https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/NorthernSpottedOwls.jpg
900
1200
TJ Watt
https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Ancient-Forest-Alliance-logo.svg
TJ Watt2026-09-03 09:47:312026-09-03 09:47:31BC Has an Extinction Problem. Scientists Say There’s a FixRelated Posts
https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/NorthernSpottedOwls.jpg
900
1200
TJ Watt
https://ancientforestalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Ancient-Forest-Alliance-logo.svg
TJ Watt2026-09-03 09:47:312026-09-03 09:47:31BC Has an Extinction Problem. Scientists Say There’s a Fix
Thank you to our monthly business donors!
A big thank you to these businesses that show up month after month for old-growth forests in BC.

Speak up for Three Major New Protected Areas in Northern BC
Support the Dene K’éh Kusān, Klappan Sacred Headwaters, and Meziadin conservancy proposals, protecting 3.4 million hectares across northern BC. Deadline: August 4th

Victoria Buzz: Old growth advocates call for protection of at-risk Vancouver Island forest
The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) are calling for the protection of an at-risk old-growth forest on karst limestone in the Tahsish Valley, northern Vancouver Island, BC, known as the “Jewel of the Tahsish.”
Take Action
Donate
Support the Ancient Forest Alliance with a one-time or monthly donation.
Send a Message
Send an instant message to key provincial decision-makers.Get in Touch
AFA’s office is located on the territories of the Lekwungen Peoples, also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations.
Copyright © 2026 Ancient Forest Alliance • All Rights Reserved
Earth-Friendly Web Design by Fairwind Creative
Earth-Friendly Web Design by Fairwind Creative
Western Toad
/in Creature Feature, EducationalThe western toad is a widespread and adaptable inhabitant of diverse ecosystems across British Columbia, including the coastal rainforests. Remarkably, it’s the only amphibian native to the islands of Haida Gwaii. Western toads are easily recognizable by their waddling gait (unlike the dramatic leaps of frogs), their mottled, warty skin, and the two large “warts” behind each eye, which are actually poison-producing parotid glands.
Although they spend much of the year solitary and secretive, for just a week or two in spring, western toads turn sociable, gathering en masse to breed along lakeshores and ponds. They are astonishingly prolific — a single female can lay up to 16,000 eggs. Males can be identified by dark pads on their “thumbs” that help them grip females during mating. If an eager male mistakenly clasps another male in the confusion of the breeding frenzy, the captured male gives a distinctive “release call” that quickly corrects the error.
Later in summer, when the tadpoles transform into tiny toadlets, they begin their overland migration in massive numbers. In the community of Nakusp, an annual Toadfest celebrates this natural wonder and helps thousands of toadlets safely cross roads on their way to the forest. Like Mr. Toad from The Wind in the Willows, these small travellers need protection from motorcars! Once safely in their forest habitat, western toads may live for 10–12 years, though females usually don’t reach breeding age until around six.
Protecting the places they breed, migrate, and shelter is key to ensuring western toads remain part of BC’s ecosystems for generations to come.
NOW HIRING: Forest Campaigner
/in EmploymentThe Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is hiring a passionate Forest Campaigner to join our team and help protect old-growth forests in BC!
Duration: Full-time, permanent staff position
Location: Vancouver Island or Lower Mainland (home office). Willing/able to travel to the office in Victoria and sites across the province quite regularly.
Compensation: $70,000 to $74,800 per annum in relation to skills and experience, extended health and dental benefits, wellness days, and professional development opportunities.
Estimated application deadline: Posting will remain open until the right candidate is found. Early applications are encouraged.
The Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) is a registered charity dedicated to protecting endangered old-growth forests in BC while ensuring a swift transition to a more sustainable, value-added second-growth forestry industry. Since our founding in 2010, AFA has become BC’s leading organization on this front, reaching international audiences through our compelling advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns. We specialize in public education and mobilization, building alliances with key allies, on-the-ground exploration and documentation of old-growth forests, mapping and research, and engaging governments to achieve policy change for ancient forests in BC. The provincial government has promised a “paradigm shift” in its approach to the conservation and management of old-growth forests in BC. By joining the AFA at this pivotal time, you can help influence and shape public policies that will determine the fate of the old-growth forests in BC for years to come.
Position Overview
The AFA seeks a driven, highly motivated conservationist with exceptional campaigning aptitude, extensive ecological knowledge of ecosystems in BC, and an understanding of how to collaboratively develop and coordinate campaigns that raise awareness, inspire action, and move decision-makers. Reporting to the Executive Team, the Forest Campaigner will produce persuasive and accurately written campaign materials, engage key stakeholders, First Nations, and political decision-makers, follow and analyze critical science and policy initiatives, and help coordinate various campaign activities. Bring your passion for nature, skilled writing abilities, ecological background, and strategic thinking to the task of protecting endangered ancient forests.
Key Responsibilities
Essential Skills and Aptitudes
Experience
How to Apply
We thank all applicants for the diversity, skill, and experience they offer. Our selection process is ongoing until we find the successful applicant, and only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
It’s AFA’s 16th Birthday!
/in AnnouncementsOn 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?
Yes, I’ll donate!
As we mark 16 years of protecting old-growth forests in BC, we’re asking you to help power the work ahead.
Your support has helped us secure major milestones, including early wins like protecting Avatar Grove and recent ones, such as the commitment of over a billion dollars in provincial-federal funding for nature conservation in BC. See a timeline of our past successes!
Please consider making a gift of $16 or more today. Whether $6, $16, $160, or $1,600, every dollar helps ensure we can continue holding the government accountable for protecting endangered ancient forests and ecosystems in BC. Read more below about the important work your funds will support.
Today, old-growth protection in BC is at a pivotal moment. While we’ve achieved major breakthroughs, the pressure from industry and government to continue logging the last ancient giants is intensifying amid escalating concerns about the economy. Instead, we must rapidly transition BC away from its economic dependence on old-growth logging toward a value‑added, second‑growth forestry and a protected areas plan with science‑based targets to proactively safeguard the most endangered ecosystems.
With your continued support in 2026, we are working to:
Make a Charitable Donation
Other Ways To Mark This Milestone With Us
If monetary giving isn’t feasible right now, there are still plenty of ways you can support ancient forest protection and old-growth forests for our 16th birthday!
Over the past 16 years, we’ve achieved big wins together. But we’re still facing critical challenges ahead. Your care, commitment, and generosity are integral to protecting endangered old-growth forests in BC, and we’re profoundly thankful for the role you play. Every action matters, and your support makes this work possible.
For the forests,
The Ancient Forest Alliance team
TJ Watt, Joan Varley, Issy Turnill, Coral Forbes, Kristen Bounds, Nadia Sheptycki, and Zeinab Salenhiankia
The AFA team from left to right: Joan Varley (Administrative Director), Coral Forbes (Donor Relations and Administrative Associate), Nadia Sheptycki (Victoria Canvass Director), Kristen Bounds (Communications Coordinator), Issy Turnill (Forest Campaigner), TJ Watt (Senior Campaigner & Photographer)