One million ways you’re helping the Salish Sea!
As we look back on our 2022 season, we’re enormously grateful to all our guests for choosing Eagle Wing Tours. Your contributions directly support our award-winning conservation, sustainability, research and education activities in and around the Salish Sea.
In 2022 our guests contributed almost $236,000 to a broad range of conservation organizations and initiatives in the region! This means that since 2011, your donations have helped us raise more than $1 million for conservation! To be precise, we’ve raised a whopping $1,024,650.74!
To say we’re excited about reaching this million-dollar milestone is an understatement.
“Everything we do at Eagle Wing revolves around conservation, environmental leadership and community action,” say co-owners Brett Soberg and Don Stewart. “Our guests can take pride in knowing that their tourism dollars are leaving a positive impact on this spectacular ecosystem and its wildlife.
“On behalf of the wildlife of the Salish Sea and the entire Eagle Wing family—THANK YOU!”
How did you contribute?
- 1% for the Planet
As a member of 1% for the Planet since 2011, we donate 1% of our total revenue to a variety of hard-working organizations and projects dedicated to sustainability and environmental protection.
- Wildlife Fee
In 2013, Eagle Wing was the first in the regional whale watching industry to implement a $2 per guest Wildlife Fee. This was raised to $5 in 2019. All of these funds go directly to conservation, sustainability, research and education initiatives in the Salish Sea.
- Carbon offsets
We were Canada’s first third-party verified 100% carbon neutral whale watching company. We’re now beyond carbon neutral! All documentation is public—see our Annual Sustainability Reports (ASR). We purchase our carbon offsets from Wilderness International, with the money going toward old-growth habitat preservation in the Toba Valley north of Vancouver.
Our four pillars of action
Our core mission at Eagle Wing Tours is to protect marine wildlife and the ocean environment through direct support of conservation and research activities, to build ocean awareness through education and outreach programs, and to promote environmental stewardship through industry-leading sustainability initiatives.
Here’s how we’ve divided your 2022 contributions among our four pillars of action…
Where did your 2022 contributions go?
Here’s a round-up of organizations and projects we—and you— supported in 2022, listed by funding stream…
1% for the Planet
- 1% for the Planet: membership
- Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea: Salmon life cycle display
Marine Education and Research Society (MERS): “See a Blow Go Slow” campaign and general support - Goldstream Volunteer Salmonid Enhancement Association: classroom salmon incubation program and general support
- South Vancouver Island Anglers’ Coalition: Sooke River chinook salmon enhancement project. More than 3.5 million chinook smolts have been released since 2017!
- Sierra Club: habitat preservation for salmon, bears, wolves, eagles and more
- The Land Conservancy: local habitat protection
- SeaChange Marine Conservation Society: eelgrass and shoreline restoration projects
- Wilderness International habitat preservation in the Toba Valley
- Peninsula Streams Society: beach and salmon spawning habitat restoration projects
- Pacific Wild: Protect Pacific Herring campaign and advocacy for wild wolves
Wildlife Fee
- Bay Cetology: ongoing database on Bigg’s killer whales, live hydrophone system
- Center for Whale Research: ongoing wild killer whale identification and monitoring
- Porpoise Conservation Society: regional and global porpoise conservation and research
- Pacific Salmon Foundation: chinook salmon enhancement projects
- South Vancouver Island Anglers’ Coalition: Sooke River chinook salmon enhancement project. More than 3.5 million chinook smolts have been released since 2017!
- Peninsula Streams Society: beach and salmon spawning habitat restoration projects
- Cowichan Lake Salmonid Enhancement Society & Hatchery: classroom salmon incubation program and general support
- World Fisheries Trust: herring research and enhancement
- Wild 4 Whales Foundation: marine research and education initiatives
- Wilderness International: habitat preservation in the Toba Valley
- Race Rocks Ecological Reserve: upgrades to solar panels, generator batteries, desalination system
- Marine Guides Association of Canada: educational programs.
Carbon offsets
- Synergy Foundation: Sustainability monitoring
- ilderness International: habitat preservation in the Toba Valley; for every $1 raised we offset one square metre of old-growth forest!
Next goal: $2 million for conservation!
Join us on a tour in 2023 and make your contribution to conservation in the Salish Sea. Help us reach the $2 million mark!
For more information or to book your tour, give us a call or book online!
Published April 21, 2023
