Our Story

Based on BC’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, the earliest shoots of the Loon Foundation emerged when a group of dedicated local naturalists set out to rescue a ten-hectare plot of precious forest and unique wetland habitat from development. In 2002, the Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve Society was created, and the members soon got to work on their first big campaign to ‘Help Save the Lagoon’ with the aim of protecting the land in perpetuity. The response from the local community was overwhelming. Later that year, with the help of a very generous donation from Denise and Ken Cargill, two regular visitors from Ontario, the parcel was purchased, and the unique wetlands were saved. 

A few years later, in 2005, Western Economic Diversification Canada awarded the Society a sizeable grant to help build an education and interpretive centre. With the whole community behind us, a spectacular timber-framed building was conceived and built by local designers and carpenters as well as hundreds of volunteer labourers. The Iris Griffith Field Studies and Interpretative Centre, named after the legendary local environmental campaigner Iris Griffith, was built to last, and incorporates massive Western Red Cedar pillars and beams harvested from the nearby forests. To demonstrate how state-of-the-art green technologies can reduce operating costs, the building included a rainwater catchment system, drinking water sourced from a natural spring, a solar water heating system, and a reed-bed wastewater plant. The landscaping surrounding the centre showcases native plant species and wildlife-friendly gardening techniques. The centre overlooks a rare fenland lake surrounded by reedbeds with Wood Ducks, Red-winged Blackbirds, Virginia Rails, Red-legged Frogs, and Western Painted Turtles in residence. The whole facility sits in the forested nature reserve that extends to the southern foreshore of the Ruby Lake Lagoon and includes an extensive trail system. 

Now called the Iris & Billy Griffith Nature Centre, it has been the hub of our operations for many years, hosting the unique Nature School program, along with workshops, festivals, conferences, and other community events, and serving as a field base for ecological monitoring and habitat restoration and enhancement activities. Our operations now extend well beyond the confines of the centre and reach out to the whole Sunshine Coast. In 2012, for example, we hosted the first Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Summit, bringing together scientists and local stakeholders to explore potential strategies for preserving and enhancing the rich biodiversity of our region. The findings from this summit were published in 2013 as the Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Strategy.

Our EarthFair Store has been selling books, gifts, and unique locally sourced items since 2013 and helps to fund our non-profit operations. Initially based at the Nature Centre, the store is now located in a building purchased by our organization in the heart of Madeira Park. The premises also serve as the new headquarters of the Foundation with office space and an information centre for all our projects. The opening of the new location in 2020 was a great success. The newly renovated and brightly decorated EarthFair Store greatly enhances the shopping experience in the village of Madeira Park, drawing locals and many new visitors to the town.   

With the Iris & Billy Griffith Nature Centre firmly established as a freshwater wetland teaching and interpretive facility, our focus was inevitably drawn to the ocean. The concept of the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS) was first explored by the Society in 2012 and has since grown to become a major destination project for the whole region. This unique multi-use research and community facility will provide fully accessible facilities for residents and visitors of all ages and backgrounds to gather, participate in educational, arts, and cultural programs, and celebrate the astounding natural wonders and rich culture of the Sunshine Coast. In 2017, we took a huge step forward when, with the help of hundreds of kind benefactors, we were able to purchase a truly historic property at Irvines Landing at the entrance to Pender Harbour that has been a local landmark for literally thousands of years. PODS will be built on this distinguished site in a beautifully sheltered oceanside bay with spectacular views of the Malaspina Strait and the sacred Sekaleton Islands. Following years of consultation, design, and fundraising at individual, local, and national levels, the construction of PODS is scheduled to begin in 2024. We look forward to welcoming scientists, students, and visitors from around the world to this wonderful community facility that epitomizes the spirit of Pender Harbour. 

In 2020, our members unanimously chose the loon as the name and symbol for our overarching Foundation. The common loon is recognized the world over as a symbol of Canada. This magnificent bird breeds on Pender Harbour’s countless lakes during the spring and summer and spends the winter out on the open ocean, making it a perfect bridge between the freshwater and marine ecosystems and a natural mascot for our foundation. The loon's many different calls are haunting, reassuring, and evocative of the wilderness. We are pleased to have the Loon Foundation associated with the “Call of the Wild.”