a small nursery setting. Please bring sun protection, water and food, and dress appropriately. We hope you join us!

Volunteer Fourth Fridays - Trail Building
2026-06-26 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-07-24 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-08-28 09:30 - 15:30 (America/Vancouver)
On the Fourth Friday of the month, join us for trail building, across different GCA properties! This is a great opportunity to learn more about trail building techniques from our knowledgeable staff while helping to build and maintain the network of hiking trails.

Please get in touch to let us know you’ll be joining us! The morning volunteer session is from 9:30 am to noon; the afternoon session is from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Feel free to join us for either or both.

2026 Annual General Meeting
2026-06-27 13:30 - 16:30 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, June 27th starting at 1:30 PM at the Millard Learning Centre (10825 Porlier Pass Road). You are encouraged to attend in person, but can also join remotely via Zoom at this LINK. AGM agenda is found below, and at this LINK.
If you are able to arrive early for the AGM (anytime from noon onwards), we are organizing an informal social hour and (optional) volunteer activity (weeding in the Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest). Join us at the MLC classroom starting at 12:00 PM to chat with staff and board members and get a bit of fresh air in good company! Refreshments & snacks will be served.
IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING MEMBERSHIPS & VOTING
The GCA’s AGM is open to the public, but only members in good standing can vote. To be considered a member in good standing, you must have renewed your membership in 2025 (6-month grace period ends June 30th) or in 2026, either by donating an amount greater than $10, or by volunteering with the GCA for at least one hour and signing up to be a member.
Interested in being more involved? If you wish to know more about the roles and responsibilities of board members and eligibility to stand for election, please email Risa Smith, current GCA Board Vice-Chair: vice-chair@galianoconservancy.ca
We are pleased to announce that this year’s featured speaker will be Dr. Jennifer Grenz

Talk title and description:
Relational Restoration: Reclaiming Land, Responsibility, and Reciprocity
Conservation is often framed as protection and management, creating conservation practices that may leave essential long-term human relationship out of land care. Drawing upon her Canadian National Bestselling book, “Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing” and the principles of Indigenous Ecology, Dr. Jennifer Grenz explores how land stewardship can move beyond preservation toward relational restoration—where ecological health, cultural continuity, and governance are understood as inseparable. Grounded in examples from her restoration practice and Indigenous-led land healing research in British Columbia, she demonstrates how we can engage with deeper time, recognize shifted baselines, and support pathways that restore not only ecosystems, but the relationships that sustain them.
Bio
Dr. Jennifer Grenz is an Assistant Professor and Indigenous Scholar (Nlaka’pamux, member of the Lytton First Nation) in the Department of Forest Resources Management, jointly appointed between the Faculty of Forestry and Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. The research focuses of her Indigenous Ecology Lab (www.IndigenousEcology.com) are on the application of a food systems lens to restoration ecology, and developing culturally centered, data-driven restoration interventions using Indigenous and western sciences. The lab works entirely in service to the land-healing research needs of Indigenous communities, particularly in the context of building climate resiliency and major climate event recovery. Prior to her academic appointment, Dr. Grenz was the Executive Director of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver and ran her own invasive plant management company, Greener This Side, managing invasive species for government agencies. Dr. Grenz is the author of National Bestseller, “Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey Toward Personal and Ecological Healing”, a book based on her PhD dissertation published by Knopf Canada (imprint of Penguin Random House) and the University of Minnesota Press (USA).
AGM Agenda
(See more detailed Agenda here)
12:00PM – Social Hour & Volunteer Event @ Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest
1:30PM – AGM Proceedings

Welcome & Acknowledgement of Shared Territory
Call to Order
Approval of Agenda (LINK) and 2025 AGM Minutes (LINK)
Chair’s Statement (see 2025 Annual Report)
Financial Report (LINK to 2025 financial statements)
Board Elections (see detailed agenda for nominee bios)
Strategic Plan 2026-2030 Overview
Program Updates / Staff Reports
Special Resolution: Motion to appoint the current GCA Land Conservation & Stewardship Committee as the Pebble Beach Reserve (PBR) Management Committee, a committee mandated in the 1998 PBR Management Plan (LINK) to be appointed by GCA membership at an AGM, to oversee an update to the PBR Management Plan.

2:45PM – Intermission
3:00PM – FEATURED SPEAKER: Dr. Jennifer Grenz – Relational Restoration: Reclaiming Land, Responsibility, and Reciprocity

Volunteer First Friday - Nuts'a'maat Forage Forest
2026-07-03 09:30 - 15:30, 2026-08-07 09:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Every First Friday of the month, join us in the Nuts’a’maat Forage Forest to help tend to this unique ecocultural restoration garden. Activities include planting, weeding, harvesting, trail maintenance, and ecological monitoring. This is a great opportunity to learn more about traditional edible, medicinal, and fiber plants from our knowledgeable staff while contributing to the growth and development of a native forest garden.
Please get in touch to let us know you’ll be joining us! The morning volunteer session is from 9:30 am to noon; the afternoon session is from 1 pm to 3:30 pm. Feel free to join us for either or both.
This site is easily accessible from the parking area of the classroom facility at the Millard Learning Centre, so it’s a great place to get an introduction to our restoration program.

