Issue 24: September 2003

the
Acorn
TheNewsletteroftheSaltSpringIslandConservancyNumber24,September2003
TheLandNeedsASong
Bob Weeden, May 2003
Conservancy members all feel a duty of
care toward land. With the recent gift
of 72 acres and purchase of 50 more,
we face not a generalized, abstract
responsibility but a real and specific one.
The law calls us landowners and requires
at least a low level of stewardship. Our
constitution and professed ethics
demand a lot more.
In practical terms, what
do we do about our
duty of care? A
logistical first
step is to write
a management
plan for each
piece, one
that reflects
our mandate
and sets forth our
own action orders and
a building block for later
Conservancy stewards. Musing
about such plans – and I’ve written a few
and critiqued many in the past 40 years
– I mentally descended a short flight of
stairs. Will you walk with me?
From the top landing, the here and
now in which the plan will be crafted,
the light shines fully on the first step
below. A plan, a prescription for action,
follows from intentions. Commonly these
are spelled out at the start of a plan.
Do we intend to retrain and restore all
natural wetlands, keep livestock out,
suppress fires, invite recreationists, host
experimental science, stall natural change,
eradicate exotics? If actions are the cutting
edge of our plan, intentions are the shaft
that directs them.
No problem: we can do
that. But intentions
aren’t the
beginning of
anything. They
spring from
the kind of
relationship we
envision, often
hazily, between
the land and
ourselves.
Putting that
relationship into words
is hard – in our metaphorical
descent it is a poorly lit second step
downward. Do we see ourselves as the
superior “I” deciding the fate of the
non-human “it”? If so, are we primarily
protectors and healers, or reapers of
a harvest of benefits, or guardians of
resources for future people? If – and this
truly would be daring – we want to take
Continued on page 6
FeaturedArtist:
Kate Leslie
page 26
Inside:
Land Needs a Song.........1
President’s Page...............2
Director’s Page................3
Martin Williams..............4
Andreas Vogt...................5
Our Small Miracle...........7
Education Committee.....8
Restoration and Mgmt....9
Operation Herbivore......12
Environmental Watch....14
Very Civil Service...........15
Annual Appeal...............15
Thank-you Luke............15
Meadow on Red Mt.......16
GSX Hearings................17
Bateman Cards................20
Historical Perspective....21
Volunteers.....................23
SIRJ...............................23
Board Trends............24-25
1
President’sPage
Introducing:PeterLamb
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa
ssp. pubens
2
I want to begin my first message as
President by recognizing the enormous
contribution made by the Past President,
Bob Weeden, to the work of your Conservancy and its public face. A generous
volunteer when needed and with a poetic,
informed view of our Island, Bob has
enriched the role of the Conservancy over
his time in office. I am pleased that he
will continue to serve as a Director.
I also want to acknowledge the dedication
of Ruth Tarasoff who retired as Secretary
but thankfully also remains on the Board.
We welcome three new Directors to the
Board - Linda Quiring, Nigel Denyer and
Rachel Bevington - who, I know, will each
offer their knowledge and enthusiasm to
the challenges we face.
Challenges to an organisation like ours
also present opportunities and I hope we
can continue to actively pursue suitable
ways of securing protection of significant
lands on Salt Spring. The acquisition of
the Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve and the
Martin Williams Land, together with a
very successful education program and
new covenants have raised the profile of
the Conservancy in recent months as an
effective stewardship tool. We need to
build on that reputation as new opportunities are identified or presented to us.
However, none of the hopes for our
organisation will be achieved without
continued support from our members and
access to the necessary funds. These present an ongoing challenge to the Board and
we welcome your active participation in
the work of the
Conservancy.
Contact our
office if you
would like
to help in any
way.
Director’sDesk
Changes
As Summer changes into Fall, it is a
good time to look back and reflect on
how the Salt Spring Island Conservancy
has changed this past year. While our
President and some board members have
changed, the greatest change has come
from the donation and acquisition of local
lands now stewarded in perpetuity by the
Conservancy.
On May 15th, the Salt Spring Island
Conservancy announced the dedication
of a 72 acre south Salt Spring Island
gift of land donated by Cordula Vogt
of Salt Spring Island and her mother,
Oda E. Nowrath of Duncan. The land
which has been named the Andreas Vogt
Nature Reserve, is being managed in an
environmentally sensitive manner by SSIC
to protect the land’s Garry oaks, Arbutus
and wetland areas. In co-operation with
the Trail and Nature Club, a trail was
installed and has beautiful views of the
Gulf Islands, Fulford Harbour, as well as
Mt. Maxwell, Mt. Tuam, Mt. Bruce and
Mt. Sullivan.
On August 8th, the Conservancy
completed a purchase of 50 acres of
land from Martin Williams of Salt Spring
Island. Martin Williams, “wanted it left
in its natural state” and also dedicated a
right of way across the remainder of his
parcel and separate residential lot to allow
access to the Jack Fisher trail network
from Toynbee Rd. The property will be
managed by SSIC who spearheaded the
fundraising campaign with the help of the
Salt Spring Trail and Nature Club, and
the support of other conservation groups.
A huge thank you to all of our members
and friends who once again have shown
their amazing support by donating to this
purchase!
Other changes this year has brought were
the changes to our board at our Annual
General Meeting on May 27th. You will
notice on the President’s page that Peter
Lamb has taken over as President of the
Conservancy. Peter was a driving force
behind the Martin Williams acquisition so
it is wonderful to have an already active
board member take on this role. We were
very fortunate to have had Bob Weeden
as our President and even more fortunate
to still have him on our board in the new
role of Past-President. Other new board
members include: Rachel Bevington; our
new Secretary and Acorn Editor, who
you can tell from this issue is dedicated
and talented; Nigel Denyer, who has been
busy getting our important covenant and
stewardship files organized this summer;
and Linda Quiring, who has been
showing us her expertise on Salt Spring
Island issues, most recently on how to get
a photo of the board taken by this issue of
the Acorn.
Last but definitely not least, Robin Ferry
has taken on the position of Volunteer
Coordinator for the Conservancy. She
has spent many weekends this summer
organizing volunteers to sell tickets for
our 3rd annual bench raffle at the Saturday
market. Robin started as Coordinator last
spring by designing new volunteer forms
and updating the volunteer form at the
back of this Acorn. Please mail it in or call
the office at 538-0318 if you would like to
find our more about volunteering. With
all of these changes,
we need your
help more than
ever.
-Karen Hudson
3
ConservancyInterests
MartinWilliamsLandAcquisition
TheMartinWilliamsLand
AcquisitionisCompleted
onitsSecondTryin
ThirteenYears!
Martin Williams Land
Dedication on Mount
Erskine July 10th, 2003
4
July 10, 2003 -The Salt Spring Island
Conservancy announces the completion
of a 20 ha (50 acre) purchase of land from
Martin Williams of Salt Spring Island. It
was subdivided for the purpose of this
purchase from a 64 ha (159 acre) parcel
of land owned by Martin Williams who,
“wanted it left in its
natural state.” As
part of the purchase
agreement, Mr.
Williams dedicated
a right of way across
the remainder of his
parcel and his separate
residential lot to allow
permanent access
to the trail network
from Toynbee Rd. It
is adjacent to 65 ha
(163 acres) of crown land plus 22 ha
(56 acres) of land owned by the Islands
Trust Fund. The land purchased by the
Conservancy protects open Douglas
fir/arbutus forest on the south-facing
ridge of Mount Erskine, including part
of the popular Jack Fisher Trail with its
magical fairy doors and panoramic views.
The land contains mature fir groves,
rare plant communities, upland
bog vegetation, sensitive wildlife
habitat as well as dramatic rocky
outcrops and viewpoints. These
natural features are symbolic of
the southern Gulf Islands, while
also threatened and becoming
increasingly rare.
