OUR STORY

CO-CREATING COMMUNITY AND CONNECTION TO PLACE

IMERSS is a multidisciplinary, cross–cultural, and transboundary community of practice dedicated to long-term ecological research in the Salish Sea bioregion. We are driven by a common desire to empower communities in the effort to monitor biodiversity in this sensitive and dynamic coastal environment.

We strive to foster open access to science, scholarship, technology and art, encouraging individuals to play active roles attending to changes in the ecosystems that surround us. In this way, we hope to counteract the impacts of cultural amnesia and shifting baselines in this era of rapid ecological and social transformation.

IMERSS is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit (1203734-3).

OUR PROJECTS

Sentinels of Change

Light trap in Whaler Bay to collect population data on Dungeness crab larvae.

Diatoms of the Salish Sea

An ongoing taxonomic inventory of the diatoms of the Salish Sea.

Maritime Lichens of the Salish Sea

Studying the diversity and distribution of maritime lichens in the Salish Sea

20/20 Vision on Plant Extirpation

An initiative to locate 12 plant species identified as being at risk of extirpation from Galiano Island.

Operation GaliWatch

Developing low-cost data collection and analysis systems for long-term pollinator surveillance and hyperlocal weather and climate monitoring.

Janszen Legacy Project

Curating a critical baseline record of the vascular plant diversity of the Salish Sea–legacy of the late Harvey Janszen (July 11, 1946–May 10, 2021)

Eelgrass Community Ecology

A newly initiated research partnership between IMERSS and Parfrey Lab (UBC) exploring the microscopic worlds of eelgrass community ecology.

Microscopic Explorations

A science outreach program connecting communities with the wonders of natural history, as seen through the lens of microscopy, hosted by Dr. Elaine Humphrey

Ecocultural Mapping Pilot

Weaving biodiversity data, Indigenous language, and place-based knowledge into an eco-cultural mapping framework.

Biodiversity Informatics Working Group

A multidisciplinary working group advancing innovative approaches to organizing and communicating biodiversity data.

Microclimate Monitoring

A community effort to monitor local scale microclimatic variation, helping to predict future climate impacts.

Biodiversity Galiano Island

A community-based initiative to document the flora and fauna of Galiano Island, BC.