What’s WiTS

The Cowichan Community Land Trust is involved in conserving and monitoring trees for wildlife through the Wildlife Tree Stewards program. WiTS is a stewardship initiative of the Vancouver Island Region of the Federation of BC Naturalists (FBCN). The goal is to conserve dwindling coastal wildlife tree habitats through volunteer monitoring, landowner agreements, and community education along the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island.

The Stewardship Pledge

The Stewardship pledge is a voluntary commitment of landholders to:

1.Conserve the natural elements in the area and be sensitive to the wildlife (both plants and animals) that live there.

2. Keep to a minimum any disturbance to the natural features and seek conservation assistance, if required.

3. Encourage a diversity of native plants and animals, especially those that are rare and threatened, where possible.

This report is the result of a research project funded by Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, the Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Kaatza Foundation. During this project CCLT land stewards from 11 years of landowner contact programs were surveyed to assess the effectiveness of stewardship education. Land stewards were interviewed to determine what changes in land use practices and other environmentally relevant behaviours occurred and/or resulted from the landholder's experience with these stewardship initiatives.

The Pacific Estuary Conservation Program ran a pilot landowner contact program in 1993-94; the Cowichan-Chemainus Stewardship Project.  In 1995-96, the Cowichan Community Land Trust Stewardship Project continued the landowner contact and public education program, focusing on land in and around the Somenos-Chemainus wetlands.  In addition to assisting these private landowners with their conservation goals, staff also presented a number of community workshops and helped concerned individuals along a local creek to develop their own stewardship group; the Friends of Averill Creek.

In 1997-98 the Cowichan Freshwater Stewardship Project provided stewardship assistance to landowners with riparian lands, with special emphasis on those lands near 12 fish-bearing streams in the district.  A total of 81 landowners, including 10 corporate owners, agreed to a voluntary stewardship pledge.  Historical and ecological stream information has been collected from government databases and long time residents.  This information was used to develop stream specific information pamphlets.  At the request of landowners and other community members, community education

In 1997/1998 the Cowichan Intertidal Stewardship Project was directed towards owners of ocean waterfront property.  This project was carried out in partnership with Dr.

The South Cowichan Stewardship Project is a two-year environmental program designed to conserve and protect ecologically sensitive areas along critical streams and rivers in the south Cowichan Valley.  Privately owned lands bordering these streams will be the primary focus of the project.

The Somenos Garry Oak Stewardship project is funded by BC Parks, The Nature Conservancy and Human Resources Development Canada. This 6 week program focuses on increasing community involvement in protecting sensitive Garry Oak habitat by educating community members, landowners and recreational users of the Somenos Garry oak woodland of its ecological significance to Species at Risk (SAR), and encouraging ecologically sound land use.

The objectives of this project are to:

1. restore eelgrass habitat by transplanting harvested shoots

2. monitor transplant sites for change

3. engage, train and educate locals in eelgrass stewardship and

4. collaborate with local planners and government.

Many landholders contacted by the Cowichan Land Trust through previous stewardship related projects have expressed a strong need for consistent programs and networking opportunities for them to continue to steward their land. Consistent support and assistance for land stewards is essential for landholders to maximize their protection efforts. Previous studies demonstrate how landholder contact programs are very effective in increasing landholders' commitment to stewardship and ultimately to environmental awareness and protection.