The protection of the natural
values of this land has long been
of interest to Martin Williams, the
local community, and the Islands
Trust. The landowner originally
approached the Islands Trust Fund
Board in 1990 with an offer to
sell this land but the Board was
not able to conclude a satisfactory
agreement at that time. The purchase
is another important step in achieving
the vision of the South and West Salt
Spring Conservation Partnership, a
coalition initiated by the SSI Conservancy
to protect greenspace in the largest
undeveloped part of the Trust area.
The property will be held and managed
Continued on page 14
ConservancyInterests
TheAndreasVogtNatureReserve
-Charles Dorworth
The Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve was
formally transferred to the Salt Spring
Island Conservancy on 2002 December
11 as an ecological gift by Cordula Vogt
of Salt Spring Island and Oda Nowrath
of Duncan. We gathered with Cordula
and Oda to dedicate this splendid gift to
the Conservancy on 2003 May 15. The
Reserve is located off the end of Sarah
Way near the south-east corner of Salt
Spring Island, and is comprised of 71.89
acres of land with (largely) an east-facing
slope. The land flattens at the top of the
ridge, lending views over both Fulford
Harbour and the Straits to the south
and of Mt. Maxwell and Mt. Prevost to
the west. This property will be held in
perpetuity by the SSIC and managed
on an eco-friendly basis with limited
provision for community use.
In a more nearly spiritual sense, the Salt
Spring Island Conservancy was chosen by
Oda and Cordula to serve as steward of
their property in the name of the people
of Salt Spring Island,
in the local
sense,
and the present and future
generations of the humanity, in the
largest sense. It will be a part of our earth
in which natural values are respected
and preserved. We, the Conservancy,
are grateful to our kind donors for the
faith they have displayed in us and are
developing a Management Plan to insure
that the objectives developed between
the Conservancy and our donors are fully
respected. To cement those objectives,
a covenant is being written by our
colleagues in The Land Conservancy to
place those restrictions and objectives in a
binding legal format.
In a historic sense, the AVNR and
Salt Spring Island were part of a
volcanic plateau located beneath
the surface of the primordial ocean,
some 370 million years ago (370
yrs. BP-Before Present) and quite
possibly off the coast of present
day South America. During the
period of earth formation
and
evolution, this plain
was
undoubtedly subjected
to massive
stresses, among those
the intrusion
of magma from the
earth’s molten
core which filled
the many cracks and
crevices in the plain. Those intrusions are
still visible in places where the primordial
rocks have been uncovered and have been
assigned the geologic name “Saltspring
Intrusions”.
Vanilla Leaf Achlys triphylla
Primordial Salt Spring, as part of a land
mass which floated on the semi-fluid
interior of the earth, was in motion.
That land mass, now termed
Wrangellia, moved gradually
northward, possibly
by erratic routes and
undoubtedly grew larger and
smaller at times, en route, as it
collided with other terranes which
were also in motion.
At approximately 100 million years BP,
Wrangellia collided with or “impacted” the
North American Terrane, as one of several
such incidents over a period of 180
million years. Similarly, Wrangellia itself
was impacted by other terranes which
Continued on page 10
5
ConservancyInterests
LandNeedsaSong
Continued from page 1
off the royal robes and meet the land as
equal partners in the business of living,
what does that mean in terms of everyday
action?
One more darkening step and I’ve
reached my stopping place. Every
successful relationship is founded on
a respectful understanding, or at least
on abiding search for understanding,
of the essential character of spirit of the
partner. The partner we want is land,
and its character goes deeper than slope,
elevation, dryness, list
of flowers, or tally of
values. I struggle
for expression but
I think land,
like a person,
has a song,
a melodic
spirit, a
distillation
of past
becomings
and future
possibilities.
Hip Bone
6
The hard part is
to sense the land’s voice
in its medium and express it in
ours. We can do it. Composers, painters,
poets and photographers have done it
a thousand times in serendipitous acts
of artistic expression. Earlier cultures
with apparent needs much greater and
ears more sensitive than ours have sung
about the essential spirit of Earth for
millennia. But what lucky spontaneity or
the accretion of centuries of tradition have
done isn’t easy to do on demand with a
Conservancy committee.
I’ve never heard of a management
planning process that began by listening
for forest to sing. Usually a consultant
drafts a plant and consultants tend
or pretend to be tone-deaf. Maybe we
shouldn’t expect the impossible, but
we can try for something beyond the
usual. Suppose, for example, we asked a
varied gathering of long time neighbours,
First Nations people, artists, naturalists
and poets to give it a try? What we are
attempting is to ask the mind to express
the spirit, and imagination is the medium
between the two.
As Wendell Berry’s novels, essays and
poems have shown readers so lucidly,
the relation between landscape and
person necessarily engages every part of
that person as it does every facet of the
land. To hold anything back is perilous.
The management plan has to embody
that completeness somehow. It isn’t easy.
Climbing out of the gentle twilight of
spirit and song, we feel the pitiless light
of today’s realities magnify the things of
rational intellect and muscle. We look for
rational things to do. We begin willy-nilly
to speak of resources, interests, realities,
feasibilities and urgencies. That which is
in the realm of meaning and story gives
way to what is tangible about this acre,
this set of people, this moment. The song
fades.
It is a commonplace, perhaps necessary,
process. After all, we can only negotiate
with real persons about choices available
now or soon. Can we remember that the
present and the plans we conceive in it
just arrived from a contingent future and
will recede into an archived past? Can
we continue to see today’s plan as an
attempt to keep alive, through the harsh
weathers of our times, our intended ways
or relating to a land whose song we once
heard?
ConservancyInterests
OurSmallMiracle
-Bob Weeden
Trivial arguments make headlines while
marvels go almost unnoted. So what’s
new?
One marvel won’t go unnoted if I can help
it. That’s because it is our small miracle
mine and thine.
At 10:30 am on July 10,2003,
a small group of folks
met on a sunny
knoll overlooking
a view of the green
forests of Salt
Spring Island and,
at sights limit, of
the snowy
Olympic
Mountains. There
a man whose 20- year dream had been to
preserve some of his land into a distant
future, met with Conservancy leaders to
mark its transfer into their care.
People, individually, are the source of the
only worthwhile ideas and passion in this
world. But people, individually, are both
fickle and mortal.
How, then, can a good idea- in this case,
the idea a good land stewardship- be
given a chance to endure long enough to
match natures majestic pace of healing,
diversification, and systemic change?
Our answer is to make the idea the
mandate of an institution, which has
every chance to outlive any individual,
and to build an umbrella of legal
conservation covenants held by two
other, independent, institutions. The
organizations become an enduring home
for people with the “fire in their belly” for
good stewardship, and whose individual
loss is compensated by new people, new
energy.
Martin Williams’s dreams are now your
Conservancy’s dreams (and duty), and
the covenant holders are the Islands
Trust Fund Board and the Trust Council
through its Salt Spring Island Local Trust
Committee. Should the Conservancy
have to dissolve, its constitution requires
transfer of land title and the covenants to
another organization with the same goals.
We’ve done what we can within
contemporary law to secure enduring
“protective custody” for the land. To
what end? Put simply, it is to give natural
processes more chance to determine the
evolution of this fragment of landscape
than they usually get in this era of Homo
Pseudosapiens Interferens.
Unless fire or diseases intervene, a
century will bring measurable change to
this steep, sun-staring slope of Cascadia.
The forest, though containing some old
trees, is mostly in its youth. Its foliage is
catching carbon dioxide and sunlight,
storing the carbon as woody stems and
limbs, and exhaling oxygen.
