The Thetis Island Nature Conservancy truly started from a seed as a small group of islanders working together at the community garden behind Forbes Hall. As we gardened we talked and the idea of starting a nature conservancy to expand our educational Tea Talks slowly emerged and grew into a reality. Our first society meeting was held in August 2012 and since then ThINC has been educating Thetis Island residents and visitors of all ages about nature, stewardship, conservation, and food security through courses and events. In the early years, we offered occasional volunteer-run events, talks and day camps which grew into our successful summer-long nature education program, operated from our Nature House at The Portal since 2016.  In 2019, ThINC received the Community Stewardship Award from the Islands Trust for our work in creating the Fairyslipper Forest Nature Reserve, the first publicly accessible nature reserve on Thetis Island.