Spring 2002 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

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The Newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy Number 21, June 2002

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The Earth Charter is a declaration of funda-mental principles for building a just, sustain-able and peaceful global society in the 21st century. Both an expression of hope and a callto help create a global partnership at a critical juncture in history, it seeks to inspire in allpeoples a new sense of global interdepend-ence and shared responsibility for the well-

being of the human family and the largerliving world.

When the Conservancy’s Earth Day planningcommittee was trying to decide how best toexplain the Earth Charter to an audience in a way that would be both interesting and helpparticipants to remember its contents, they took a closer look and realised that this is arich, inspirational document that demandsserious reflection. They decided to invite sixmembers of our community whose life-work –and passion – has been in the areas of peace,social and economic justice, and the environ-

ment and ask them to share their reflectionson the six parts of the charter.

We are presenting excerpts from three of these talks – by Ramona Scott, Bob Wild andIrene Wright – in this Acorn and the final three– by Bob Weeden, Maggie Schubart andPatricia Houston – in our fall issue.

Earth Day Reflections on theEarth Charter

(Continued on page 8)

Ramona Scott

The preamble to the Earth Charter beginsmost eloquently with a statement of commit-ment and a context within which we humansare asked to make this commitment: “Westand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, atime when humanity must choose its future. Asthe world becomes increasingly interdepend-ent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise....”

When I first read this paragraph of the EarthCharter, I was reminded of the questions that Cosmologist, Brian Swimme asked us at thebeginning of his course I attended at theInstitute in Culture and Creation Spirituality.In the first class, he asked: WHO ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE? WHY ARE WE HERE?These are questions that humans have askedeach other since the beginning of time. They are questions upon which the world religionshave developed. Then Swimme really piquedour curiosity by asking us WHAT TIME IS IT?

For the remainder of the course, he took uson an incredible journey through the entireevolution of the universe to the birth of ourplanet, Earth, 5 billion years ago, to theemergence of the human only a million or so years ago. He told us a story that completely changed my way of thinking about who I am, where I am, and consequently why I am here.Knowing in a NEW way that I have evolvedfrom stars and from every rock, water, plant,and animal that came before, gives deeper

Preamble Featured Artist –

Inside:

Earth Charter..............1President ................... 2Executive Director ........ 3GSX Update ...............4Bird Talk....................5Invasive Plants .............6SSIC Needs ................ 7Mount Erskine ........... 10Raffle ..................... 11Volunteers................ 12New Parkland ............ 13Briony Penn .............. 14Incorporation ............ 15Backyard Tourist ........ 15

see page 14



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By Bob Weeden

Our Education Committee and ExecutiveDirector organized so many public meetingsthis spring that we thought we’d do a minimal

AGM. No entertainment. Business, brief andboring.

Our business didn’t take long. Committeechairs talked about the past year and comingmonths. The Treasurer explained the Arabic. We elected directors, including two very welcomed new people, Charles Dorworth and Jill Thomas. At the end I did the familiar littledance, inviting comments from the floor.

Lo! Wonder of wonders! “The floor” was full of ideas. The next 45 minutes surprised us all by making us think anew about stuff we might

have taken for granted. Why was the Conserv-ancy formed? Have we been true to ourfounding purposes? Are they still valid?

Gregg Spendjian made the candid observationthat Conservancy leaders seem reluctant tocommit real attention and energy to landacquisition, which, Gregg opined, is the most important thing we can do. Maureen Milburn,the sole founding director present, describedthe Mill Farm project as our first “biggee,”sweeping other plans before it. Such cam-paigns, she said, are exhausting, and can be

followed by a burnout period. A directorobserved that securing covenants is one

face of land acquisition to which we’vegiven more and more time andresources in the last few years.

Then David Borrowman pointed to thedemise of Island Watch Society and thepresent lack of a politically active greengroup on SSI ready to take on a fullcompass of issues. As examples, henoted the incorporation question andthe short-term vacation rental

controversy. That sparked guessesabout the limits to political action by charitable non-profits. I com-mented that for every person who

chooses not to join the Conservancy becauseof its shyness in political advocacy, thereprobably is a member who would quit if we joined the fray.

After the AGM I reread our constitutionalpurposes. There are six. The first five are all

about promoting, securing, managing,holding, and restoring “natural habitat preserves.” The sixth says we should do“everything incidental and necessary to...theforegoing purposes.”

When we raise money to help an agency orNGO secure land on Saltspring Island farconservation, we hew closely to our roots. Thesame is true for covenant acquisition. If weown land or are partners to a covenant ormanagement agreement we are justified inhelping with hands-on restoration andmanagement work.

