Land Acknowledgement

WildResearch recognizes we are located on the ancestral and unceded shared  territories of several Coast Salish Nations, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples. We also acknowledge some of our field programs and research may occur on the ancestral lands of several First Nations* across British Columbia, and we are committed to respectful engagement in support of meaningful reconciliation.

Iona Island Bird Observatory (IIBO) is located within Iona Beach Regional Park, in Richmond, BC, on the traditional and unceded homeland of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Hul’qumi’num) speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Indian Band. Iona Island (xʷəyeyət in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓) is situated in the Fraser River estuary, the park is part of a designated Important Bird Area (IBA) and Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) where wetlands, coastal dunes, and floodplain forests are a critical stopover habitat for birds along the Pacific Flyway.

The community at WildResearch gratefully acknowledges the Indigenous Peoples who continue to steward this land and have since time immemorial and honour their enduring presence. We are privileged to walk, view, and connect with nature on this land. Our field programs aim to continue to respect the land and leave it in a state that honours the traditional and contemporary values of the original stewards. We offer this acknowledgement in a spirit of humility, recognizing that learning, unlearning, and relearning are our ongoing responsibilities.

*In the Lower Mainland of BC these are the overlapping traditional unceded territories of many Nations including, but not limited to, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Indian Band, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Uxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation, Qayqayt First Nation (Ka-kite), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie) First Nation, qʷantlen (Kwantlen) First Nation, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) First Nation, Semiahmoo First Nation, Matsqui First Nation, scəw̓aθən məsteyəxʷ (Tsawwassen First Nation), and the shared territories of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Hul’qumi’num) and S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō) Treaty Groups. To learn about the Indigenous territories of the programs and research conducted in other parts of BC please visit https://www.bcafn.ca/first-nations-bc/interactive-map and https://native-land.ca/.