This is the time in a
forest life when it is a
temporary carbon
sink, giving
Ralph and Jean
an excuse to
get green
credits
and keep the
smokestacks belching not this century but
later, in old age, or even more abruptly
during a fire, the balance between not
growth and not decay will switch, and the
carbon dioxide will be back in circulation.
Continued on page 22
7
ConservancyInterests
UnderwaterSaltSpring:
AnEducationCommitteeReport
- Jean Gelwicks
As chair of the Education Committee,
I am in the unique position of being
able to praise the Education Chair and
Committee for a great year of educational
events without boasting. I took a leave
from the Education Committee in August
to travel for eight months. Without
having to be asked twice, Andrea Rankin
agreed to take over as Education Chair.
On my return in April the Education
Committee had grown in size and were in
the process of planning 7 events for May
and June! A nice welcome back. I should
go away more often. I want to thank and
congratulate Andrea and the Committee
for a rich and productive year. A few of
the events that happened last year: the
popular series, Tourist in Our Own Back
Yard continued, dynamic speakers like
Vicky Husband, Elizabeth May and Peter
Matthiessen informed and entertained,
members learned about Sharp Tailed
Snakes, invasive species, and butterflies
and we laughed with Des Kennedy at the
world premier of the movie Living Things
We Love to Hate, for example. Hats off to
the Education Committee. It was a good
year.
8
I say year, because the Education
Committee, comprised of a number
of teachers, cannot break the habit
of thinking that the year begins in
Sept. and ends in June. Which means
we are also use to having summer
vacations. So, we have been
on “summer vacation” since the end of
June and are just now getting back to the
drawing board and starting to plan for
this coming year. I am telling you this,
as now would be the best time for us to
hear from our members. If you have some
ideas for us and/or would like to join us
please phone Jean Gelwicks at 537-4859
or e-mail gellam@saltspring.com with
your suggestions.
Our first activity which will be held
in Sept. or early October will be a
continuation of our Tourist in Our Own
Backyard Series entitled UNDEWATER
SALT SPRING and will be presented
in conjunction with Dr. Bill Austin of
Khoyatan Marine Labs and the Marine
Ecology Station. It will be an evening
slide show and a half day field trip. The
slide presentation will feature dramatic
slides of our spectacular marine life.
Our waters are known among divers
and biologists for their brilliant array of
sea stars, nudibranchs, and diversity of
other species. This illustrated talk will
highlight many of the colourful and
intriguing denizens of BC waters with
an emphasis on our local underwater
natural history. The field trip will leave
Fulford Harbour by comfortable charter
boat to a nearby location rich in sea life.
Here we will lower Seamore, the ROV
submersible, down to the ocean floor and
use remote controls to track along the
bottom. Live video signals from Seamore
will be transmitted back to the boat and
displayed on monitors in the boat. This
will be accompanied by interpretation
from our marine biologists. This is an
unique opportunity to explore the ocean
floor as a marine biologist does, but
not get wet! The cost will be around
$45 - $55. Space on the field trip will
be limited. If you are interested, we
recommend getting your name on the list
ahead of time. Once the dates for the field
trip and slide show have been set, people
on the list will be notified and given first
options on securing the space. Don’t miss
this one.
ConservancyInterests
RestorationandManagement:
ACommitteeReport
- Charles Dorworth
The past three months have found the
R&M Committee a bit past the formative
stage and easing its way into fully active
mode. With a membership comprised of:
• Maureen Bendick
• Charles Dorworth
• Karen Hudson
• Ann Richardson
• Ruth Tarasoff
• Bob Weeden
we have initiated meetings amongst
ourselves, and between R&M and the
Covenants Committee. In the latter case,
it seemed well for both committees to be
fully up to date on one another’s activities
and to explore the possibly gray area
between Covenant and Management to
avoid duplication of effort.
The ANDREAS VOGT NATURE
RESERVE was both named and
commemorated (2003 May 15),
with a cheerful turnout for the
occasion. We gathered at the end
of Sarah Way, uphill from the AVNR
and the rain began. We headed
toward the commemoration site and
the rain approached deluge stage, well
and truly, until the group regained
their vehicles an hour later, when the
sun appeared. Always pre-plan ahead!
Beyond that, we now have a bright
green Management Plan for the Andreas
Vogt Nature Reserve, designed both to
insure the preservation of the area and to
allow prescribed and proscribed activities
thereon. The area now has a fully
fledged trail with major credit due to our
volunteers and to those of the Trail and
Nature Club, the latter of which provided
major expertise and labour. Many thanks
to T&N, though most of us on that trail
belong to both groups. It has been the
site of two broom control efforts by the
Conservancy and the Trail and Nature
Club as well as individual efforts by those
of us with a half-day to spare and loppers
in need of exercise.
The MARTIN WILLIAMS PROPERTY was
commemorated as well (2003 July 11),
with a good turnout, at the top of Mt.
Erskin. The trail to the property (due for
installation this fall) will avoid certain
portions of the presently used roadway,
at Martins behest. Beyond that, we have
approached a contractor to generate a
Management Plan for the Martin Williams
Property and expect to hear from Robin
Annschild shortly with her proposal.
Similarly, we are looking for a full report
on management plan requirements for
the SALT SPRING ISLAND WATERSHED
PROPERTY.
This leaves undone our initiative toward
the development of a native plant
nursery and holding area, as proposed
by Maureen Milburn, from which stock
might be drawn to repopulate areas such
Continued on page 21
Well at Honnemardu
April 3rd, 1996
9
ConservancyInterests
AndreasVogtNatureReserve
Continued from page 5
passed beneath the surface of Wrangellia
(they were “subducted”) and were
accreted in come instances to Wrangellia
or to the North American Terrane.
Such collisions sound dramatic and
they were, however, the results of such
impacts required millions of years to
develop. The hills of Salt Spring Island:
”The Rock”, were elevated during the
process of such impacts and thereafter
Cordula Vogt and Oda
Nowrath on the rainy
dedication day, May 15,
2003
were eroded, with the detritus passing
down into the ocean. Final major erosion
occurred during major glacial scouring
of the surface of Wrangellia, which
terminated with retreat of the Fraser
tongue of the last glacier approximately
8-9,000 years BP.
When one hikes from Sarah Way onto
the ridge of the Andreas Vogt Nature
Reserve, one is walking along a bit of the
remaining Cowichan Anticlinorum, the
part of the residual “ridge” which was
formed during terrane collisions. At the
ridgetop, exposed rocks clearly show the
effects and direction of movement of the
Fraser glacier, as deep scratches scored on
the rock surfaces.
10
As the glaciers retreated (melted), plant
life gradually re-colonized the Vogt
Reserve from the south and from glacial
refugia in B.C., where topography had
protected them from glacial scouring, and
possibly from elsewhere on the feet of
birds and other animals and by wind and
water. The reserve was not always at its
present height, having been depressed at
least 150 m by the weight of the glacier,
nor was the level of the ocean always at
what we now consider “sea level”. Melting
of the glaciers resulted in a rise of the
level of the ocean and the land itself rose
(rebounded) once the enormous weight
of the glacier was removed through glacial
retreat.
Thus, one might envision simple forms
of plant life as the first visible forms to
inhabit Salt Spring Island. They served
to prepare the site, in an ecological sense,
for progressively more complex forms.
Prior to colonization by complex plants,
micro-organisms would have moved in
to colonize the soil and, subsequently,
some even colonized the incoming waves
of plants. Perhaps the most visible
forms of microorganisms today are the
mushrooms.
In due course, and probably not long
after the retreat of the glaciers, animals
would have colonized Wrangellia
and the previously glaciated North
American Terrane. These included Homo
sapiens, who underwent relatively little
morphological change to the present time,
but became increasingly technologically
and socially complex to yield our present
day society.