Oddly, it is our stewardship and educationprogrammes that seem to have expanded froma slim constitutional base, the “all things

necessary...” clause.I’m not worried about that,and doubt that you are. Our constitutionplanted the seeds, member interests andcircumstances nurtured them.

Still, we do want to make sure that the way wedescribe our priorities in our foundationaldocument is consistent with those in theannual budget and work plan. Maybe weshould set aside time in our 10th year - 2005-to engage members and directors in a seriouslook at what we have become, ready at itscompletion to revise our constitution or to

change what we do.The current Board of Directors includes:

Bob Weeden (President)Maureen Bendick (Vice-President)Samantha Beare (Treasurer)] Jill Thomas (Secretary) Jean GelwicksPeter LambCharles DorworthRuth Tarasoff Gary Holman Andrew LewisDoug WilkinsMaggie Ziegler

Chairs and Co-Chairs of Standing Committees

include:

Covenants – Charles Kahn, Peter LambEducation – Jean Gelwicks, Andrea RankinLand Restoration and Management –

Andrew LewisFundraising – Maureen BendickStewardship –Executive – Bob Weeden

President’s Page



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by Karen Hudson, Executive Director

Thank you for your support! Unless you got this newsletter from a local business or afriend, you are reading this newsletter because you are a member of SSIC. If you are arenewing member, thank you for continuingto support this worthwhile organization, and if you are a new member: Welcome! I want toespecially thank the 23 new members and 1renewing member who signed up during theEarth Day promotion and received a signedRobert Bateman poster with theirmembership. This promotion was a great success, due in large part to the wonderfulEarth Charter Event put on by our EducationCommittee. Due to the enthusiasm shown forthe Earth Day posters, we have decided to

make this an annual event. Thank you to Mr.Bateman and his extremely helpful assistant Kate Carson, who have offered to donatemore posters for an Earth Day draw for next year.

This is an exciting time for the Conservancy:many Islanders are participating in ourstewardship projects and even more arecoming out to our informative educationalevents. The phone at our office is increasingly ringing with questions and requests fromIslanders, and from others who the Chamberor Trust has referred to us. (We had a callrecently from an international publication inNew York City asking us about rare species onSalt Spring.) The Education Committee has agreat new series entitled “A Tourist In YourBack Yard.” The Covenant Committee is hardat work meeting with Islanders interested incovenanting their property, as well as some who may wish to donate their land to SSIC. We even have a new Land Restoration andManagement Committee.

All this means that your support is neededmore than ever to help manage and fund allof these endeavours. We need a few volunteersto help in the office, and to organize ourlibrary. The Land Restoration andManagement, Education, Stewardship andFundraising Committees all need moremembers. We need volunteers to help out at events and we need a dozen people to volunteer one Saturday each to sell raffletickets in the Market for our 2nd Annual Benchraffle. To keep running these and otherprograms, we rely on the continued assistance

of our members. Please help in as many waysas you can by:

• renewing your membership;

• volunteering your time;

• making a donation during our Annual Appeal (Coming Soon!)

• making a donation of land or securities;and

• remembering the Salt Spring IslandConservancy in your will.

I want to thank you for joining us, and forhelping out in so many ways. We can’t do it without you! KH.

Director’s Desk



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by Susie Washington Smyth

The hearing for B.C. Hydro’s proposed GSX PL, scheduled

for mid June has been postponed!! Although Hydro has yet to demonstrate why we need a natural gas pipeline to deal with our energy needs, this is delay is a result of twoadditional, but significant reasons.

1. The Joint Review Panel (the Panel) has decided that itsruling in relation to the questions regarding its authority toreview the impacts from the combustion of the gastransported through the pipeline (e.g. whether greenhousegases emissions will be assessed) will not be released beforemid-May. While Hydro and the provinces of BritishColumbia and Alberta disagree, other parties have arguedthat the Panel has an obligation under the CanadianEnvironmental Assessment Act and the National Energy Board Act to assess all environmental effects resulting fromthis project. This is supported by two decisions issued by the

Supreme Court of Canada which have clarified the authority of the federal government to examine environmental effects within provincial jurisdiction.

The Panel’s ruling on this issue is significant because it could affect the type and structure of the evidence that willor will not be filed by Parties with respect to this project and will certainly have a significant effect on the hearing processand potentially on the eventual decision by the Panel. It alsois an important ruling because it will be an indicator of howserious the federal government intends to be in the controlof greenhouse gas emissions.

