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Choose an island area and the next time you visit this site you’ll be redirected to news, events, trustee communications and other relevant content specific to your area of interest.
The Gabriola Island Local Trust Committee updated 2023 Meeting Schedule can be found here.
To review the agendas, minutes and recordings of any Gabriola Island Local Trust Committee meetings, visit our meeting calendar.
For more information contact us at 250-247-2063 or northinfo@islandstrust.bc.ca.
Gabriola Trustees Tobi Elliott and Susan Yates have scheduled time to meet with members of the public at the Islands Trust Office and also at the Gabriola Library. Dates and times are updated frequently and are posted on the Islands Trust website and on the outside door of the Islands Trust Office. They are also published bi-weekly in the Upcoming Events column in the Gabriola Sounder. Please note, Trustees are often also available to meet on an ad hoc basis outside these fixed hours. Call or email your trustee to set up a time.
For immediate release
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Late conservationist Betty Swift has donated Link Island, a 21.45 hectare (52.5 acre) island between Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island, to Islands Trust Conservancy. The Link Island Nature Reserve, valued at $3.73 million by BC Assessment, is Islands Trust Conservancy’s largest-ever land donation and the largest complete island managed by Islands Trust Conservancy. The Reserve has the added protection of a new conservation covenant held by the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust and the Gabriola Land & Trails Trust.
Located southeast of Nanaimo, Link Island is nestled between Mudge Island and DeCourcy Island and is connected to both islands at low tides. It has a wealth of biodiversity, with over three kilometres of undeveloped shoreline, coastal cliffs, wetlands, intricate sandstone formations, tidal flats, and mixed forest ecosystems such as threatened coastal Douglas-fir, arbutus, and prairie oak meadows. The island is home to threatened species that are vulnerable to human disturbance, including Western Screech-Owl, Barn Swallow, and Great Blue Heron. The island will continue to remain closed to the public so it can provide sanctuary to the rare and threatened ecosystems and species that reside there.
Before Betty Swift passed away in 2021, she left instructions that the island be transferred to Islands Trust Conservancy. Her gift reserved the right of use to Link Island for her children and grandchildren for the duration of their lives. The Swift family’s dream is that Link Island will become a location for climate-change research in the Salish Sea.
“This gift is about the future”, says Barbara Swift, Betty Swift’s daughter. “It is a gift for us all.”
“We feel so honored that Betty and her family have entrusted us with this island,” says Linda Adams, Islands Trust Conservancy Chair. “It is our intent to manage Link Island in a way that recognizes and protects both its cultural and ecological values.”
Link Island Nature Reserve has the added protection of a conservation covenant held by the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust and the Gabriola Land & Trails Trust. “Having an entire island set aside for conservation is an incredibly rare thing,” says Paul Chapman, of the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust. “I’m excited to see what we do with this unique opportunity, and to work together to find innovative ways to steward the island in the face of climate change.”
Gabriola Land & Trails Trust President, Rob Brockley, had the pleasure of meeting with the Swift family shortly before the title to Link Island was transferred to Islands Trust Conservancy. “Many of us aspire to show generosity when opportunities arise, but the Swift family has actually done it, and on such a grand scale,” said Brockley. “Link Island is an incredibly generous gift for conservation, and the Swifts are a truly remarkable family.”
Islands Trust Conservancy is currently developing a management plan, and is initiating conversations about its management with First Nations whose territory and interests include Link Island. Link Island is located within the territories of several First Nations including the Cowichan Tribes, Xeláltxw (Halalt) First Nation, Lyackson First Nation, Spune’luxutth’ (Penelakut Tribe), SEMYOME (Semiahmoo) First Nation, Snuneymuxw (Nanaimo) First Nation, Stz’uminus (Chemainus) First Nation, and Ts’uubaa-asatx (Lake Cowichan) First Nation.
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You can download the full news release from our News Release page.
High-resolution images have been made available for download to support this news release. You can access and download these assets from our Photo Gallery page. Please use only the images identified in the Islands Trust Conservancy Media Assets gallery in support of this story with credit to the appropriate authors (in the file name).
Islands Trust Conservancy is the conservation land trust for over 450 islands of the Salish Sea and is a part of Islands Trust. Since 1990, Islands Trust Conservancy has protected more than 113 properties, covering more than 1,375 hectares of island ecosystems. This success is thanks to the vision, support, and generosity of donors and partners.
For all media enquiries please contact Carmen Smith, Communications Specialist, Islands Trust Conservancy
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Gabriola Land and Trails Trust (GaLTT) has received a $6,000 Opportunity Fund grant from Islands Trust Conservancy to help them meet an overwhelming demand from islanders wishing to take action to care for nature on Gabriola Island.
The Opportunity Fund grant will support GaLTT’s booming Nature Stewards Program. Since launching the program in 2021 GaLTT has received a hugely positive response from Gabriola residents. Almost 100 acres have been conserved by dozens of private landholders through voluntary pledges to keep the trees and protect habitat on at least 30 percent of their properties. “Home of a Wildlife Friendly Garden” signs and signs about habitat conservation are popping up around the island. With the ongoing support of the Islands Trust Conservancy and partners, GaLTT hopes to secure 350 acres of habitat pledges by the end of 2023.
“Supporting voluntary actions and programs like Nature Stewards on the islands is critical to the success of conservation in the Salish Sea,” says Kate-Louise Stamford, Chair of the Islands Trust Conservancy Board. “We are happy to be able to support the Gabriola Land and Trails Trust and hope this support contributes to their continued success on Gabriola.”
Currently only 12% of land in the Gabriola Island Local Trust Area is protected, despite its high biodiversity values. More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea are privately held – meaning that individual landholders’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing impacts from climate change in the region.
“Many landholders are already champions of nature conservation on their land, from larger acreages to less than half-acre parcels,” says Ken Gurr of GaLTT. “We want to acknowledge everyone for their efforts, and ask all islanders to conserve as much of their properties in a nature friendly state as possible. We all know this decade is pivotal for so many global issues, and our local efforts will feed into the huge international movement to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030.”
Residents and property holders on Gabriola who are interested in learning more about this program are encouraged to visit www.galtt-naturestewards.com or fill out the contact form for a site visit at www.galtt-naturestewards.com/join-us.html
About the Islands Trust Conservancy Opportunity Fund Grant
The purpose of Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund is to support timely opportunities to protect biodiversity in the Islands Trust Area. The Opportunity Fund provides support for ‘hard to fundraise’ costs associated with land protection. It can also be used to leverage increased donations to land acquisition projects.
Since 2005 more than 200 donors have contributed $200,000+ to the Opportunity Fund, enabling Islands Trust Conservancy to distribute 28 grants that have helped protect more than 530 hectares of land across the islands in the Salish Sea.
Press Assets
High resolution images have been made available for download to support this news release. You can access these assets here.
Please use only in the images identified in the Islands Trust Conservancy Media Assets gallery in support of this story with credit to appropriate authors (in file name).
Quick Facts
About Islands Trust Conservancy
Islands Trust Conservancy is the conservation land trust for over 450 islands of the Salish Sea and is a part of Islands Trust. Since 1990, Islands Trust Conservancy has protected more than 110 properties, covering more than 1,365 hectares of island ecosystems. This success is thanks to the vision, support, and generosity of donors and partners. Learn more about our work.
Contact
For all media enquiries please contact Carmen Smith, Communications Specialist – Islands Trust Conservancy
250-405-5183, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca
