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camas flowers bloom in a garry oak meadow in uplands park

Camas Lily

May 10 2024/in Educational, Photo Gallery

The emblem of an endangered ecosystem, of deep cultural significance, and simply gorgeous, the camas lily is one charismatic plant. This flower, native to the Garry oak ecosystem of southeastern Vancouver Island is instantly recognizable for its glorious blue-purple flowers that can blanket whole meadows in springtime.

There are two species of blue camas on Vancouver Island — the common camas and the great camas — separated by size and the arrangement of the petals, which on the great camas twist together. Neither should be confused with death camas though, a white flowering species with bulbs that can be lethal to consume.

For the Coast Salish people, camas have traditionally been no mere ornament but a way of life. Indeed, it was considered second only to the all-important Pacific salmon in its importance in trade on the coast. This is because the rich, starchy bulb of the camas is a fantastic source of carbohydrates, traditionally filling the role of potatoes, bread, or rice in other cultures. Camas bulbs would be cooked in pit ovens for 24–48 hours to allow the complex starches to become sweet and easily digestible.

Traditionally, Indigenous camas harvesters have not been passive consumers of a wild plant, but instead active cultivators of camas meadows, including carrying out controlled burns to maintain the oak savannahs where camas thrive. Archaeological research suggests that Indigenous people in North America have been cultivating camas ecosystems for at least 3500 years, a legacy of care and stewardship that has helped maintain this biodiverse ecosystem and all the creatures that depend on it.

Today, due to development for housing and agriculture, Garry oak ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats in Canada.

To see some of the best camas displays this spring, visit one of the beautiful meadows at Uplands Park, Summit Park, or Beacon Hill in Victoria (late April/early May are the best times). Here, one can still wander among the fields of flowers and be reminded of the interwoven human relationship that goes back thousands of years 💜

Camas flowers bloom in a Garry oak meadow in Uplands Park in Victoria, BC.

A man in neon scales a record-sized Sitka spruce as the sun peaks out from behind the branches as they sprawl every which way.

Global News: Get a bird’s-eye view from one of Vancouver Island’s tallest trees

May 10 2024/in News Coverage

May 10, 2024
Global News
By Simon Little & Paul Johnson

Watch the Global News video and read the original article here.

It’s being described as one of the most significant big tree finds in BC in years.

A group of conservationists recently had the opportunity to scale a massive 71-metre (223-foot) tall Sitka Spruce discovered in the Carmanah Valley on southwestern Vancouver Island. The massive tree is nearly four metres (13 feet) wide at its base.

“We just knew the only way to convey the true grandeur of this tree was to climb it and get right up there in the top,” TJ Watt, a campaigner and photographer with the Ancient Forest Alliance told Global News.

“Only when you see a human beside a tree for scale can you truly grasp just how monumental these trees are; they are some of the largest living organisms on planet Earth.”

Watt has spent the last 15 years bushwhacking through BC forests to find and document the province’s giants.

His mission is to use photography and social media to inspire people and try to share just how special the rare, old-growth trees are.

Using a giant slingshot to hurl a rope into the tree’s upper limbs, Watt and a team of professional climbers made their way into the canopy in the fall of 2022.

Watt said the unique ecosystems that exist in giant tree canopies are still not well understood.

“The giant limbs of these trees which can be as big as a regular-sized tree are adorned with ferns, and lichens and mosses,” he said.

“These are truly hidden realms that deserve more research, more investigation and more appreciation to ensure they are preserved in perpetuity.”

The giant Sitka is among what Watt says represents a fraction of remaining ancient coastal forests, 90 per cent of which have been harvested since industrial logging began.

While this tree is in the protected Carmanah Valley, much of the population of big trees remaining on Vancouver Island is not.

“The old-growth temperate rainforests of British Columbia are almost second to none on earth in terms of their beauty and grandeur,” he said.

“But unfortunately many of them are still at risk today.”

A white fawn lily, with its oblong petals and vibrant yellow pistil and stamen, hangs delicately.

Thank you to these businesses and artists for their support!

May 8 2024/in Thank You

We’d like to take the opportunity to extend a massive thank you to the following businesses and artists for their philanthropic support toward the old-growth campaign.

Thank you to:

Wild Coast Perfumery, who graciously continues to support ancient forest protection.

The Hausplants, GRDN Collective, Bloom Effect, and Garden Mice, who collectively made a contribution following their Green Auto Greenhouse event in celebration of Earth Day.

Stillwater Nature Spa for their generous gift and ongoing support.

And Barbara Brown Art, who donates 5% of her annual art sales to the old-growth campaign.

Your support makes our work possible and we’re extremely grateful to every one of you.

If you’re a business owner or artist and would like to support the protection of old-growth forests in British Columbia, shoot us an email at info@ancientforestalliance.org for ways to do so!

NOW HIRING: Forest Campaigner

Mar 3 2026

The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is hiring a passionate Forest Campaigner to join our team and help protect old-growth forests in BC!

Employment

It’s AFA’s 16th Birthday!

Feb 26 2026

On Tuesday, February 24th, we’re celebrating 16 years of working together with you, our community, to ensure the permanent protection of old-growth forests in BC. To mark the date, will you chip in $16 or more to support our work?

Announcements

Budget 2026 Shortchanges Nature Protection and Sustainable Forestry Transition At a Critical Time for British Columbia

Feb 20 2026

BC’s Budget 2026 fails to provide the funding needed to secure lasting protection for endangered ecosystems and at-risk old-growth forests in the province.

Media Release