2. The Panel has extended the time for federal government departments to respond to its Information Request askingfederal and provincial government agencies for informationconcerning Crown consultations with First Nations. Thisruling is important because it appears that there has beenno meaningful consultation with First Nations to address theissues of impacts and alternatives to the GSX project fromthe perspective of potential infringements of aboriginalrights. This is significant because of the two recent court decisions in British Columbia which have clearly determinedthat consultation by the Crown is a requirement prior toconsideration of any project proposal of this magnitude.

The Panel, therefore, decided, subject to the exceptions set out below, to suspend the present schedule. This includesthe Hearing which was scheduled to commence on June 17.,2002. A new date for the commencement of the hearing anda revised schedule will be set after the Panel has heard fromParties as described below.

• The Federal Government Departments answer to theInformation Request regarding consultation with First Nations is to be filed by 25 April 2002.

• GSX PL is to provide its comments by 29 April 2002 on:

a.) how GSX PL will ensure that evidence of Crownconsultation will be filed prior to the commencement

of the oral hearing; and

b.) what is an appropriate new schedule and date forthe hearing.

• Comments of all other parties on these issues are to befiled by 6 May 2002.

• Reply comments of the Applicant are to be filed by 12May 2002.

The scientific and technical conference on marine issues(proposed by the Marine Coalition - Saturna Community Club et. al.) originally scheduled for April 29 and 30th will be

rescheduled once these larger issues have been resolved by the Panel.

What does all of this mean? If the Panel allows B.C. Hydro’sGSX PL hearing to proceed without adequate consultation with First Nations the result will almost certainly be a court challenge by the First Nations. Also we can expect to see amajor legal challenge if the Panel does not rule to exerciseits authority to assess the impacts of greenhouse gasesresulting from the project. On the other hand, if the Paneldoes exercise this authority we may very well see legalchallenges from British Columbia and Alberta onconstitutional grounds.

The bottom line on this regulatory thriller is that the Panel, very wisely and prudently we think, is picking its way carefully through the minefield. Stay tuned.

Susie Washington Smyth is the Coordinator of the Marine Coalition

(Saturna Community Club, Pender Islands Conservancy Association, Salt Spring Island Conservancy, Saanich Inlet

Protection Society, Georgia Strait Alliance and Canadian Parks andWilderness Society, B.C. Chapter) . The Coalition is an intervenor in the GSX PL hearing and is focussing on the marine portion of

the pipeline proposal.

Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline (GSX PL) Update



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by Bob Weeden

Birds may hate being watched, but mostly they grit their teeth and just carry on. However,even the preena donnas among them must have cried “Fowl” when, for three weekends ina row, human eavesdroppers discussed every trill and warble, every raucous announcement,every chip of quiet gossip uttered by birdsalong Jones Road and near Ford Lake. Someeven survived repeated bad imitations - a bit like Quebec voters after a speech by PrestonManning.

The first trip took enrolled Conservancy members on April 27 to Drummond Park and Jones Road. The loud, unmistakeable whistlesof black oystercatchers and the reed-section yank-yanks of redbreasted nuthatches weregood ear tuners, giving everybody confidence.The class got perfect marks when everyone

didn’t hear the flock of mute swans flying(Bob Weeden said) far overhead.

The first of two Ford Lake outings was a bit more challenging. “Remember,” Weedenadmonished, “that the house finch song ends with a characteristic pair of burry up-downnotes!” Yeah, well, what does that mean? “If you can name 3 Vivaldi quartets out of any fifty,” (Weeden again) you can easily distin-guish the trills of orange-crowned warblers, juncoes, and chipping sparrows.” “PacificSlope flycatchers sound like a person with a

cleft palate in a sneezing fit.”

The last outing brought a chance to reviewthe calls of old friends like the brown creeper,Townsend’s warbler and winter wren, andsome new birds. A barred owl in an echochamber boomed out his “Who cooks for you?” five times in three minutes, a Wilson’s

warbler obligingly repeated its hurried chatteras it caught insects in a tall willow, and a western tanager sang to us from trees not faraway.

Night Voices

by Bob Weeden

Sparrows speak sometimes at night. Are they calling out for light To read their lyric lines?Do they sing aloud in dreams as ISometimes cry out in mine?Or is their urge for song so wildThat bubbles of it burst surprising,Too bouyant, far, to bear to wait An audience arising?

