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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.
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Islands Trust Conservancy has received a three-year funding boost of $660,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada to address biodiversity loss in the Islands Trust Area. This additional funding begins in April 2023 and will ensure that the Islands Trust Conservancy’s Species at Risk program continues over the next three years.
British Columbia has some of the highest biodiversity in Canada, with the majority of this diversity concentrated within the southwest coastal region. It is also home to some of the most threatened ecosystems, such as the Coastal Douglas-fir and Garry Oak ecosystems, and iconic threatened species like Southern Resident Killer Whales, and Western Screech-Owl. The southwest coastal region is also where people prefer to live, with the large cities of Vancouver, Victoria, and Nanaimo putting increasing human pressure on the fragile island ecosystems in the Salish Sea.
Islands Trust Conservancy initiated its Species at Risk Program in 2021 with a three-year grant of $643,000 from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Canada Nature Fund, Species at Risk Stream for Priority Places. In total, Islands Trust Conservancy has been awarded $1.328 million from Environment and Climate Change Canada for its collaborative species at risk work over six years.
“We are grateful to have received additional funding to continue the exciting work that has been underway for the past three years,” said Linda Adams, Chair for the Islands Trust Conservancy. “We are so lucky to work alongside fabulous local partners and researchers in this work.”
Mt Tuam Protected Area restoration site with 90 new threatened yellow montane violet plants – a critical food source to the only known population of Zerene Fritillary butterfly in Canada.
“Getting the opportunity to continue to build on the program’s momentum is so rewarding,” says SAR Program Coordinator Wendy Tyrrell. “Addressing the data gap for species and ecosystems at risk is so important. Initial surveys and projects have helped us to discover species at risk in places we had never recorded them before. By working collaboratively we can better inform management decisions, increase awareness, and support local efforts across the islands to preserve and protect species and ecosystems at risk of extinction.”
In the program’s initial three years of funding, Islands Trust Conservancy has worked with partners to deliver a range of projects and educational events. Some highlights include:
Restoring a Garry Oak meadow in the Mt. Tuam Conservation Covenant on Salt Spring Island. Deer and rabbit-proof exclosures are working to provide refuge to plants like the federally threatened yellow montane violet – a key food source to the only population of Zerene Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria zerene bremnerii) currently found in Canada. More than 11,000 native plants and two million seeds were planted at this site in 2021. Since the project began, 90 new yellow montane violet plants have been observed at the site in 2022.
Installing nest boxes for threatened Western Screech Owls in the Link Island Nature Reserve.
Supporting researchers exploring new survey methods using environmental DNA (e-DNA) to survey for Common Sharp-tailed Snake and forage fish on some of the 113 Islands Trust Conservancy protected properties.
Supporting research on Chá7elkwnech/Gambier Island to identify suitable habitat and confirm the presence of endemic Coastal Tailed Frogs (Ascaphus truei) and threatened Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana aurora) using e-DNA techniques. Project partners include local biologists, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society and Gambier Island Conservancy, with additional support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
Hosting a gathering in March 2022 for more than 60 professionals, researchers, and volunteers working to protect species and ecosystems at risk from extinction in the Salish Sea.
Reducing impacts on rare plants through the removal of invasive and exotic species from conservation covenants and/or nature reserves on Salt Spring, Bowen, Gambier, Mayne, Thetis, Lasqueti, Denman, Galiano, and Gabriola Islands. This included over 6,400 lbs. (approximately three tonnes) of invasive English holly on Bowen and Gambier islands alone.
Islands Trust Conservancy is currently hosting an online speaker series. The series covers a wide range of topics and is open to anyone interested in working to address the conservation of species and ecosystems at risk in the Salish Sea. More information on this speaker series and SAR program updates can be found on the Species At Risk Program page.
Quick Facts
The Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC) protects natural landscapes across the Islands Trust region. The support of individuals and partners has helped to protect more than 1,365 ha of land within 34 nature reserves and 79 conservation covenants on islands in the Salish Sea.
More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea is privately owned – meaning that individual landholders’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing the impacts of climate change in the region.
British Columbia is one of the most biologically diverse provinces in Canada– but it also has some of the highest numbers of species under threat of extinction.
Nearly 300 species are listed as being at risk of extinction in the Islands Trust Area, representing 25% of rare species found in BC. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent species from becoming extinct and aids in the recovery of those species currently at risk.
About
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. Learn more online at islandstrust.bc.ca/conservancy.
