Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society has been monitoring for Sea Star Wasting Syndrome (SSWS) since 2015 along the coastline between Tofino and Ucluelet, B.C. 

Sea stars are beautiful and vibrant animals and play an important role in the intertidal ecosystem, but, unfortunately, sea stars along the Pacific coast of North America have experienced a mass die-off due to SSWS. Both the cause and the long-term effects of the disease are unknown, but it is now identified as the largest non-commercial mass marine die-off in history!

SIMRS collects data for the number, species, size, and degree of wasting syndrome of sea stars.

At the end of each field season their data is shared with the Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) to contribute to a larger North America-wide database to be used as open source data for SSWS research. The information collected from this data can be used to track seasonal and long-term trends in sea star species abundance, diversity, and level of wasting disease both within small-scale and large-scale regions.

To celebrate the end of this years Sea Star Surveys and all of the early mornings and wet feet put in by citizen science volunteers, SIMRS is finishing up the Sea Star Surveys this month with an Intertidal Bioblitz Event!

Remember to dress for the weather, wear sturdy waterproof footwear (for traversing slipper rocks) and come ready to record some intertidal species (with your phone and the iNauturalist app downloaded).

The Sea Star Stewardship Program is highly reliant on the wonderful volunteer citizen scientists that join SIMRS each month in the field to collect data. They are always accepting new volunteers and offer on-site training.

Walk the slopes and crests of windblown sand.  Discover a world that is not beach or forest, but a strange and disappearing blend of both.

This event is free with purchase of a National Park entry pass, and open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets. Recording devices are not permitted. Arrive early as parking may be limited.

Photo by Parks Canada/K. Kwasnecha

Join our special guest historian, Phil Hood on a kid's treasure hunt! Stories of historical adventures will delight kids and parents alike.

Children should be old enough to follow a map to the hidden treasure. 

Learn about the fascinating lives of slugs with a fun, hands-on activity alongside a Parks Canada naturalist in the Kwisitis Visitor Centre!

This event is free with purchase of a National Park entry pass, and open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets. Recording devices are not permitted. Arrive early as parking may be limited.

Experience the sights, sounds, and scents of an old growth rainforest with a Parks Canada Naturalist.

This event is free with purchase of a National Park entry pass, and open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets. Meet in the Kwisitis Visitor Centre Parking Lot.

Photo by Parks Canada.

All summer, Parks Canada will be showing films covering a range of topics about Pacific Rim National Park and the surrounding area. 

Ask a Parks Canada staff what film will be shown this week! 

See and hear shorebirds, seabirds and songbirds as you stroll through the forest to the beach with an interpreter.

This event is free with the purchase of a National Parks entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets and recording devices are not permitted.

Join an interactive touch table while you learn about the bears, wolves and cougars that live in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.

This is a free all ages event with the purchase of a National Park entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets and recording devices are not permitted.

Arrive early as parking is limited. 

A guided tour of the fascinating world that exists where land and sea meet.

This event is free with the purchase of a National Park entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets.

Meet at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre Parking Lot.

Photo by Parks Canada

Join Lilly Woodbury, the Regional Coordinator for Surfrider Foundation Canada, as she discusses the Surfrider network’s efforts to address plastic pollution along the BC coast and the actions you can take to address the plastics crisis at this critical time.

Doors open at 7:45.

Guest speakers change every week. Ask a Parks Canada staff who next week's speaker will be!

The Salmon Trail is a joint project between Redd Fish Restoration Society and the Ucluelet Aquarium, consisting of five educational stations across Ucluelet and Tofino on different days of the week. The stations aim to educate about the salmon lifecycle and why salmon is so important to coastal communities. 

Find the Salmon Trail every Tuesday at the Lighthouse booth.

Once you have visited each station and completed the activity associated with it, you will receive a prize! 

Come search for the tracks of Bears, Wolves and Cougars, on the beach and in the dunes.

This event is free with purchase of a National Park entry pass, and open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets. Recording devices are not permitted. Arrive early as parking may be limited.

Photo by Parks Canada/ Ian Cruickshank.

Join a Parks Canada naturalist to explore the world of sea otters with a fun and interactive touch table in the Kwisitis Visitor Centre!

Ask all your questions and interact with the props provided by Parks Canada. 

The event is free with the purchase of a National Park entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets and recording devices are not permitted.

Arrive early as parking is limited.

Come observe plankton from up close and learn more! Stop by the breezeway next to Ocean Outfitters - plankton samples will be ready for microscope observation of these fascinating creatures.

Meet outside Ocean Outfitters.

See and hear shorebirds, seabirds and songbirds as you stroll through the forest to the beach with an interpreter.

This event is free with the purchase of a National Parks entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets and recording devices are not permitted.

Discover the sounds of the Pacific West Coast through this immersive audio adventure. Learn what sounds can tell us about the world around us.

This event is free with the purchase of a National Parks entry pass. 

Join Strawberry Isle Marine Research Society on the Wild Pacific Trail for an interactive program that allows participants to help rebuild the skeleton of an offshore Killer Whale bone-by-bone. Along the way, you'll learn about the biology, ecology, anatomy, evolution, and conservation of Killer Whales and other marine mammals.

No registration is required. This is a free event, with any donations going to community outreach and conservation events with SIMRS.

A guided tour of the fascinating world that exists where land and sea meet.

This event is free with the purchase of a National Park entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets.

Meet at the Kwisitis Visitor Centre Parking Lot.

Photo by Parks Canada

Meet at South Chesterman for a beach clean from 11 am-2 pm. Help keep the west coast beaches clean from marine debris, discover what ends up as trash in nature, and learn how to use the Marine Debris Tracker App to create lasting change.

All the material collected from the beach clean will be cleaned, sorted, and used in a FREE Marine Debris Buoy Bee-making workshop led by Kim Leckey of Sea Woven from 5 pm to 7:30 pm at Long Beach Resort.

Complimentary Blueberry Honeysuckle cocktails will be provided from Strait and Narrow to enjoy while you get creative.

The bees made in the workshop will be used and displayed in an art installation going up at Blackberry Cove health food shop in Ucluelet, BC. Use buoys found in the landfill for the base while getting creative with netting, rope, and little pieces of debris for the wings, antenna, feet, and eyes.

A fun, hands-on activity that will teach you all about the lives of the Southern Resident Killer Whales with the help of a Parks Canada Naturalist.

The event is free with the purchase of a National Park entry pass. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please do not bring pets and recording devices are not permitted.

Arrive early as parking is limited.