In due course, Salt Spring Island was
defined from Vancouver Island as a
separate entity and was intermittently
colonized by native peoples. The land
was mostly covered by native forest
and a layer of biologic material and
Continued on page 11
ConservancyInterests
AndreasVogtNatureReserve
Continued from page 10
humus developed beneath the trees,
which supported multiple life forms and
protected the soil surfaces from abrupt
climate changes. In the mid-1800s, land
was progressively claimed, or “owned”,
and the island developed to its present
form.
Within this century, the Vogt Reserve was
owned by Colonel Bryant and his family,
who farmed the area for a time and by
MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. Thereafter, timber
on the land was harvested through the
first deployment of a feller-buncher (mass
mechanical harvester).
Such surfaces may not be revegetated
until they are shaded by plants which
gradually colonize the area from the edges
of a clearcut. Before that time, however,
the best view sites first and then the
others would be occupied by “big-box
houses” and, quite likely, the residual
Gary Oak (Quercus garryana) would
either be in the way or
would
With all the requirements of modern
life, it is easily seen that the forests and
minerals of British Columbia contributed
markedly to the development of our
species to our present level of social and
economic complexity. Among those
contributors, surely, is cellulose biomass
from forest trees, which has uses as
diverse as dimension stock for furniture
and house construction and pulp for
paper manufacture. The chains of carbon
units which form the chemical cellulose
and then microscopic backbones of
trees are put to even more complex uses
through the devices of modern chemistry.
But a price was paid!
Consequently, at the ridge top of the
Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve, we are
standing among the fallen stems and
stumps of the previous forest looking
across a property nearly cleared of trees
during the logging operation(s). The
devastation which results from such
logging practices is not limited to the
mature forest trees. Summer sun on
such a slope can raise temperatures at
the soil surface to 40 or 60ºC, killing the
macro- and microflora and fauna which
were adapted to deep forest temperatures.
not
fit a suburbia landscaping plan, and
would be removed. This is often termed
“progress”.
Complete loss a forest of native trees
Continued on page 22
11
ConservancyInterests
OperationHerbivore-AResearchOpportunity
- Emily Gonzales
Tall chocolate lilies sway in a spring
breeze. Blue-eyed marys, a cluster of
pink, green, and blue, huddle together
in dawn’s chill. An ocean wave sends a
spray of droplets toward a thick bunch of
sea blush. Camas blossoms form a dense
surface of violet and mimic the swell of
the surf in the breeze. This rainbow of
vegetation is so lush that it as high as my
waist. The scene is from April 2003, the
first field season of my PhD project, as I
conducted vegetation surveys throughout
the Gulf Islets.
But two hundred years ago, such a lush
meadow would have been common
throughout this region, rather than the
Emily Gonzales sampling
using a quadrat
12
ecological rarity that it is now. These
islets give us a snapshot of coastal
bluff Garry oak ecosystems before we
converted the land for agriculture,
introduced new species from across
the oceans, and directly or indirectly
increased the number of animals that
graze on these plants.
Protection of Garry oak meadows is
an important step, but herbivory and
competition from non-native species
can degrade ecosystems even after areas
have been protected. For example,
in Wisconsin where white-tailed deer
are abundant, the loss of native plant
diversity over the past 50 years is greater
in protected areas (>50% loss), where the
deer are not hunted, than in unprotected
areas (12% loss). Black-tailed deer
were introduced to Haida Gwaii and
significantly changed the vegetation
structure of the forest by removing shrubs
and young trees. This had cascading
effects for other native species including
birds that relied on the shrubs
for habitat. Non-native plants
can have negative effects as well,
such as competing with native
plants for limited resources.
Tall grasses can outshade native
flowers and some species, such
as Scotch broom, may change
the chemical content of the soil
making it more difficult for other
plants to establish.
Garry oak ecosystems on the
larger Gulf Islands are faced with
abundant herbivores and nonnative plants. Sheep, goats, and
deer have browsed heavily on
Garry oak ecosystem species.
Non-native grasses such as
Hedgehog dogtail and Orchard
grass are now the dominant
plant species in many Garry
oak meadows, such as Mount Maxwell. I
am interested in how non-native grasses
and large herbivores impact native
plants. Scientific studies demonstrate
that herbivory generally increases
Continued on page 13
ConservancyInterests
OperationHerbivore
Continued from page 12
native plant diversity. Known
as the “intermediate disturbance
hypothesis”, herbivores ‘disturb’
dominant plants by eating them
and thereby allowing other plant
species to establish. Herbivores may
play an important role in Garry oak
ecosystems by controlling non-native
shrubs and grasses.
I have three different studies
throughout the Gulf Islands. The
first looks at broad patterns of
species distribution on island sites
throughout the Gulf Islands. I am
conducting vegetation surveys on
islets that have had few human
visitors and no herbivores and
comparing them to sites on large
islands with abundant herbivores and
an extensive history of human usage.
This data will provide a gradient of plant
species composition across sites with
different degrees of degradation. The
islets with minimal impact may serve
as a template for restoration projects on
degraded sites on islands.
The other two experiments, which differ
in the age of the native plants added to
the experiment, involve plots where nonnative vegetation is removed through
clipping and exclosures, small fences,
to exclude herbivores. The clipped
plots measure the impact of shading
by non-native grasses on native plants.
The exclosures measure the impact
of herbivory by deer, sheep and goats
on native plants. The treatments are
combined so that I can also measure the
interaction between non-native plants and
herbivores on native plants. It is possible
that herbivores help control non-native
plants, which benefits native plants. It is
also possible that non-native plants help
shield native plants from herbivores.
One of these projects was started in
February 2003 on Salt Spring and
involved the planting of maturing plants.
This experiment will run for the next
2 seasons. I have a similar experiment
which involves seeding native species
so that I can also test how herbivory
and non-native plant competition affect
the growth of plants from seed as well
as recruitment and dispersal in the
following growing season. This study
will commence in the fall of 2003 at the
Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve and acts as
a restoration project as well as a research
project.
Once we begin to understand the
ecological interactions in Garry oak
ecosystems, we can effectively begin the
process of restoring them. Stepping onto
the tiny Gulf Islets gives me a glimpse of
the past. Stepping onto the Andreas Vogt
Nature Reserve gives me a glimpse of the
future.
Emily Gonzales
Sword Fern Polystichum munitum
Emily Gonzales, Ph.D. student
Centre for Applied Conservation Research
University of British Columbia
emilyg@interchange.ubc.ca
13
EnvironmentalPolicy
EnvironmentalWatchdogsOrganize
- Bob Weeden
Bees
A similar organization in the US unites
over 1500 members, most of them ForLast year concerned civil servants formed est Service employees. It has been exPublic Service Employees for Environtremely effective in forcing agency decimental Ethics (PSE) to support
sion makers to remember, in the heat of
efforts by the BC govern- the daily pressures from resource users,
ment employees
their public interest duties and legislative
to guard resources
mandates.
against shortsighted political decisions.
An important job of both groups is to
protect “whisle blowers” from punishDr. Jim Pojar, internationally famous plant ment by the officials they have embarecologist and co-author of field guides to
rassed.
BC plants, became the chair of PSE’s first
board of directors. Staff have been hired, For membership information go
a newsletter started, and a membership
to www.pse.ca or write to PSE at
campaign begun.
admin@pse.ca or 1203-207 W. Hastings,
Vancouver, BC, V6B 1H7 or call 604-8992724.