Press Assets
Media has been made available for download to support this news release. You can access these media assets through our Media Gallery.
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – The Islands Trust Conservancy has granted $5,400 to Thetis Island Nature Conservancy for a new nature stewards program on Thetis Island.
Volunteer training session for Nature Stewards program on Thetis. Credit Ann Eriksson
The Opportunity Fund grant will support Thetis Island Nature Conservancy’s Nature Stewards Program. Since launching the program in late 2021, Thetis Island Nature Conservancy has developed its program with the Habitat Acquisition Trust and the Gabriola Lands and Trails Trust. Grant funds will enable Thetis Island Nature Conservancy to continue to work with these partners to train program volunteers and conduct site visits in collaboration with Traditional Ecological Knowledge holders from Penelakut Tribe and with members of the Structural Protection Unit of the Thetis Island Volunteer Fire Department.
“Supporting voluntary programs like the Thetis Island Nature Stewards is so important. To prevent further biodiversity loss on the islands we need community members who care deeply for the land to know the right actions to take,” said Kate-Louise Stamford, outgoing Chair of Islands Trust Conservancy Board. “Thanks to the generosity of donors to the Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund we are able to support Thetis Island Nature Conservancy in these efforts.”
“We are immensely grateful for the financial support from Islands Trust Conservancy. Our Nature Stewards Program encourages residents to play an active role in habitat restoration, rewilding, and preservation,” said Ann Eriksson, Thetis Island Nature Conservancy Board Director. “In particular, the Opportunity Fund grant will support the sharing of knowledge from Indigenous elders and other knowledge holders.”
More than 90% of land in the Thetis Island Local Trust Area is privately owned or managed – making voluntary actions critical for conservation efforts to succeed. Residents and property holders who are interested in learning more about Thetis Island Nature Conservancy‘s Nature Stewards program are encouraged to visit www.thetisislandnatureconservancy.org/nature-stewards-program
About the Islands Trust Conservancy Opportunity Fund Grant
Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund supports timely opportunities to protect biodiversity in the Islands Trust Area. The Opportunity Fund is intended for ‘hard to fundraise’ costs associated with land protection. It can also be used to leverage increased donations to land acquisition projects or for other programs as directed by the Islands Trust Conservancy Board. 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 images identified in the Islands Trust Conservancy Media Assets gallery in support of this story with credit to appropriate authors (in the file name).
Quick Facts
Currently, only 4% of land in the Thetis Island Local Trust Area is protected, despite its high biodiversity values.
Islands Trust Conservancy protects natural landscapes across the Islands Trust region. The support of individuals and partners has helped to protect more than 1,378 ha of land within 34 nature reserves and 79 conservation covenants on islands in the Salish Sea.
More than 67% of land on islands in the Salish Sea is privately owned. This number increases to more than 90 % for Thetis Island Local Trust Area – meaning that individual landholders’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing the impacts of climate change in the region.
British Columbia is the most biologically diverse province in Canada– but it also has the largest number of species under threat of extinction.
Nearly 300 species are listed as being at risk of extinction in the Islands Trust Area, representing 25% of rare species found in BC. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent species from becoming extinct and aids in the recovery of those species currently at risk.
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 1,378 hectares of island ecosystems. This success is thanks to the vision, support, and generosity of donors and partners.
Contact
For all media inquiries please contact Carmen Smith, Communications Specialist – Islands Trust Conservancy
250-405-5183, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Islands Trust Conservancy celebrates the protection of nearly 50 hectares of land (112 acres) on Salt Spring Island thanks to the placing of a conservation covenant by islander Gay Young. This new protected area protects a critical wildlife corridor between Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island.
Salt Spring Island resident Gay Young has worked with Islands Trust Conservancy to place a conservation covenant that protects 45.4 ha (112.2 acres – approximately the size of 10 BC Place Stadiums) of private land along Sansum Narrows – a critical wildlife corridor between Stoney Hill Regional Park on Vancouver Island, and Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park and Mill Farm Regional Park Reserve on Salt Spring Island. Young placed the conservation covenant on this property to ensure it would be protected in perpetuity.
The land is protected through the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP), a program unique to Islands Trust. For qualifying properties, NAPTEP provides landowners with a 65% property tax reduction for the portion of the property protected by a conservation covenant.