Birds Talk, We Listen

If you are a “lister,” the species tallies for the

three afternoons were, chronologically, 35, 38,and 41. Though no red-listers were seen, thestunning beauty of familiar species like thered-breasted sapsucker and yellow-rumped warblers was memorable. So was the pure joy of companionship of folks open to the smells,sights, and sounds of an Island spring.

PS: Ford Lake is not open to the public. Weare grateful to Dan Buffett of Ducks Unlimitedfor permission to go there.



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By ELIZABETH MURTAUGH

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS© 1998-2002 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

With names like “meadow mixture,” “wedding wildflowers” and “backyard biodiversity,” you’dthink packets of wildflower seeds would sprout nothing but a medley of fragrant blooms.

But when students at the University of Washington’s Center for Urban Horticulturegrew 19 packets of wildflower seed mixes

marketed in the Pacific Northwest, they foundthat each contained anywhere from three to13 invasive species, and eight had seeds forplants considered noxious weeds in at least one state or Canadian province.

A third of the packets listed no contents, andonly five of the packets correctly itemized theseeds they contained, the study found.

“I can’t recommend using any wildflower seedmixes,” said lead researcher Lorraine Brooks, who was an undergraduate studyingenvironmental horticulture when she grew theplants from April to September 2001.

Brooks and Sarah Reichard, UW assistant professor of forest resources who supervisedthe research, say gardeners should buy wildflower seeds species by species, makingsure they are native to the region, rather thanbuying seed mixes.

The study could be published as early as thisspring or summer, Reichard said.

The 19 packets studied were distributed by nine companies, including Ed Hume Seeds of Kent; Molbak’s of Woodinville; Lilly Miller of Clackamas, Ore., which has since beenacquired by Ferry Morse Seed Co. of Fulton,Ky.; Nature’s Garden Seed Co. of Victoria,B.C.; and Burpee Seeds and Plants of Philadelphia.

Some of the other companies could not bereached for comment.

Several company officials reached Thursday said they are concerned by the findings andplan to look into why mixes may havecontained invasive or noxious species.

Molbak’s spokeswoman Peggy Campbell saidthe company no longer sells two mixes that researchers found to contain yellow toadflax— listed as noxious in 14 states and provinces.

“We feel very strongly about being responsiblegardeners,” Campbell said.

“Every year, we take a look at product mixesand delete what may be new on the noxious weeds list.”

Another noxious weed found in a mixproduced by Ed Hume Seeds was dame’srocket, which is on Colorado’s list of noxious weeds. An Ed Hume spokesman declinedimmediate comment, saying the company president was unavailable.

Invasive plants in wildflower mixesUW study finds noxious weeds in seed packets

Invasive Plant Species



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Plants are considered invasive if their spreadovercomes other plants native to a particularecosystem. Noxious weeds, often classified assuch on state lists, are considered moredestructive and difficult to control thaninvasive species.

According to the UW study, one of Nature’sGarden Seed Co.’s mixes flowered nothingbut invasive plants, even though it was

labeled “native.”

“Without further information regarding thestudy, it’s hard for us to comment on theresearch,” said Joan Goski, manager of Nature’s Garden Seed Co., which had twoseed mixes cited in the study.

“But we do stand by our products. We havereally wonderful, reputable suppliers of allthe seeds in those mixes.”

Burpee Seeds and Plants spokesman DaveDevine said the company makes every effort to keep invasive or noxious weeds out of itsproducts.

“We’re a complete advocate of not spreadingnoxious weeds in areas where they don’t belong,” Devine said.

“We try to be very good stewards of not allowing that to happen. Just unfortunately,sometimes in the distribution (of seeds) that does happen.”

Donations of any of the following would be gratefully appreciated.

Office items Household Items Other Items

Ergonomic Chairs Vacuum Cleaner GPS Unit

Scanner Electric tea kettle Digital Camera

Posters Small refrigerator Laptop Computer

Computer desks

56 k. modem

Please remember to say “Community chest #58” at Thrifty’s check out, and to put your receipt intothe Conservancy box at GVM. Every little bit helps keep our programs running! Thank You!

Items needed by theSalt Spring Island Conservancy:

Native Flowering Plants

Even Small Actions Can Help!



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Respect and Care for theCommunity of Life

Earth Charter Reflections (Continued from page 1)

Irene Wright

I am to speak about the third section of the EarthCharter, a subject about which I am passionate —Social and Economic Justice.

For me, there are three foundational values upon which a decent future for each of us depends. Likea three-legged stool, ignore one leg or shorten it,and the stool topples over. The three values, in no

meaning and responsibility to my being human. “The protection of

Earth’s vitality, diversity and beauty is a sacredtrust”. The Earth Charter is a new scripture to liveby - one that people of all religions and culturescan embrace.