MartinWilliamsLandAcquisition
Continued from page 4
by the Salt Spring Island Conservancy,
which spearheaded the fundraising
campaign with the help of the Salt
Spring Trail and Nature Club, as well
as the support of other conservation
groups. A conservation covenant, held
by the Islands Trust Fund and the Salt
Spring Island Local Trust Committee is
registered on the title. Earlier this year,
the Conservancy was given a generous
14
donation of 72 acres of land by Cordula
Vogt and Oda E. Nowrath
The Conservancy formed in 1994 to help
the community preserve natural habitats
on Salt Spring Island. Its core functions
are public education, acquisition of
land title, conservation covenants and
promoting good land stewardship. The
Salt Spring Island Conservancy would
like to thank Martin Williams for this
outstanding contribution to greenspace
on Salt Spring Island. Purchase of this
land was made possible by the generous
financial support of Salt Spring Island
Conservancy members, the Salt Spring
Trail and Nature Club and its members,
The Salt Spring Island Foundation, the
Royal Canadian Legion (local Branch
92), the Islands Trust Fund, the Georgia
Basin Ecosystem Initiative, The EJLB
Foundation, The Land Conservancy of
BC, TD Friends of the Environment, an
anonymous local donor and other local
private donors.
EnvironmentalPolicy
AVeryCivilService
This spring Conservancy members
enjoying a walk at Mill Farm heard
chainsaws in the near distance.
Investigating later, they found two trucks
being loaded with firewood from trees
cut within the Park. A phone call to a
local volunteer warden led to a report to
CRD Parks, and quite soon, to issuance of
tickets to the owners of the vehicles.
Nothing notable: people just did what
they should do. But then the whistleblowers received a handwritten note on a
wildflower-decorated card, which said:
“ A note of thanks to you both for
your role at Mill Farm Regional Park
Reserve recently. I received news of
your assistance from our volunteer
warden Nancy Braithwaite. Thanks to
your prompt attention to the damage
you noted (and the licence numbers!)
we were able to issue tickets to the
individuals responsible for this sad and
disturbing action. Our very great thanks
to you for the care and responsibility you
took. I wish you many other enjoyable
times in the park.
Sincerely,
Jenny Eastman
Coordinator of Volunteers
CRD Parks”
Now I call that a very civil service
indeed.
AnnualAppealHits$10,000!!!
The Salt Spring Island Conservancy’s 3rd
Annual Appeal succeeded in reaching it’s
target of $10,000 by August 31st!!!!
At last count before this issue went to
print, the Total = $10,135!!!!
Thanks to all of you who gave so
generously to help fund our operations.
•Please note, donations help the
Conservancy at any time, so we will
continue to accept donations for the
Appeal if you have not yet sent in your
form.
New members who may not have
recieved the Appeal by mail in June
are encouraged to send a cheque with
“Annual Appeal” written in the Memo to
Salt Spring Island Conservancy, PO Box
722, SSI, BC, V8K 2W3
Thank-youLukeHart-Weller!
Thank-you to Luke Hart-Weller for the
beautiful bench for our 3rd annual bench
raffle and thank you to all of our market-in
the-park raffle volunteers this summer:
Ruth and Sam Tarasoff,
Robin Ferry,
Sharon McCollough,
Nigel and Nina Denyer,
Karen Hudson,
Carola Suarez
Ian and Samantha Beare,
Maureen Moore,
Ann Richardson,
Kate Whitfield
Jan Slakov,
Nancy Braithwaite,
Margaret Haines,
Cara Joy Hughes,
Nancy Holcroft,
Gillian Kidd,
Linda Quiring,
Doug Wilkins,
Judy Cook,
Roy Brewer,
Charles Dorworth,
Maxine Leichter,
Jean Gelwicks and
Peter Lamb, and
Andrea Rankin .
15
NaturalHistory
MeadowonRedMountain
-Bob Weeden
Undulating toward timberline as gently
as breathing, the trail slips us between
shadowed columns of Englemann spruce
one moment and parades us across sunlit
glades the next. Judy and I are morning
folks; even with the weight of breakfast
oatmeal in our midriffs we feel bouyant.
Never again today will the sky be so blue,
the colours so clean, the air so subtlely
odorous, the world so brimful of expectation.
The forest brightens as we rise to 7000
feet above sea level. Glimpses of cliffs and
tundra become more frequent. The trail
bends
uphill,
carries us
through a
coppice of
spruce and subalpine fir, and suddenly we are in the meadow.
Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica
16
The exquisite beauty of the place
holds us in thrall. An emotion like
love roughens my breath, my eyes
widen and mist over. In awe, I
think that o die in this moment would be to die
in grace - but
why should such
a thought
come when I am as alert
with every sense, as open to every message, as present in the instant as fully as I
can be?
The feeling of swallowing the place as a
whole too soon gives way to my analytic
eye. (It is an unbreakable habit, this business of going through a landscape full of
Hows? and Whys?, but whether curse or
blessing I don’t know.) I see the verdant
meadow, but wonder about the contours
that form it. How did this shallow dip
come to strike its diagonal across these
slopes? What made the flanking swells
that widen it here, pinch it there? It is a
page I want to read, but the enormous
and unfinished book behind it is a mystery.
The meadow’s upper half is at timberline, where clusters and stringers of trees
dot the broad openings. Winter winds
- my memory echoes their sibilant rush
- whip snow downslope, filling hollows
on the way. Reaching the first trees the
wind drops snow in their lee as well as in
the shallow arroyo. This snow, not completely gone even by mid June, spells the
difference between meadow and sparser
tundra. The moisture remains even in this
hot late July, especially in the meadows
and lower reaches, in the shade of taller
trees.
This shallow, eccentric oval traps not
only moisture but bits of leaf, butterfly
wings, slivers of frost-riven rock, and
other debris that wind and gravity skitter along the slopes. Soil builds, holds
more moisture, permits deeper roots and
taller plants. The knee-deep community
thrives, inviting children and mice to play
like secrets in the grass, filling the senses
with the fragrance of flowers, the industry
of insects.
If you have an eye for such things, the
patterns made by the flowers clamours
for explanation. In this, our first real visit
to southern BC’s high country, all we can
do is to compare it with remembered images of beloved Alaskan alplands. Maybe
that’s why the familiar and gorgeous
alpine lupine first holds our glance.
Forming dense, extensive colonies of blue
at the edge of the meadow (but scattered
through the meadow, too), this is the
brass section of the floral symphony. The
lupine is a wonder at every scale: complex and perky as a single flower, lovely
Continued on page 17
NaturalHistory
MeadowonRedMountain
Continued from page 16
by the stalkful, and stunning in distant
display.
The meadow’s core seems to be a collage
of a dozen abundant species jumbled
together. Tall cinquefoil is everywhere. So
are speedwell, alpine forget-me-not, yellow lousewort, penstemon, and the pinkred alpine paintbrush. A vexing of different sunflowers looms out of the carpet,
sending us on a futile hunt for names in
our botany. The ecologist in me insists
that there must be patterns in the jumble
and reasons for them. Judy points out
that the globeflower, now bearing only
a ball of naked achenes after petal-fall,
seems common only in the wettest places.
Mostly, though, we can’t puzzle out the
fine patterns. For some reason it doesn’t
matter as much as it used to. Maybe I’m
happier to find mysteries, now, than answers.
Deer love this summer meadow, as droppings and trails tell us. Their clearest trails
connect one copse of trees with another
around the meadows edge, not across it,
as if a deep racial memory of wolves made
the deer shy of wide openings. If so, instinct and reality are at odds, because the
cougar’s ambush is still a threat.
Ground squirrels love the meadow,
too, but their trails tell a different story.
They radiate from burrows built on low
mounds of deeper, drier soil in or near
the meadow. Having eaten, trampled, or
buried with excavated soil most plants on
the mounds, the watchful squirrels, boltupright, watch with wide-angled vision
for prairie falcons and coyotes. At this
morning hour they improve the shining
moment by chewing mouthfuls of a very
high-fibre diet.
