Projects

Land Acquisition Project – Friends of Holland Creek

Land Acquisition Project – Friends of Holland Creek Fund-raising drive saves trail from developer by LEXI BAINAS – The Cowichan Valley Citizen Newspaper After months of frantic fund-raising, the Friends of Holland Creek Trail happily announced this week that they have gathered the $130,000 needed to protect the “deep woods” quality of their beloved trail. The money will purchase 2.88 acres that fronts a proposed development to provide a buffer for the trail area within the Ladysmith town boundaries. Spokesperson Gail Wiseman Reed said the fundraising “was like climbing Mount Everest. We’ve got a wonderful clip of some extreme kayakers going over (a waterfall). That’s exactly what it felt like for us. The town of Ladysmith contributed $43,000 to bring the effort close to its goal and last week the Morningstar Corporation of Red Deer, Alberta, brought the fund-raising to a conclusion when it announced it is giving $17,000. The park is in a beautiful valley with trails already in place. They’re often used by teachers from area schools and this helped gain the interest of the Alberta group. “Their foundation is interested in the education of children,” said Wiseman Reed, a former teacher. “They were interested that the (urban) naturalist programs were there. Last year school groups went out on the trail. That’s ongoing. When the weather settles, the teachers will be raring to go. “Visitors say, ‘you don’t know what you have here’.” Wiseman Reed said she hopes the campaign’s success, due in part to help from the Cowichan Community Land Trust and The Land Conservancy of B.C., will encourage other communities to do the same. “We want to celebrate that those trees will remain dancing in the wind with their river… and to thank and celebrate every one of our donors from the smallest school child to the B.C. Hydros, credit unions and TD Banks of this world for their validation of the beauty of nature and the trail,” she said. “We sort of always knew we could do it, but the rational voice inside would say: how are you going to do it.” All negotiations have taken place between the Town and the still-unnamed developer. The Friends of Holland Creek were only involved with raising money to buy the land. The group approached hundreds of prospective donors, she said, but discovered many are prohibited from contributing to land acquisitions within municipal boundaries. Many others felt the Town should pick up the tab. As a result, donors were found far and wide. Besides the Alberta corporation, they include California residents, famous artists and musicians, participants in the Great Lake Walk and a host of Cowichan-area individuals and businesses who stepped up to the plate. The Ladysmith Credit Union voted to contribute $15,000 towards the project. “I think the most important thing was making all the people aware of the beauty of that trail, and the importance of maintaining nature right now on Vancouver Island,” Wiseman Reed said. “We never wanted to go head to head. We all wanted to do this thing peaceably. People spoke up with their contributions. I think everybody won.” Now the money must be gathered and forwarded to the Town. You can read more about the Friends of Holland Creek in these documents: See page 10 and page 6

Land Acquisition Project – Friends of Holland Creek Read More »

,

Tzouhalem Protection Project

Tzouhalem Protection Project The Tzouhalem Protection Project is mobilizing the residents of the Cowichan Valley Regional District to actively participate in a permanent protection strategy for an ecologically significant area which is threatened by the pressures of urban growth and development. Estuarine mud flats, mountains, ridges, shoreline, wetlands, creeks, old growth fir, and Garry Oak meadows are all found in the project site. The study area is home to a range of rare, vulnerable and endangered species of fish, birds, plants and mammals. The area is considered important nesting and feeding habitat for eagles and other raptors such as peregrine falcon and screech owls. Mammals such as deer, raccoon, cougar and elk have also been seen. Native cactus and the only stands of old growth Douglas Fir remaining in the eastern CVRD are located at Stoney Hill. The site also accommodates nesting turkey vultures and the only known nesting rock wrens on Vancouver Island. Mt. Tzouhalem retains one of the last Garry Oak meadows, the Tzouhalem Ecological Reserve, in the CVRD where a diversity of rare wildflowers, grasses, reptiles, insects, birds and small mammals can be found. The shores of the area, Sansum Narrows, are also noted for outstanding ecological significance and are home to major salmon stocks and many rare waterbird and waterfowl species. As yet, no form of permanent protection has been created for these lands. The Tzouhalem Protection Project is responding to the need for a protected greenway in a unique area of the Valley which is threatened by encroaching development. Protection of these lands provides a valuable link to neighbouring conservation strategies, thus helping to create a greenway that extends beyond the project boundaries. Specifically, our project will help create an extensive greenway by providing a link to three neighbouring conservation initiatives: 1) the Hwi’ lusmut tu Tumuhu Khowutzun (A Natural Resource Inventory of Cowichan Tribes) which will provide baseline studies to help guide future conservation and land management in reserve lands in Mt. Tzouhalem and extending west; 2) protection and stewardship of lands on the east side of Sansum Narrows by the Salt Spring Island Conservation Partnership; 3) the Sea to Sea Green Belt of the Capital Regional District’s Blue/Green Spaces Strategy which is developing a greenway along the southern tip of the island that extends towards the Tzouhalem area. By creating a more continuous area of protection, the Tzouhalem Protection Project will assist long term and effective habitat conservation on southern Vancouver Island. A specialized and intensive landholder contact program will be conducted in the peninsula bordering Sansum Narrows between Maple Bay and Cowichan Bay. This, combined with a community education and marketing program will yield voluntary stewardship agreements, legally binding conservation covenants, and the acquisition of lands to be placed in conservation holdings in perpetuity. Interested individuals and conservation groups will be encouraged to participate in all aspects of the project. Partnerships will be fostered through presentations at local meetings, and liaisons with relevant community, business and government agencies.

Tzouhalem Protection Project Read More »

,

Cowichan Freshwater Stewardship Project

Cowichan Freshwater Stewardship Project 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 events have included a set of 3 native plant workshops and an introductory workshop on bioregional mapping techniques (e.g. how to map your backyard habitats and wildlife).

Cowichan Freshwater Stewardship Project Read More »

,

Cowichan Intertidal Stewardship Project

Cowichan Intertidal Stewardship Project 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. Bill Austin and the Marine Ecology Station.  Project outcomes include: the protection of shoreline lands through voluntary stewardship pledges by 26 landowners (each steward is provided with information packages in answer to their individual concerns regarding land use management and shoreline ecology); the participation of over 80 community members (all ages) in three interactive intertidal workshops; and the development of a 50 page handbook. Because waterfront property is an attractive place to live, many of our activities concentrate along the shoreline. The beach is a place to relax, to harvest wild foods, and to appreciate spiritual and aesthetic values.  It is also a place where a delicate band of wildlife depends on a unique habitat for survival. This habitat–called the intertidal zone–can be very sensitive to activities that occur on adjacent lands. Taking care to protect this fragile place on the edge of our properties is a form of stewardship. The handbook is written for private landowners living on marine waterfront who want to preserve and maintain a healthy seashore. It is an introduction to marine wildlife in the protected waters of the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada, and a look at some of the positive things we can do to protect the shore. Read more about Caring for Our Shores, including sample chapters, here. Photo Sunflower: “Sea Star” courtesy Kerry L. Werry

Cowichan Intertidal Stewardship Project Read More »

,

Cowichan-Chemainus Stewardship Project

Cowichan-Chemainus Stewardship Project 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.

Cowichan-Chemainus Stewardship Project Read More »

,
Scroll to Top