We are a species that has only existed mere secondsrelative to the incredibly vast and dramatic story of the universe, yet we are in a position so powerfulthat we can destroy our own home, our habitats onEarth. No other species can do this or can evencontemplate it. And we have created this situationin relatively little time and we have so little timeremaining to reverse our direction.

The Charter describes our situation as “perilous”but inevitable. It gives hope and guidance in thesixteen principles offered. The Preamble con-cludes by saying:

“We urgently need a shared vision of basic values toprovide an ethical foundation for the emerging world community. Therefore, together in hope weaffirm the following interdependent principles fora sustainable way of life as a common standard by which the conduct of all individuals, organizations,businesses, governments, and transnational institu-tions is to be guided and assessed.”

Francis of Assisi spent most of his life learning tobe courteous to all creatures of the earth. It wasnatural for him to expect courtesy from BrotherFire. He was revealing the deep bond he felt withall nature.

The second selection is from “Dancing with aGhost”, by Rupert Ross. Ross served as a prosecut-ing attorney on Indian reservations in northernOntario, where in the “sentencing circles” he was

able to observe how the Elders responded tooffenders.

The Elders don’t say “much about how people doin school or athletics or even trapping and hunt-ing. Instead, I am told about what each person didto help his parents, to guide his children, tohonour his Elders and to respect the traditions.”The Elders believe that “anyone who dedicateshimself to helping others, instead of simply advancing his own interests, demonstrates acommitment to the spiritual ideal of harmony andinter-connectedness. That last word, inter-

connectedness, is the key word. The philosophy states that we are not alone . . . We are not here toassert dominion or to rise above the rest, but tomake a contribution with the rest. . . Success ismeasured not by the degree to which we subdue,but by the degree to which we serve as a conduit ofsustenance for all components of creation. . . .”

“A man or woman’s success, the Elders seem to say,is to be measured solely in terms of his or herattainment of an attitude of respect.”

“Not all Native people either understand or havechosen to live within this perspective. . . . What we

must understand is that the struggle to retrieve andrestore the traditional value of respect for allcreation is central to the Elders’ concern about theloss of Native culture . . . to maintain and deepen abelief in the inter-connectedness of all things.”

When Chief Allan Claxton was on SS Islandrecently he was asked what was the element in hisculture which most needs emphasis today. Hereplied: “Respect for the Elders, respect fortradition, respect for the earth.” Such respect isnot nominal; it has intimations of courtesy , of adeep and abiding attitude of giving honour.

Bob Wild

One selection from each of two books illlustratesfor me the deep meaning of “respect.” The first isfrom G.K. Chesterton’s “Francis of Assisi”:

Toward the end of his life Brother Francis was toldthat he was going blind. If the faintest hint hasbeen given here of what St. Francis felt about theglory and pageantry of earth and sky, about the

heraldic shape and colour and symbolism of birdsand beasts and flowers, some notion may beformed of what it meant to him to go blind. Yet theremedy, admittedly an uncertain remedy, was tocauterize the eye, and that without an anaesthetic.In other words, it was to burn his living eyeballs with a red-hot iron. When they took the brandfrom the furnace, he rose with an urbane gestureand spoke as to an invisible presence: “BrotherFire, God make you beautiful and strong anduseful; I pray you be courteous with me.”

Social and Economic Justice



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particular order, are sustainability, democracy andequality.

A problem that confronts us daily is that as amodern society we have abstracted ourselves fromthe community of life. We consume, manipulate,use, abuse, control and ignore it. We have been ina position to do significant harm for the past ten ortwelve thousand years, with greater efficiency forthe last few hundred, and with barbaric effective-

ness in recent decades. Too often we First Worldersmiss the fundamental point — that we ourselvesare part of the community of life. The care andrespect we offer to the wider community of life wemust also offer each other.

Through social and economic justice we care forand respect our own kind.

All living things have basic needs — good water, airand soil, appropriate food and a secure place tolive. This is as true for those of us living in acomplex industrialized and urban society as it is for

people living “on the edge” in the Third World. Wemust find the means to provide these basics foreveryone — but not at the expense of the widercommunity of life.

For this to happen we need a redistribution of wealth within and among nations. At the sametime, we in the western world must begin thepainful job of reducing our ecological footprint.Because our use of Earth’s resources is unsustain-able, continuing as we are means that otherhumans and living things are forced to try tosurvive on less and less. What a foolish and greedy economy we support!