“Given the current climate crisis it seemed like a great way to contribute,” says Gay Young. “It was a family decision between me and my three grown-up children. We felt the land needed to be protected forever.” When asked what they wanted to protect most she answered – the trees. “We had 112 acres of mature trees. I don’t want them to be destroyed – they are so important and do a great service for us as carbon sinks. It was our job to protect them.’
The Moss Mountain covenant contains a range of ecosystems including mature forests, seasonal creeks, wetlands, mossy bluffs, prairie oak and arbutus woodlands, and rocky shoreline. It protects three documented species at risk of extinction (two birds, one bat), and nine provincially listed ecosystems – including the federally endangered Little Brown Bat, which was detected during summer bat surveys in 2021.
“Conserving land is a direct action individuals can take to prevent biodiversity loss and increase islands’ resiliency to climate change,” says Kate-Louise Stamford, Chair of the Islands Trust Conservancy Board.
More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea is privately owned – meaning that individual landowners’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing the impacts of climate change in the region. Conservation covenants provide many benefits to island communities and can be used to conserve areas of natural and cultural significance. Forests and wetlands help purify air and water and actively remove and store carbon. Beaches and shorelines provide scenic landscapes, important habitats for fish and birds, and storm protection in the face of climate change.
A conservation covenant is a legal agreement between a landholder and a conservation organization, protecting habitat by preventing certain types of activities on a property. The covenant binds all future landholders and is monitored—and enforced if necessary–by the conservation organization.
B.C. is the most biologically diverse province in Canada– but it is also a hotspot for biodiversity loss.
More than 300 species are listed as being at risk of extinction in the Islands Trust Area. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent species from becoming at risk of extinction and aid in the recovery of those currently at risk.
The Coastal Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zone (CDF zone) is the smallest ecological zone in BC and contains the most species and ecosystems at risk of extinction (Coastal Douglas-Fir Conservation Partnership, 2022).
A quarter of BC’s CDF zone is located in the Islands Trust Area.
The CDF zone has been negatively impacted by human activities, resulting in natural areas that are highly fragmented and threatened by increased development and urbanization.
About Islands Trust Conservancy & NAPTEP
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 113 properties, covering more than 1,375 hectares of island ecosystems. This success is thanks to the vision, support, and generosity of our donors and partners.
This property was protected through the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP). For qualifying properties, NAPTEP provides landowners with a 65% property tax reduction for the portion of the property protected by a conservation covenant. Since launching in 2005, NAPTEP has resulted in 27 covenants, totalling more than 150 hectares of land on islands throughout the Salish Sea.
Press Assets
High-resolution images and video featuring Gay Young’s story and property have been made available for download to support this news release. 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). You can access these assets here.
Moss Mountain covenant, Salt Spring Island.
Contacts available for media:
Kate-Louise Stamford, Chair, Islands Trust Conservancy Board, via Carmen Smith, A/Communications Specialist, Islands Trust Conservancy 250-405-5183, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca
Gay Young, Land donor, Salt Spring Island via Carmen Smith A/Communications Specialist, Islands Trust Conservancy 250-405-5183, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca
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.
Nature Steward participants display signs to promote the program to their neighbours. Credit Libby Gunn
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.”
Gabriolan Jeff Rietkerk is conserving over 10 acres of habitat on his family’s farm with Nature Stewards. Credit: GaLTT.
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).
Islands Trust Conservancy protects natural landscapes across the Islands Trust region. The support of individuals and partners has helped to protect more than 1,365 ha of land within 32 nature reserves and 79 conservation covenants on islands in the Salish Sea.
More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea are privately owned – meaning that individual landholders’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing impacts from climate change in the region.
British Columbia is the most biologically diverse province in Canada– but it also has the largest number of species under threat of extinction.
Nearly 300 species are listed as being at risk of extinction in the Islands Trust Area, representing 25% of rare species found in BC. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent species from becoming extinct and aids in the recovery of those species currently at risk.
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
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. –With one week left to double the impact of donations made to the protection of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest, Islands Trust Conservancy has shown their support.
With just seven days left to raise an additional $100,000 to meet their $200,000 fundraising target, Islands Trust Conservancy has announced an Opportunity Fund grant of $5,000 to help Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the Pender Islands Conservancy Association protect 18 hectares (44.5 acres) of land known as KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest on North Pender Island. Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor and the Sitka Foundation this donation will be matched, making it a $10,000 contribution towards the protection of this forest.
Aerial view of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest on SDȺY¸ES/Pender Island. Credit: Alex Harris.
