Location
Key Information
| 1 km2 | MARINE AREA |
| 2.47 km2 | TOTAL AREA i |
Regulations: Government of Canada
Boundary: Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (Unmodified)
2.0
July 2023
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Purpose
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located 5 km south of Vancouver, along the northwestern end of Westham Island. It overlaps with the Alaksen National Wildlife Area (NWA). George.C. Reifel was a nature enthusiast and conservationist who, in the 1920s, bought land for a private hunting retreat. In the 1960s, the ownership of this land was transferred to the Crown for the creation of the Migratory Bird Sanctuary that now bears his name. Amazing numbers of migratory birds use this sanctuary each year and the birds that you can expect to see vary by season.
Species of Concern: American wigeon, mallard, northern pintail
Regulations Summary
Restrictions
The primary purpose of Migratory Bird Sanctuaries is the protection of migratory birds from killing, harm and harassment during a critical part of their life cycle, such as breeding, nesting, moulting, or staging and stopover during their migration. Unless a permit has been issued by the Minister of the Environment authorizing such activity, the Regulations prohibit the following activities in a Migratory Bird Sanctuary:
1. no person shall hunt migratory birds;
2. no person shall disturb, destroy or take the nests of migratory birds;
3. no person shall have in their possession a live migratory bird, or a carcass, skin, nest or egg of a migratory bird (a resident of a Migratory Bird Sanctuary may have in their possession migratory birds lawfully killed outside a Migratory Bird Sanctuary);
4.no person shall have in their possession in a Migratory Bird Sanctuary any firearm; or any hunting appliance except as otherwise provided in these Regulations (does not apply to residents of a Migratory Bird Sanctuary);
5. no person shall permit a dog or cat to run at large in a Migratory Bird Sanctuary;
6. no person shall carry on any activity that is harmful to migratory birds or the eggs, nests or habitat of migratory birds, except under the authority of a permit for those Migratory Bird Sanctuaries on provincial, territorial and federal lands.
Allowed
1. First Nations have a right to access and hunt within the sanctuary.