I propose a guaranteed annual income as anecessary step — one that would provide basicsurvival not as charity but as a birthright. No morekids at school sockless in gum boots with noundergarments under their street clothes. They would have eaten breakfast and had a night’s sleepin a clean bed. Their teeth would be healthy, andtheir colds would get better.

College students would be able to study without accumulating debt. Writers, artists and artisans of all kinds would have time to develop their skills.

Farmers would survive a bad year. In fact, thefamily farm would be feasible again. Seniors wouldbe able to complete their allotted span in dignity.

To build a sustainable future requires an educatedcitizenry. We cannot limit quality education to theelite. Everyone’s education must include anappreciation of community and the responsibilitiesthat go with it. God may see the little sparrow fallbut it is up to us to pick her up.

We need to change fundamentally the way oureconomy works. Indebtedness is a human inven-tion, as is borrowing. They can be replaced withsomething better: control of banking institutionsand returning the responsibility for money crea-tion to the Bank of Canada (or its equivalent inother countries) in the interests of the many rather than the few. Borrowing should becomeprimarily a community activity to provide for

infrastructure needs — schools, hospitals, publictransportation, renewable energy sources, housing,and so forth. Long-term debt should be consid-ered satisfied, in the worst case scenario, oncedouble the principal has been repaid, whether thedebts are owed by nations or individuals. Money should cease to be a commodity to be traded andbank profits and charges tightly regulated. Coop-eratives and guilds should play a major role inmanufacturing and the provision of consumergoods and services. Trade should be based onrespect for workers and the environment nomatter where in the world the trading goods

originate.

Social and economic justice go hand in hand withrespect. We must support the development of thisrespect at home and abroad. A right or responsi-bility for one must become a right or responsibility for all - education, economic opportunities, healthcare, and cultural and spiritual opportunities.

Finally, I believe that we must redefine success inorder for social and economic justice to prevail. Instead of wealth, let us valueeducation and wisdom. Insteadof power,ethics. Insteadof superiority,respect; andinstead of decisive-ness, perhapsempathy. And finally,instead of individual-ism, why not coopera-tion?



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Peter Lamb

Recently, islanders were able to protect a largearea of land in the south end of Salt Spring.The Salt Spring Island Conservancy now has

private land by conservation covenants. The

purchase of this property could, therefore,result in a large,contiguous protected area of about 490 acres (195 ha) as well as anextended trail network.

This property is part of the south-facing ridgeof Mount Erskine and contains older growthfir groves, ridgetop shore pines, rare plant communities, upland bog vegetation andsensitive wildlife habitat. Hikers willparticularly appreciate the dramatic rocky outcrops and magnificent viewpoints. It isbeing subdivided for the purpose of this sale

from a 159-acre (64 ha) parcel of land, theremainder of which has been carefully managed as a tree farm by the Landowner,Martin Williams. He has offered this property to the Conservancy to protect its naturalfeatures.

As part of the sale price of $85,000, Mr. Williams has agreed to dedicate a right of way across the remainder of his property which wilallow permanent access from Toynbee Road tothe extensive trail network on Mount Erskine.It is proposed that the property will be held

and managed by the Salt Spring IslandConservancy, which is also committed toraising the necessary funds.

We are undertaking to raise a total of $95,000to cover the price of the land and relatedacquisition costs. Please send yourcontribution to make this purchase possible tothe Salt Spring Island Conservancy, PO Box722, Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2W3. Make your cheque payable to the SSI Conservancy and specify Mount Erskine Property. Officialtax receipts will be issued by the Conservancy

for all donations of $20 or more on successfulcompletion of the purchase.

For more information, please contact PeterLamb (Home Tel: 537-4859) or Gary Holman(Home Tel: 653-2042).

Conservation Proposal

Mount Erskine, Salt Spring Island

an exciting opportunity to acquire land towardthe north end of the island and is seeking yoursupport.

The land offered for sale consists of 50 acres(20 ha) of open Douglas fir/arbutus forest on

Mount Erskine. It is adjacent to 163 acres (65ha) of Crown Land plus 56 acres (22 ha) of land owned by the Islands Trust Fund Boardthrough which run a popular trail system.Currently, the Islands Trust is also consideringprotecting an adjacent 220 acres (88 ha) of



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Ruth Tarasoff

Many members will recall the feeling of disappointment on hearing they had not,after all , won the Garden Bench we raffledlast year. People formed such an immediateattachment to that beautifully crafted object,there seemed no doubt in their minds that it was destined to grace their deck and noother. Well, we are all getting a secondchance. The young and talented Luke Hart- Weller has very kindly agreed to make usanother driftwood garden bench, and while

he describes it as quite different in character, we can be assured that it too will be a work of art. This bench incorporates Red Cedar, Yellow cedar, Maple and Juniper, all found as windfall or driftwood. Tickets will go on saleat the Saturday Market and other locationsafter May 15 th. 2002. Ticket prices are $2.00ea. or 3 /$5.00. The final draw will be madeon Sept 15th. Anyone wishing to help withthis fundraising project can contact KarenHudson at 538-0318

Raffle - Win this bench!