“Supporting community-based conservation efforts is vital if we are to reduce biodiversity loss on the islands in the Salish Sea,” says Kate-Louise Stamford, Chair of the Islands Trust Conservancy Board. “More than 200 individuals have contributed to Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund since it was started in 2005. This generosity allows us to support campaigns on the islands when it is needed most.”
“This $5,000 contribution is a welcome gift that will certainly help us to meet our fundraising goal. What’s more, it is a demonstration of Islands Trust Conservancy’s support of the protection of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest. Islands Trust Conservancy is a regional land trust focused on safeguarding the lands and waters of the Salish Sea. It is staffed by biologists who intimately know and understand the condition of Coastal Douglas-fir forests and associated habitats. To have their support is more than a financial milestone, it is a recognition of the ecological value of this 45 acre habitat at the edge of the Salish Sea.” – Shauna Doll, Gulf Islands Forest Project Coordinator, Raincoast Conservation Foundation.
Since launching this matching campaign, Raincoast Conservation Foundation and the Pender Islands Conservancy Association have raised nearly $90,000 in donations from individuals and small businesses, mostly based around the Salish Sea.
Belted Kingfisher in the Salish Sea. Credit: Kristine Mayes
“Islands Trust Conservancy has been a long-time supporter of ecosystem conservation on Pender Island, most notably through their commitment to land protection via conservation covenants and nature reserves. As a co-manager on many of these protected lands in our community, the Pender Islands Conservancy has enjoyed a strong and collaborative working relationship with Islands Trust Conservancy that has spanned decades. We are grateful for Islands Trust Conservancy’s support for our efforts to protect KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest as it symbolizes our continuing shared commitment to the protection of Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems and their diverse habitats on these unique islands in the Salish Sea.” – Erin O’Brien, Ecology and Conservation Director, Pender Islands Conservancy Association.
All donations made to the protection of KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest will be doubled until June 8th (World Oceans Day). Individuals who are interested in making a donation are encouraged to visit Pender Islands Conservancy or Raincoast Conservation Foundation fundraising pages below:
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 and can 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.
Islands Trust Conservancy protects natural landscapes across the Islands Trust region. The support of individuals and partners has helped to protect more than 1,365 ha of land within 32 nature reserves and 79 conservation covenants on islands in the Salish Sea.
More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea are privately owned – meaning that individual landowners’ voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing impacts from climate change in the region.
B.C. is the most biologically diverse province in Canada– but it also has the largest number of species under threat of extinction.
Nearly 300 species are listed as being at risk of extinction in the Islands Trust Area, representing 25% of rare species found in BC. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent species from becoming extinct and aids in the recovery of those species currently at risk.
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 online at islandstrust.bc.ca/conservancy.
Press Assets
Logos for all parties named in this release and high resolution images have been made available to download online.
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).
Contact
For all Islands Trust Conservancy media enquiries please contact: Carmen Smith, A/Communications Specialist, Islands Trust Conservancy, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca
Available to speak to media:
Kate-Louise Stamford, Chair, Islands Trust Conservancy Board via Kate Emmings, Manager, Islands Trust Conservancy, 250-405-5191
Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C.– Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC) celebrates the addition of Woodpecker Forest, a new protected area that will add 3.6 ha (9 acres) to nearly 17 ha (41.5 acres) of protected wildlife corridors on SDȺY¸ES/ North Pender Island.
Protected lands provide many benefits to island communities. The forests and wetlands of Woodpecker Forest will purify the air and water and actively remove and store carbon.
The land was protected through the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP), a program unique to Islands Trust in B.C. that allows landowners who protect private land to receive a property tax exemption for their contribution to the islands.
Introducing Woodpecker ForestCovenant on SDȺY¸ES / North Pender Island.
Thanks to the ongoing generosity of islanders Peter Paré and Lisa Baile, an additional 3.63 hectares of land near the existing Lisa Baile Nature Reserve has been protected on SDȺY¸ES / North Pender Island. This recent addition builds on existing protected land to create nearly 17 hectares (41.5 acres – approx. the size of 4 BC Place Arenas) of protected land along Clam Bay Rd. Connecting protected areas provides movement corridors for wildlife, helps buffer impacts of climate change, and aids in stemming biodiversity loss on the island.
Lisa Baile and Peter Paré first protected land near their home in 2021, with the creation of the Lisa Baile Nature Reserve. When the lot next door came on the market, Lisa and Peter decided to act.
