Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society
The Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society (GBEARS) is a Canadian nonprofit organization focused on ecological assessment, habitat restoration, and species conservation within the Georgia Basin region of British Columbia. Registered under Business Number 871028387RR0001, it has played a significant role in regional environmental stewardship since at least the early 2000s.

Mission and Activities

GBEARS emphasizes habitat restoration for fish, wildlife, and ecosystems through educational outreach, workshops, and collaborative stewardship programs. A core initiative includes the BC Purple Martin Stewardship and Recovery Program, which it has co-coordinated since 2002. This program monitors nesting success, banding, and dispersal of the western subspecies of Purple Martins (Progne subis arboricola), contributing to longevity records and genetic mixing data across the Pacific Northwest[2].

Key Projects

• Purple Martin Conservation: GBEARS installs and monitors nest boxes, tracks migratory patterns via banding, and documents survival rates. Notable findings include a 10-year-old male and an 11-year-old female martin, representing western longevity records at the time[2].
• Bald Eagle Outreach: The society produces educational materials and collaborates on Bald Eagle conservation, emphasizing habitat protection[4].
• Regional Collaboration: GBEARS participates in cross-border conservation efforts, aligning with broader initiatives like the Georgia Basin Initiative—a 1990s sustainability framework emphasizing stakeholder engagement and biodiversity protection[5].

Impact

Through partnerships with regional districts and organizations such as Environment Canada, GBEARS bridges scientific research, public education, and policy advocacy. Its work reflects a bioregional approach, addressing ecological pressures in one of Canada’s most biodiverse—and threatened—coastal regions[5][2].