Conservation at Maplewood Flats with Melissa Hafting – The BC Bird Trail, Vancouver's North Shore

This video is brought to you by Vancouver's North Shore and the BC Bird Trail. We had a conversation with ecologist, bird guide, and author Melissa Hafting at the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area. Hafting shares the conservation and reconciliation work happening on this land, and her lifelong push to make birding more inclusive for everyone. Hafting also reflects on her own journey in birding as a BIPOC woman, the barriers she faced starting out, and the more welcoming community she's helping build today through her BC Young Birders Program. 📍 The Maplewood Flats Conservation Area is located on the unceded lands and waters of the Tsleil-Waututh & Coast Salish peoples. Managed by the Wild Bird Trust of BC since 1993, it's one of the first organizations in Canada to transfer its board of directors almost entirely to Indigenous people, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. The Maplewood Flats sit just east of the Second Narrows Bridge on the shores of the Salish Sea, spanning more than 300 acres of mudflats, salt marsh, forest, and wetland, home to over 250 bird species throughout the year. 🦉 About Melissa Hafting Melissa Hafting is an ecologist, bird guide, author, and photographer. She founded the BC Young Birders Program in 2014, bringing together youth of all races, sexual orientations, and genders to explore the natural world and learn about citizen science and bird conservation. She is passionate about making birding more inclusive for all, especially for BIPOC birders like herself. Hafting wrote the best selling book "Dare to Bird," published by Rocky Mountain Books, is an eBird reviewer for the province of BC, and sits on the boards of the Frontiers in Ornithology Association and Wild Bird Trust of BC. Her honours include the 2024 Alan Duncan Bird Conservation Award and the 2025 King Charles III Coronation Medal. - 🗺️ Discover more stories like this along the Vancouver's North Shore Bird Trail: https://bcbirdtrail.ca/trails/vancouv... 🐦 Since launching in September 2020, the BC Bird Trail has established itself as the leading source of information on attractions, activities, and accommodations related to birdwatching in British Columbia. Alongside our partners, we are dedicated to ushering birders of all skill levels through bird-watching hotspots, communities, and events throughout the province. Follow The BC Bird Trail: ► Instagram:   / bcbirdtrail   ► Facebook:   / bcbirdtrail   ► Website: https://bcbirdtrail.ca Follow Vancouver's North Shore: ► Instagram:   / vancouversnorthshore   ► Facebook:   / vancouversnorthshore   ► X:   / vannorthshore   ► Website: https://www.vancouversnorthshore.com/ Follow Melissa Hafting: ► Instagram:   / bcbirdergirl   ► Website: https://daretobird.blogspot.com/ Follow Wild Bird Trust/ Maplewood Flats: ► Instagram:   / maplewoodflats   ► Website: https://wildbirdtrust.org/