“We bought the lot next door to connect it to our existing property with the goal of placing a conservation covenant on part of it to protect it,” says Peter.
Lisa and Peter state climate change and a strong desire to protect endangered Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems are what motivate them to keep finding ways to protect more land on North Pender. “We want to protect as much rare and endangered Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems as we can,” says Peter. “The development on these islands has led to a progressive loss of trees – which are one of the best carbon capturing devices out there – we have to do more to protect what biodiversity is left.”
“We need to respect all species on the planet, to protect their habitat, to speak up for them – for without the animals, birds, plants and insects and the services they provide, we cannot survive.,” says Lisa Baile.
“It is our hope that each little piece we can protect and set aside will help protect not just the rare coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems, but people as well in the face of climate change.” – Lisa Baile and Peter Paré.
Woodpecker Forest contains several at-risk ecosystems, including rare Douglas-fir and Western redcedar stands. The land rises steeply from a wetland and mature forest into mossy bluffs and dry woodlands. This diversity provides habitat for a rich variety of plants and animals. There are remnant old-growth trees and wildlife trees scattered throughout the forest, and a wetland complex that supports river otters, amphibians, an incredibly diverse bird community—including several species of woodpeckers—and at least one bat species. There is a public trail through a part of the wetland that is to be maintained by the Alternative Transportation Society’s Moving Around Pender project (MAP). This conservation covenant will be jointly managed in partnership with the Pender Islands Conservancy Association.
Conservation Covenants and voluntary actions by private citizens are critical to stemming biodiversity loss on islands in the Salish Sea.
These islands provide sanctuary to some of BC’s most endangered species and ecosystems. Conservation covenants help stem the loss of habitat for plants and animals from deforestation, development, and damage from human use, and ensure the persistence of the beaches, forests and wetlands. They can also be used to help conserve areas of cultural significance to First Peoples, now and into the future.
“Thanks to the generosity and actions taken by Lisa and Peter, these incredible places – full of rare and wonderful ecosystems and species – will remain protected and intact,” says Kate Emmings, Manager at Islands Trust Conservancy. “I’d count that as a win for residents, a win for nature, and a win for generations to come.”
This property was protected using a conservation covenant in the Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP). For qualifying properties, NAPTEP provides landowners with a 65% property tax reduction for the portion of the property protected by a conservation covenant.
Lisa and Peter were also the first ever recipients of the Morrison Waxler Biodiversity Protection Legacy Fund that was established by a generous donor to help North and South Pender island residents protect land on these special islands.
We have both video and photo assets available to support this story. Please use only in the images identified in the Islands Trust Conservancy Media Assets gallery in support of this story.You can access these assets here.
If you require access to additional high-res video reels from the property and the island we can make those available – please contact our Communications Specialist – Carmen Smith, 250-405-5183, csmith@islandstrust.bc.ca.
Restoring a Garry Oak meadow in the Mt. Tuam Conservation Covenant on Salt Spring Island. Deer and rabbit-proof exclosures are working to provide refuge to plants like the federally threatened yellow montane violet – a key food source to the only population of Zerene Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria zerene bremnerii) currently found in Canada. More than 11,000 native plants and two million seeds were planted at this site in 2021. Since the project began, 90 new yellow montane violet plants have been observed at the site in 2022.
Restoring a Garry Oak meadow in the Mt. Tuam Conservation Covenant on Salt Spring Island. Deer and rabbit-proof exclosures are working to provide refuge to plants like the federally threatened yellow montane violet – a key food source to the only population of Zerene Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria zerene bremnerii) currently found in Canada. More than 11,000 native plants and two million seeds were planted at this site in 2021. Since the project began, 90 new yellow montane violet plants have been observed at the site in 2022.
Installing nest boxes for threatened Western Screech Owls in the Link Island Nature Reserve.
Installing nest boxes for threatened Western Screech Owls in the Link Island Nature Reserve.
Supporting researchers exploring new survey methods using environmental DNA (e-DNA) to survey for Common Sharp-tailed Snake and forage fish on some of the 113 Islands Trust Conservancy protected properties.
Supporting research on Chá7elkwnech/Gambier Island to identify suitable habitat and confirm the presence of endemic Coastal Tailed Frogs (Ascaphus truei) and threatened Northern Red-legged Frogs (Rana aurora) using e-DNA techniques. Project partners include local biologists, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society and Gambier Island Conservancy, with additional support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