UVic Student Presentations
2026-07-11 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
You are cordially invited to join us at the Millard Learning Centre classroom on Saturday July 11, 2026, 4:00pm-5:30pm, for a public talk by UVic Environmental Studies and Restoration of Natural Systems students.The students will be presenting the projects they worked on during their intensive field course held at the Millard Learning Centre in 2026.These students have worked hard to develop projects which answer important ecological and environmental questions of direct value to the Galiano community.We hope to see many of you!This is a FREE event, followed by a reception with refreshments provided by Oxeye.

Kids Campout
2026-08-06 10:00 - 2026-08-07 15:30 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
We’re calling all kids ages 8-12 for an overnight camp at the Galiano Conservancy Millard Learning Centre on Galiano island!
Registration link here.

Dinner, Breakfast and Lunch are provided by the GCA and prepared together by the campers.

All you need to bring is a packed lunch for Day 1.

The GCA will provide tents and sleeping mats, so all you need to bring is a sleeping bag and pillow!

Early bird registration is $175/participant before June 20th , and cost is $200/participant after June 20th . Contact us about our Bursary Fund for financial assistance!
Do you know a youth over 13 but keen to camp? We need youth leaders, contact us!

We’re so excited to have a blast in the beautiful woods and beaches of the Millard Learning
Centre together!

Process-Based Restoration Workshop
2026-08-08 - 2026-08-09 | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Students Learning about Process-based Ecological Restoration
The BC Wildlife Federation is bringing a free watershed restoration workshop to Galiano Island.
Join us for this 2-day workshop on Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration (LTPBR)! Learn how hand-built instream structures can be used to restore floodplains by increasing habitat complexity, addressing stream erosion, improving floodplain connectivity and groundwater storage, improving habitat for fish and wildlife, and increasing the resiliency of the landscape to drought and wildfire. Spots for this workshop are limited to 15 participants, so if you are interested, please register right away!
Dates: August 8-9, 2026
Saturday August 8: 9 AM to 4:30 PM
Sunday August 9: 9 AM to 4:30 PM
Where: Galiano Island, BC
Cost: FREE ($100+ value)
For more information or to register, please contact:
Erika Kolli, Wetlands Education Program Coordinator
Phone: 604-882-9988 ext. 304
Email: wep@bcwf.bc.ca

Musical Walkalong 2026
2026-08-23 13:30 - 16:00 (America/Vancouver) | Millard Learning Centre, Galiano Island, 10825 Porlier Pass road, Galiano Island, British Columbia, V0N1P0, Canada
Come experience nature through music and art!
Join us at the Millard learning Centre (10825 Porlier Pass Road, Galiano Island) on Sunday, August 23rd from 1:30pm to 4pm, for the 14th annual Musical Walkalong!
This family-friendly event features a walking route through scenic forest trails at the Galiano Conservancy, followed by a celebration and makers market in the afternoon at the Millard Learning Centre, featuring locally made food and beverages. Experience live music and art in the great outdoors, and enjoy a day filled with creativity and nature.
For children, we are pleased to provide a special scavenger hunt, as well as other kid-friendly activities organized by our stellar education team!
The Musical Walkalong is inclusive and welcomes everyone (including leashed pets). Limited parking is available on site, prioritized for people with limited mobility. We encourage other Walkalong visitors to carpool, or park along Porlier Pass road to ensure everyone can access the site.
The hall in the MLC classroom building is equipped with an access ramp and gender-neutral bathrooms, and shaded areas will be provided for those who want to stay out of the sun during the Main Stage performance.
The MLC parking lot is equipped with two high-speed EV charging stations, as well as bike parking and a bike repair station.
Tickets are sold on a sliding scale basis, ensuring that no one is turned away at the door due to cost. Whether you choose to join us for the walk, the celebration, or both, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect with nature, art, and community.
Click below to purchase tickets – Available Now!
We hope to see you there!
PERFORMER LINEUP:
Mary Greenwood, Harp
rosehouse (Anna Bigland-Pritchard), Musical/vocal looping
Philip Buller and Richard Blair, Standup base and multi-instrumentalist
Roksan Parfitt, Visual arts
Thash (Caitlin & Amos), Electronic soundscaping
Jeanne Erickson, Visual arts (acrylic / oil)
Isobel & Taeven Lopatecka, Multi-instrumentalist
Tio Head, Piano & Vocals
Infinite Zest (David Leith), Ambient synthesizer
Mike & Annie Brown, Violin & clarinet
Melody Silvey-Martin, Beading
Danger Trees (David & Kai Loti), Saxophone & clarinet
