Booking Programs With Us

Last updated July 19, 2026.

The British Columbia Waterfowl Society offers programs for those wanting to learn about the Sanctuary's birds and the Sanctuary itself. Tours are provided by staff and senior volunteers..

Arranging for a tour or program:

Either send an email to our Education staff Dani McRobbie or phone our office 604-946-6980 at least two weeks ahead of time to discuss the booking of a tour/program. You will need to provide the name of your school or group, the main contact person, the group size, an age range or class grade, and a phone number in case plans need to be modified. If you need to cancel your tour, please call our office by 9:30 AM the morning of your booking at the latest to let us know. We only accept one morning and one afternoon group per day.

Groups needs to fit within our size limits and qualifications for tours

• Tour guides will only be available for groups between 15 to 30 people.
• Tours are only available for birding groups, school and university classes, home school groups, senior homes, guides and scouts, and other youth groups (i.e. NatureKidsBC, church youth groups, etc.).
• Admission is payable upon entry at the gift shop or ahead of time over the phone. Admission fees are $10 for Adults, $8 for Children (2-14), and $7 for Seniors (65+). There is no additional charge for the tour.
• Your program booking provides your group with parking, a tour guide, access to special use areas such as the Museum, and a short orientaion before walking the trails.
• Tours last 1.5 to 2 hours, including the orientation. For groups that are mainly children, we do not recommend a lengthy lunch break, as there is no playground. Facilities need to be shared with other visitors, and children need to be under supervision at all times.
• Please arrive atleast 10 - 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the tour to allow time for participants to unload from vehicles and to use the washrooms. Tour guides will not be available for groups who arrive later than 15 minutes after the scheduled tour start time.

We allow some organizations to use their own leaders on birding and nature tours through the Sanctuary, but it is critical that organizers follow the same procedures as in the category above. Call or email at least two weeks ahead of time to ensure you are not overlapping with another group, keep the group size within the 15 to 30 people range, and let us know what you are planning and what you need in the way of parking. All "self-guided" groups need to be careful about any planned activities to ensure that participants are not breaking rules. We do the parking reservation allocations for you.

If you have a smaller group (less than 15 people):

Most of the time, you as an organizer just need to tell participants that every driver involved needs to book a parking spot through our normal on-line reservation system. The time slots start to be available three days ahead of time. If the group visit involves transportation by bus, please contact our office to let us know. Note that there is high competition sometimes for weekend parking reservations, so we recommend weekdays for this category.

School Programs

Visit our School Programs page for descriptions of program themes and a general outline of the nature tours for different grade levels.

Birding Programs

If you have at least 15 people in your group, you can book our staff for a birding tour of the Sanctuary or can be self-guided. As with the school group arrangements above, please call our office to let us know the date and number in your group. If you are on our official schedule, we can set aside parking for your group so that your participants are guaranteed of a spot.

In addition to the opportunity to book tours, we invite you to explore our Birding page for an overview of birding tips during your visit and links to explore. Every Sunday morning at 10 am, there is also a drop-in birding tour for those interested in touring the Sanctuary with a knowledgeable guide that can show people some of the good spots to see certain species.

Be Prepared

When arranging transportation, please visit our Planning Your Visit page for our location map and contact information so that these can be provided to parent drivers and/or bus drivers. Remember to dress for the weather, as most of the booking time is spent walking outside on the trails. Wear proper walking shoes. Some of our trails are grassy and are muddy after rainy days. Bring a bag lunch or snack if you are staying more than a few hours, and either bottled water or a thermos of something warm to drink, depending upon the weather.

Remember bird books or binoculars if you have them. Note that the Gift Shop has loaner binoculars for visitors if required. Many people enjoy capturing their tour on camera, but remember to pay attention to tour guide instructions about the proximity of cameras to the birds.