As I trace the choices of wild instinct I
realize how differently we humans lay
out our trails. The roads we build for our
machines to carry heavy loads fast aren’t
comparable, of course, but this hiking
trail up Red Mountain should be. Like an
animal trail, it guides the single unaided
body along its hours of travel. Its sinuous windings through trees, over rough
ground, and up or down steep grades
reflect the stride and posture, weight and
muscle distribution of our bodies. Unlike
the deer trail, however, this recreation
trail responds to our knowledge of the
damage human feet can cause on fragile ground - hence the switchbacks, the
boardwalks across seep
and rill. There’s another difference. Even
this trail, though designed for leisure
hours, is laid
out
to lead
people
from a common origin
through neutral
distance to one or
more destinations, usually panoramic viewpoints.
It does not visit dens or noontime
retreats, it doesn’t seek cover from predatory eyes, it doesn’t sacrifice efficiency of
travel to access food sources.
Which reminds me that Judy and I have
our own goals for the day, and must move
on. We are more like browsing wanderers
than racers; still, we do want to reach the
top of Red Mountain and follow a new
trail bck to camp by end of glorious day.
Camera tucked away, binoculars slung
around necks, we shrug more comfortably into our daypack straps and set off.
Meadows call to me more than any other
landform does. I can wander in thorough
enjoyment for hours up desert washes
and through close-knit forests, absorbing the brilliance of sun and palette of
earthy colours of the one and the cool
Continued on page 19
17
RegionalInsight
GSXHearingsFebandMarch2003
- Ruth Tarasoff
Strength,Knowledge, Integrety, Love,
Commitment. Strong words indeed.
These would be the words to describe
those fighting for the lives of orcas resident and transient, harbour porpoises,
crabs, eagles, blue herons and last but by
no means least, those who live in these
scattered Islands who care about them.
I am referring to the Georgia Strait Crossing Concerned Citizens Coalition or for
those with an aptitude for acronyms GSXCCC who represent 7
member groups of which Salt
Spring Island Conservancy
[SSIC !] is one. In particular,
I hail Susie WashingtonSmyth of Saturna and Dr.
Kathy Dunster of Bowen
who presented our case
so passionately before the
Joint Review Panel of the
Canadian Environmental
Assessment
Agency and
the National Energy Board
hearings in Sydney earlier
this year.
Curled Dock Rumex crispus
18
At issue, the proposal by B.C. Hydro and its partner, U.S. based Williams
Energy Company of Louisiana. to build
a pipeline across the Strait of Georgia for
the purpose of filling a perceived future
shortfall in energy to Vancouver Island in
the form of natural gas.
In pointing out inadequacies in the marine baseline data collected by the proponents [GSXVIPP], fears were expressed by
the Coalition about the pipeline passing through the habitat of the Southern
Resident population of killer whales,
already listed as endangered by [COSEWIC] . Harbour porpoises, a species listed
as threatened by the B.C. Government,
40 blue heron nests, missed in baseline
data of the land portion of the pipeline
corridor, also listed as threatened [COSEWIC]. Cumulative threats to marine life
calls into question the very raison d’etre
of the Georgia Strait as one of the 5 new
National Marine Conservation Areas established this year by the Federal government “ to provide protection in perpetuity,
important marine areas of Canadian ocean
waters ”. Canadian Parks and Wilderness
Society-B.C. [CPAWS-BC]. The pipelines
course through Satellite Channel bisects
the existing Ecological Reserve south-east
of Cape Keppel. Agenda 21 of the Kyoto
Accord, newly signed by Prime Minister
Jean Chretien would seem to be forgotten
by a plan locking Vancouver Island into a
natural gas energy future. It is also seen to
have a dampenng effect on initiatives for
alternate clean sustainable energy sources
such as wind, water and solar.
In July of 2003 the GSXCCC was
refused a motion arising out of the
BC Utilities Commission hearings
in Nanaimo where it was learned that
BC Hydro’s knowledge that the existing
Terasen Gas Pipeline [formerly Centra
Gas] could be expanded at considerably
less cost [a difference of $180 million] in
terms of money as well as environmental
costs related to new construction of the
proposed GSX pipeline. A surprise intervention by the the Justice Department of
Canada raised everyones hopes by arguing
Continued on page 19
RegionalInsight
GSXHearings
Continued from page 18
that contrary to the Joint Review Panels
view that it was not in their mandate, that
indeed the Terasen Proposal was seen by
all the Federal intervenors as an alternative energy source and therefore well
within the interpretation of alternatives
to the proposed project. However, later
that month, the Joint Review Panel recommended approval of the Georgia Strait
Pipeline Crossing.
Disappointment, dismay and concerns
continued to be expressed for the survival of the 78-82 remaining killer whales
known to traverse the waters between the
Southern Gulf Islands and Puget Sound.
Recent stastistics show a 20% decline
between 1995-2001. Of interest, recently,
Sept 2nd. samplings of harbour seals,
seen as markers for the overall health
of killer whales show high percentages
of toxic contaminants which only adds
to the cumulative adverse effects on the
more vulnerable species. In July, cumulative effect was denied by the Review
Board. A newly organized grass roots
transboundary stewardship group based
in Washington state, oversees the Orca
Pass International Stewardship area. They
stated that “ the ecological costs of pro-
ceeding with this project are simply too
high”. David Anderson, Minister of the
Environment launched Environmental
Week in June of this year which purports
to encourage Canadians to take action for
our environment. As Islanders, we can
take pride in setting a high standard in
this regard. Before the NEB hearings drew
to a close, the legion of company lawyers
and sundry staff , as well as the 3 members of the NEB Joint Review Panel were
exposed to one of the most extra-ordinary
demonstration of how Islanders really feel
about their environment and what they
had done to express it.
We came out of the Hearing room after a
day listening to those who would make
of it an industrial site, an economic opportunity. Arrayed around the foyer of
the Mary Winspear Centre glowed the
maps, Islands of the Salish Sea, executed
in the most glorious and diverse manner by the artists of the Gulf Islands. The
contrast was stunning, the message clear.
This is how we view these Islands and all
that live among them and we will go to
inordinate lengths to preserve and protect
them. David Anderson, Herb Dhalilwal,
Sheila Copps. Jean Chretien et al, are you
listening?
MeadowonRedMountain
Continued from page 17
greenness of the other. But forests truncate my eager glance, hem me in, make
me whisper. Deserts teeter on the brink
of desolation, their times of lush beauty
may only be hours long. They make me
squint. But the meadow in all its guises saltmarsh, prairie gem, unmown hayfield,
or subalpine garden - draws me in. Maybe
this is an upwelling atavism, a universal
submemory of early human days when
the savannah stretched far and far and we
gathered seeds and bulbs, gazelles and
bustards from the rich meadows. Surely it
is the beauty of combined space, colour,
and exuberant life.
As a boy I waded through daisy and
timothy reaching my waist, smelling the
incomparable odour of crushed grass,
hearing grasshoppers ratchet away. Just
ahead a bobolink rose and poured its
melody through the limpid air. It was as
if a flower had lept skyward and begun to
sing, and I was forever enchanted.
Cathedral Provincial Park. For location
see Ashnola River Quadrangle 92H/1,
at 49/40 N, 120/12 W. We visited it July
21-25, 2003.
19
Volunteers
BirgitBatemanCards
September 5 , 2003
- The Salt Spring Island
Conservancy is pleased to
announce the launch of a
new collection of original
photos cards by Birgit Freybe
Bateman which will make
their first appearance at
the Salt Spring Island Fall
Fair. This well-known local
photographer gives us new
opportunities to appreciate
the beauty around us in her
images entitled Chocolate
Lily, Arbutus Bark, and Mt.