Expanded Map of Proposed Purchase

LOT 40

Toynbee Road



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compiled by Karen Hudson

Volunteers are the core of the Salt SpringIsland Conservancy. Without just two of theConservancy’s dedicated volunteers, David

Denning and Murray Reiss, you would not be

holding this newsletter in your hands. A bigthank you to David and Murray for bringing usthe Acorn this quarter! And a large round of applause to Sam Lightman for single-handedly editing and desk-topping t he Acorn for so many years! In a new regular feature of The Acorn , I would like to acknowledge some of our wonderful volunteers that have been working

behind the scenes.

SSIC Database Manager: Sheryl Taylor-

Munro maintains our database of members, former members, donors, and

public agencies like the Islands Trust,CRD, etc. From this database,she produces mailing labels for the Acorn ,prepares the Canada Post Statement of Mailing which accompanies thosemailed copies (the actual mailing istaken care of by Rumiko Kanesaka andBrian Smallshaw ), and e-mails the Acorn to those who prefer to receivetheir copies electronically. She alsosends notices of Conservancy events to

members with e-mail addresses. Whenneeded, Sheryl produces lists from the

database for current or former members,donors, etc. When a new member joins, adonation is received, or existing membersrenew, she produces the appropriate thank you letters with envelopes for Ruth Tarasoff,

our Secretary, to sign. On a quarterly basis,Sheryl produces envelopes for notifyingmembers that it’s time to renew. Sheryl alsoprepares Acorn articles for some Boardmembers from handwritten drafts, as wellas preparing some letters to funding sourcesand others outside the Conservancy. Thank you so much Sheryl for your hard work and

dedication to the Conservancy!

Broom Puller Volunteers: Brian Smallshaw ,aka the King of Broom, Jim Spencer, and thenewest member of the broom puller lendingteam, Conrad Pilon. These three menrespond to calls day and night from islanders who want to borrow one of our three broompullers. I’ve heard that some of the calls tothese volunteers go like this, “Hi, my name is Joe Weekend Salt-Springer, and I’m going to

be on the Island in one hour and I was wondering if I could come by your house thento borrow the broom puller for the long weekend.” Seriously though, Brian, Jim, andConrad take care of our broom pullers,respond to phone calls, show people how touse them, loan them out, track the pullersdown, hand out brochures, and collect donations for the Conservancy. Thanks to allof you, and thanks also to Phil Vernon, whorecently retired from being a broom puller volunteer.

Please note: The broom pullers can beborrowed through Brian (South End) at 653-4774, Jim (Mid-Island) at 537-9910, andConrad (St. Mary’s Lake) at 537-8931. Pullersare commonly borrowed for three days to a

week, and donations and/or memberships tothe Conservancy are collected to covermaintenance of tools and to purchase newpullers. Please reserve early for long-weekends

Office Volunteer: The freshest face in the Salt Spring Island Conservancy office is that of Alicia Herbert . Alicia volunteers in theConservancy office on Thursday mornings.She responds to phone messages, updatesbrochures, and helps the Conservancy immensely by wading through the dozens of e-mails that arrive at our office every day. Thank

you Alicia!!

The Salt Spring Island Conservancy isconstantly at work on promoting landstewardship, hosting regular educationalevents, and covenanting lands on Salt SpringIsland. There are many roles for students,retirees, and workers, roles for committees,fundraisers, and photographers. We needmore help in our office, as well as a few morehands at educational events. What ever way you want to help, we have a role for you.Please contact us at 538-0318 to inquire about

these and other exciting volunteersopportunities.

Sheryl Taylor-Munro

Salt Spring Island Conservancy Volunteers



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Nora Layard

What’s been happening with the newparklands?

Salt Spring has been invited to take the lead indefining a new role for communities inplanning and managing their local provincialparklands. It is up to us to decide how much,and how, we want to contribute to the process. Are we interested in responding to thechallenge? While there are no guarantees that the province will respond positively to oursuggestions, if we do not develop our ownmanagement approach for our parklands, wemay discover we do not like the versionultimately imposed from Victoria.

