Western Sandpipers roosting at Roberts Bank
I have recently learned that the federal Court has ruled against environmental groups that filed a legal challenge last June against the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia.
The Port of Vancouver’s plan to build a second container ship terminal will destroy 177 hectares of the last intact estuarine habitat in western Canada. Over 100 species at risk depend on this habitat for survival, including the endangered southern resident killer whales and their food source, Chinook salmon. Environmental groups argued the federal government breached the Canadian Species At Risk Act by allowing the destruction of this habitat, a challenge they have now just lost.
One of the species that will be critically impacted by this project are western sandpipers. They may not appear as charismatic as southern resident killer whales and they are often and unjustly overlooked in this battle against the megaport.
Yet, we must not underestimate the power of these tiny shorebirds that weigh no more than 35 grams and their great potential to stop the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Port Expansion Project.
Sandpipers and biofilm: What’s in the mud
Western sandpipers are extreme endurance athletes. They migrate thousands of kilometres north along the Pacific coast from their overwintering areas as far south as Peru to their breeding grounds in Alaska. They stop at just a handful of places along the Pacific Flyway to refuel.
Western Sandpipers feeding at Roberts Bank
Roberts Bank is one of these stopover sites, located on the Fraser River estuary in British Columbia. It is a top biodiversity hotspot in Canada that is globally classified as an Important Bird Area. Between 42 per cent and 64 percent of the entire Western Sandpiper species relies on Roberts Bank to rest and refuel, and it’s estimated that almost EVERY western sandpiper will use the site at least once in their lifespan.
Why are they here? To feed on the intertidal biofilm that coats the surface of the mudflat and is packed with omega-3 fatty acids generated by microcosmic plants called diatoms, right at the time when hundreds of thousands of shorebirds arrive at the migratory stopover site in the spring. This is the special energy drink the birds require to complete their arduous journey.
What’s next
Western sandpipers are not currently a listed species at risk, but scientists have predicted they will become endangered if the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project goes ahead. The sandpipers will lose access to the essential nutrients contained in the biofilm of the mudflats, and there is nowhere else they can go.
Roberts Bank is the sole remaining large bank in the Fraser River estuary that is still intact and provides the rich biofilm that the birds need. With the loss of this site in the chain of migratory stopovers, the sandpipers will have to fly greater distances to their breeding grounds in Alaska. Fewer birds will make it, which will result in the fast decline of the entire species.
However it is NOT too late to save the birds and all the species that depend on this important ecosystem. The federal government has subjected the Port project to 370 legally binding conditions to protect the environment, wildlife and land-use activities of Coast Salish First Nations. Among the 370 conditions, the Port of Vancouver is required to monitor the impact of port activities on biofilm over a minimum of three years through the appointment of an independent committee of scientists. If the biofilm is found to be compromised, the federal government will require the port to enact measures that could include the redesign or removal of the infrastructure.
This is a powerful (and the final) opportunity to stop this project, save the western sandpipers, but also all the species at risk that critically depend on this habitat, including southern resident killer whales and salmon.
A film for the future of shorebirds
Isabelle at Roberts Bank
I have always been fascinated by shorebirds as the planet’s most extraordinary travellers. Each species has its own story, but in every case these annual migrations are among nature’s most epic dramas.
I have been photographing the spectacular spring migration of western sandpipers at the mudflats of the Fraser River estuary for the last 15 years. Watching tens of thousands of migrating western sandpipers blanket the exposed mud of Roberts Bank in the spring is one of the great spectacles of the natural world. Learning to walk and sink alone in the mud is a transformative and humbling journey in itself.
I am determined to continue and welcome the migrating sandpipers home when they stop at Roberts Bank every spring. I am not giving up and I take my inspiration from the birds themselves. They have demonstrated their pure determination to complete their extraordinary migratory journey. We can win this battle and help the sandpipers persist in the future.
We are making a documentary to raise awareness about the importance of Roberts Banks and intertidal mudflats for the survival of western sandpipers and shorebirds, one of the fastest disappearing groups of birds in the world.
Many people think of mudflats as an ecological wasteland with no value, which makes these critical habitats extremely vulnerable to destruction. Even fewer people understand the importance of biofilm and the fatty acids these systems generate. Yet mudflats are hugely productive systems just like rainforests and fatty acids not only feed shorebirds, but also pass through the food chains to entire ecosystems and people.
The film will raise the profile of this critical system and inspire the public to take immediate, tangible action to ensure that science prevails and that Roberts Bank and similar sites are permanently protected from development activities.
Protecting western sandpipers and killer whales: What you can do
Southern resident killer whales in front of Deltaport
We need your help now to complete the documentary and to support our impact campaign to permanently protect Roberts Bank from the Port expansion. Please consider making a donation to this project and spread the word. Any and all support is greatly appreciated, and our partner BC Nature will provide tax receipts for donations.
The project is supported by scientists and by organizations that include BC Nature, Birds Canada, and Audubon Alaska. If you are a group, please join our campaign and add your voice to our list of supporters.
For the western sandpipers, thank you!
To learn more about the film: visit the website
To donate, please click this link
To join as impact campaign partners or if you would like us to do a community presentation please contact me.
Follow me on Instagram for updates.