Maxwell Sunset. The Salt
Spring Island Conservancy
hopes by raising funds
from the sale of these cards,
they can continue to protect
special features of Salt Spring
and the inherent fragility
that lies at the heart of
all beautiful things. The
dramatic and
colourful
photos
displayed
on the cards
reflect the beauty of Salt
Spring’s natural world
that the Conservancy
has been dedicated to
preserving for almost a
decade. Visitors to the
Fall Fair can find the
photo cards at the SSI
Conservancy fall fair
booth near the main
display building. The
cards can be purchased
individually or as a set of
3. After the Fair, the cards
will be available at the
Conservancy office in the Upper Ganges
Centre building, the Treehouse Café,
Mt. Maxwell Sunset
th
Chocolate Lily
20
Treehouse South, and at Conservancy
educational events throughout the year.
The Salt Spring Island Conservancy was
formed in 1994 to help the community
to preserve natural habitats on Salt Spring
Island and in its surrounding waters.
Its core functions are public education,
acquisition of land title and conservation
covenants, and promoting good land
stewardship. The Salt Spring Island
Conservancy would like to thank Birgit
for the use of her beautiful photos. If
any other local businesses would like to
support the Conservancy through the sale
of these cards, please call the Conservancy
office at 538-0318.
Volunteers
In two years the Conservancy will be 10
years old. We’d love to complete a thorough history of SSIC for members and the
community, backed by source documents.
A newspaper clipping file is an important
part of that database. Bob Weeden is doing his best to put such a file together, but
needs help.
If anyone has clippings from local or
regional newspapers that report on Conservancy activities, or deal with major
environmental issues we were involved
in (Texada land purchase, Georgia Strait
Pipeline Crossing and lake stewardship,
HistoricalPerspective
for example) which you will give to us,
please call Bob at 537-5403. Though
files for 1996 and its Mill Farm campaign
are quite complete, files for ‘97-’99 and
2001-’02 are hit-or-miss. Copies of Barnacles, Island Tides or Driftwoods from
those years would be appreciated.
Have you saved posters from SSIC educational events and fundraisers? Those, too
would be welcomed. We don’t have space
for duplicates, but a complete set would
be great.
Bob Weeden
RestorationandManagement
Continued from page 9
as the AVNR. Pat Parks has indicated her
willingness to contribute expertise and
time, once her major summer work at
her nursery has subsided and we get our
act together. That leaves, ALSO, many
a Scotch broom plant in need of gentle
attention. Our time spent at the first SSIC
covenanted property which we assailed
(Wellbury Point) went well, with 5
volunteers, but much more is needed and
another effort is planned for September.
YOUR PART!: We need a few more people
who will to take an active role on the
R&M Committee,
most particularly
those willing to occupy
task-leadership positions
in activities such as broom
control and the plant nursery. Are
you there? If you do not care to be part
of the Committee but have active interest
in these two projects, in particular, please
contact any R&M Committee member
and make your intentions known. Do
you have new ideas to contribute?
We’re prepared to entertain any and all
proposals.
Vetch
21
OurSmallMiracle
Continued from page 7
The next hundred years will be a time
of soil building, of a slowing down of
the rush of winter rain back to sea and
sky and a renewal of ancient seeps and
springs. The array of plants and animals
will diversify with time because forest
arid openings provide places suited to
flowers, grasses and shrubs that break up
the otherwise monotonous dense shade
of a middle-aged fir wood. Depending on
the amount of vegetation eaten
by deer and stray stocks,
the next few decades
could bring back
native flower
and butterfly
species never
seen
there
now.
AndreasVogtNatureReserve
Meanwhile, another generation or two
of Salt Springers will be able to hike the
dedicated trail from the pastoral perch
of Shepard Hills and the Cranberry, up
the madrone-and-fir slopes and along the
piney ridgecrest to the breath-catching
view from the Mount Erskine overlook.
Some may stop for serious study of
natural processes; essentially all will
spend quiet moments absorbing whatever
in Nature has the key to their souls. They
will be living the Martin Williams’ dream,
and ours.
Skunk Cabbage
Continued from page 5
is somewhat difficult to reconcile with
our concept of ourselves as civilized
creatures, yet this is the way of much of
Salt Spring Island today. In this particular
instance, Andreas and Cordula Vogt
saw the property and believed it worthy
of preservation for the future. They
enjoyed many fine days on the property.
According to Cordula: “When we bought
it in 1993 March, the new Douglas
fir trees were 6 inches high” (wording
slightly re-arranged). Now, those same
fir are as high as 16 ft and increasing in
height by as much as 30 in. per yr. A
new forest is developing!
22
And thus we come full circle to the
beginning to the 1800s but with a
difference: Through the planning of
Andreas Vogt, an environmentalist and
appreciator of nature who died 10 years
ago, and Cordula Vogt and Oda Nowrath,
this splendid bit of Salt Spring Island
will continue to host our native flora and
fauna without another break in continuity
when the timber becomes of sufficient
value to attract timber harvesters. This
will be one of only a few such islands of
meditation in the midst of a burgeoning
suburbia, to be gratefully appreciated
when all of us now present are gone.
Perhaps there are others who will see this
as a “good path”, and emulate the deed.
Volunteers
RecognizingVolunteers
MyExperienceonSalt
SpringIsland
I have been participating in an international volunteer work exchange program
under the auspices of Canadian Crossroads International. I am from Bolivia. I
have been working at SSIC since May 26.
I will continue to work until October 1st.
I have learned about many things at SSIC
including: environmental issues, land conservation, native plants, birds, butterflies,
reptiles, sea creatures and which habitats
plants and animals like. I feel privileged
to have this opportunity to work in this
organization. I am very grateful to all
members of SSIC, especially to Karen
Hudson for all help that she has given me.
In Bolivia the environmental organization
does similar work except for land conservation.
I have learned about Salt Spring Island
culture including the people, customs,
language, shared attitudes and lifestyle.
On Salt Spring Island there is less pollution than in Bolivia. Street, parks, lakes
and beaches are clean for the most part.
The people are responsible. They put their
trash in the container. In my country most
street are dirty because people do not take
responsibility for their garbage. They put
their trash anywhere. In my country the
trash isn’t recycled. The trash is buried
in places far away from the city. In these
places live poor people and the trash contaminates their
environment.
In Bolivia the
farmers grow
only one crop
over a large area
of land. On Salt
Spring Island
the farmers grow
different crops
over a small
area, this is
much better for
the soil and organic farming.
It’s difficult in Bolivia to find organic food
because all the farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. I would want to teach
the farmers in Santa Cruz –Bolivia about
the importance of organic food for the
health of the people and the health of the
environment.
Carola Suarez
I increased my awareness about organic
food, agriculture, environment and invasive species, which I will share with others
when I go back to Bolivia.
By Carola Suarez
SaltSpringIslandersforJusticeandReconciliation
Dear Conservancy member:
Last March the SSI Conservancy cosponsored an intriguing and informative
evening with Guujaaw, president of
the Haida Nation, in conjunction with
Salt Spring Islanders for Justice and
Reconciliation (SSIJAR). Future events are
being planned that combine interest in the
natural environment with the culture and
knowledge of aboriginal people (e.g. a
talk on traditional uses of local plants,
or a picnic and talk with Elders from
Saanich). If you would like to receive
email notification of these events, you
may contact Phil Vernon, Chair of
SSIJAR, at pvernon@saltspring.com
to have your name put on their public
events list.
SSIJAR has given its assurance that your
address will not be given out to
any other group.
23
BoardTrends
NewFacesonBoard
Back row - left to right: Bob Weeden, Nigel Denyer, Rachel Bevington (Sectretary), Samantha Beare (Treasurer),
Jean Gelwicks, Doug Wilkins,
Middle row - left to right: Linda Quiring, Maggie Ziegler, Ruth Tarasoff,
Front row - left to right: Peter Lamb (President), Charles Dorworth, absent was Maureen Bendick (Vice-President)
BoardUpdate
A summary of major items recently discussed by the Board.
Vogt Reserve: Management Plan reviewed
and trail under construction
Williams Land: Title transfer completed
and Management Plan proposal received.
Cusheon Lake: Conservancy invited to
participate in discussions of potential
land acquisition near the Lake.
Advisory Design Panel: Appointment of
Conservancy representative to Panel, with
special interest in upcoming Channel
Ridge Village plans.
24
Acorn: Appointment of Rachel Bevington
as Editor and an Editorial Committee to
provide assistance and guidance.
Endowment Fund: Preliminary discussion
of a proposed Fund for the Conservancy.
Tenth Anniversary: Plans to celebrate,in
2004, the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Conservancy.
Fall Retreat: Proposed meeting of Directors and others to consider future strategies and priorities for the Conservancy
BoardTrends
SSICBOARDOFDIRECTORS
Revised June ‘03
President
Peter Lamb (2005)
Treasurer
Samantha Beare (2004)
Nigel Denyer (2005)
Jean Gelwicks (2005)
Ruth Tarasoff (2005)
Doug Wilkins (2004)
Vice-President
Maureen Bendick (2004)
Secretary + Editor
Rachel Bevington (2005)
Charles Dorworth (2004)
Linda Quiring
Bob Weeden, Past Pres. (2004)
Maggie Ziegler (2004)
Executive Director: Karen Hudson (2003 Term: Feb 12th - Dec.12th)
Chairs, Co-Chairs & Members of Standing Committees:
Covenants: Maureen Milburn; chair, Charles Kahn, Charles Dorworth, Peter Lamb, Ann Richardson, Doug
Wilkins, Greg Spendjian, Ruth Tarasoff, Nigel Denyer, Vivian Chenard.
Education: Jean Gelwicks & Andrea Rankin; co-chairs, David Denning, Jan Slakov, Rachel Bevington, Ian
Mitchell, Andrea LeBorgne, Kate Leslie, Deborah Miller, Willie Waddell
Executive: (President)
Land Restoration and Mgmt: Charles Dorworth; chair, Maureen Bendick, Ruth Tarasoff
Land Acquisition: Charles Kahn; chair, Peter Lamb, Elizabeth White, Nigel Denyer, Greg Spendjian, Neddy
Harris
Fundraising; Stewardship: (vacant)
THEEDUCATIONCOMMITTEEIS
LOOKINGFORVOLUNTEERS
The Education Committee would like
to put a list together of residents who
would be willing to volunteer to give a
talk, slide show, presentation or walk
and talk on any one of a wide variety of
topics related to nature and conservancy
work. We would like to make this list
available to the education committee and
also to teachers in the schools. Volunteers
would be asked to stipulate for what
age group they feel their talk would be
most appropriate and the education
committee would support them any way
possible. We are well aware of the rich
resource of people that live on the island
and would like to take advantage of it so
more people could benefit from all the
wisdom and knowledge that exists here.
If you are interested
or might be interested
or just have some
questions, please
call Jean Gelwicks
at 537-4859 or
Karen at the
Conservancy
office at
538-0318.
25
Volunteers
FeaturedArtist
-KateLeslie
“When I am out in nature, creating art, I am at
home.’ Illustrator Kate Leslie’s all-time favourite
gig involved teaching drawing in the woods for an
Emily Carr program at Goldstream Provincial Park.
A number of sketches chosen for this edition of the
Acorn were drawn while Kate was teaching at the
Sharavati Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, South
India. Currently, she lives adjacent to Ruckle Provincial
Park where she can often be seen wandering with her
sketchbook.” - Kate
Kate Leslie is a writer and wildlife artist who
is very active in the conservation of wildlife
in British Columbia.
McLennan Road
June 26th, 2003
26
AnInvitationforArticleSubmissionsto
UpcomingIssuesoftheAcorn
ItemsNeededbythe
Conservancy:
We the Editorial Committee would like to invite you to send us any
articles that you can think of for publication in upcoming issues of
the Acorn. As mentioned on page 21, we are trying to gather enough
material together to write a detailed history of the SSI Conservancy
for our 10th anniversary. We are also trying to include some types of
articles in every issue: a natural history article, a complexity article
of some kind such as a book review or essay, articles on stewardship
of the land, and articles about fundamental conservancy interests.
Fundamental conservancy interests include things such as political
policies, accountability and issues that go beyond borders. We also
want to cover some of the issues that have a regional scale such as
those pertaining to the Fraser River delta or Puget Sound, for example.
If you have any ideas, write to us at ssiconservancy@saltspring.com or
bevington@uniserve.com or PO Box 722, SSI, BC, V8K 2W3. Thanks!
Donations of any of the following
would be gratefully appreciated:
Office items
Ergonomic Chairs
Digital Camera
Laptop Computer
Household Items
Vacuum Cleaner
Electric tea kettle
Small refrigerator
Other Items
GPS Unit
Computer desks
Even Small Actions Can Help! Please remember to put your shopping receipt in the green Conservancy r
eceipt box at GVM, and to say “Community Chest #58” at the check out at Thrifty’s. You can also credit the
Conservancy when you take back your bottles to the Salt Spring Refund Centre (Bottle Depot at GVM). Every
little bit helps keep our programs running!
The Acorn is the newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, a local non-profit society supporting and enabling voluntary
preservation and restoration of the natural environment of Salt Spring Island and surrounding waters. We welcome your feedback and
contributions, by email to ssiconservancy@saltspring.com or by regular mail. Opinions expressed here are the author’s, not subject to
Conservancy approval.
Editor and Layout:
Rachel Bevington
Board of Directors:
Samantha Beare (Treasurer)
Maureen Bendick (VicePresident)
Rachel Bevington (Secretary)
Nigel Denyer
Charles Dorworth
Jean Gelwicks
Peter Lamb (President)
Linda Quiring
Ruth Tarasoff
Doug Wilkins
Bob Weeden (Past-President)
Maggie Ziegler
The Salt Spring Island
Conservancy
#203 Upper Ganges Centre,
338 Lower Ganges Rd.
Mail: PO Box 722, SSI, BC
V8K 2W3
Office hours : Mon/Wed/Fri
9 am - 12 am
Phone: (250) 538-0318
Fax: (250) 538-0319
Email:
ssiconservancy@saltspring.com
Web site:
saltspring.gulfislands.com/
conservancy
Printed on recycled paper
Membership Application
Youth (Under 16)
Senior, or Low-Income:
Regular Single
Regular Family
Group/School
Business
1 yr @
1 yr @
1 yr @
1 yr @
1 yr @
1 yr @
$10 _
$15 _
$20 _
$30 _
$30 _
$50 _
3 yr @ $45 _
3 yr @ $60 _
3 yr @ $90 _
3 yr @ $90 _
3 yr @ $150 _
Name: ______________________________________
Address: ____________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
Postal Code: _______________
Phone: ______________________________________
E-mail: ______________________________________
Volunteer Opportunities
I would like to participate in the work
of the Conservancy by volunteering in
the following way(s):
• Office Work (Typping, Filing or
Computer)
• Information table at Saturday Market
• Education Programs
• Annual Fundraising Events
• Information table at SSI Community
Events
• Joining the SSIC committee (Land
Management, Fundraising, Membership,
Stewarship)
• Other: __________________________
Please send me the Acorn via e-mail
This is a renewal for an existing membership
Donations
In addition to my membership fee above, I have enclosed
my donation in the amount of:
$50 _ $100 _ $250 _ $500 _ Other ___________
Tax reciepts will be provided for donations of $20 or more
the Salt Spring Island
Conservancy
Ganges P.O. Box 722
Salt Spring Island, BC
V8K 2W3
27
the Salt Spring Island
Conservancy
Ganges P.O. Box 722
Salt Spring Island, BC
V8K 2W3
28
40026325