On March 14th, a townhall meeting was heldto hear from BC Parks and CRD Parks about their plans for the land purchased fromTexada in December 2001. People attendingthe meeting also provided their hopes (and afew fears) about the kinds of activities that might take place there. Names were solicitedof those who wanted to be involved. Theevening wrapped up with a sense of ourcommunity’s desire for an open, inclusiveplanning process.

At press time (early May), a meeting has been

called for late May to look at and determineour interests in:

• how our community can contribute to oractually coordinate a background paper that looks at what the parklands contain, includingecological, recreational, historical, andarcheological characteristics. This is the first phase traditionally followed by BC Parks foridentifying what attributes a new park containsand where there might be overlapping orconflicting interests. It should be noted that BC Parks and CRD Parks may sponsor a joint

background paper so that the wider context can be examined. Following the preparationof the background paper, a process will beundertaken to determine long range plans forthe park area.

• how our community wants to be involved with monitoring the area. What role do we want to play in keeping watch over the landsuntil a full park plan is in place? As aminimum two-year time horizon is envisaged

by parks staff for until a final master plan issigned off, it will be important to develop aninterim stewardship arrangement.

• the impacts of the recent budget cutbacksand changes to how parks are managed by theprovincial government. What will thesechanges mean for our new and existingparklands, such as Ruckle Park and Mount Maxwell Park. Will these impact planning forthe new parklands?

Anyone who is interested becoming involved with this work is asked to contact Nora Layard.(Tel. 537-4612) More information will beavailable in the next Acorn.

The New Parklands – What Happens Next?



14

Featured Artist – Briony Penn

Briony Penn is a writer, illustrator, naturalist and

teacher, with a Ph.D. in geography. As a result of herunrelenting campaigns to save and protect naturalenvironments, Briony has become a national icon forconservation. Her articles and illustrations appear inperiodicals across North America and now, as anenvironmental reporter, she is featured on The New VItelevison network. Briony lives on Saltspring with herhusband, Donald, and sons, Callum and Ronan.



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Membersh ip App l i ca t ion

Individual $15

Family $20

Underemployed $10

Name:

Address:

Postal Code:

Phone: Fax:

email:

Dona t ionsTax deductible receipts are provided for every

donation over $20.

In addition to my $15-20 membership fee, I have

enclosed my donation in the amount of:

$25 $50 $100

Other________

P a r t i c i p a t i o n

I would like to participate in the work of the

Conservancy by volunteering in the following way(s):

Research

Land restoration

Office work

Site evaluation and habitat identification

Computer work

Mapping

Fund raising

Specific educational programs (your ideas

welcome)

Joining the Board of Directors (this Board is

active, not passive)

Other (your suggestions)

Please email the Acorn to me.

printed on recycled paper

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

[email protected]

or by regular mail.

Editor (this issue): Murray

Reiss

Layout: David Denning

the Salt Spring Island

Conservancy#203 Upper Ganges Center,

338 Lower Ganges Rd.

Office hours: Mon/Tues/

Thurs, 9am - 11am

Phone: (250) 538-0318

Fax: (250)538-0319

Email:

[email protected]

Web site:

www.salt-spring.bc.ca/

conservancy

o n s e r v a n c y the Salt Spring Island

CGanges PO Box 722

Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3

Our previous issue contained Editorial viewpoints regarding the impact of incorporation on environmental protection. As representatives of the Salt Spring Conservancy, the Board wishes to make it clear that the Conservancy does not support a particular position on the incorporation question.Members are urged to inform themselves through attendance at publicmeetings, reading all available material on the subject and discussion withothers before voting.

Regarding Incorporation...

Don’t Miss These Tourist In Your Backyard Events

Lake Walk – September 14th (Saturday) 9:30 am to 1:00 pm Lake Walkand Talk with Briony Penn (Geographer, naturalist and educator) and JohnSprague (Biologist specializing in Water Pollution and Toxicology).

Forest Walk – October (TBA) Saturday 9:30 am to 1:00 pm Forest Walkand Talk with Robin Annschild (Biologist specializing in habitat restoration).

Pre-register with the Conservancy Office by phone, fax or e-mail. Cost to attend: $10 each or $30 forthe series. Limited space available so sign up now!

– The Conservancy Board



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o n s e r v a n c y the Salt Spring Island

CGanges PO Box 722

Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3

Documents

Spring 2002 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy