Winter 2004 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

8/8/2019 Winter 2004 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

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- Bob Weeden

Who are we today? Who do we want to become?

Every organization every person

answers those questions incrementallyand almost unconsciously with everyaction it takes and every in-action it chooses. Once ina while a dynamic organization like your Conservancyhas to ask aloud and take time to answer.

Thatswhat wedid lastmonth,with afull daysdiscoursebydirectorsand staff led byPeterLambandprimed

andregulated by facilitator John Sanderson. I hope my summary carries the mainmessages, though inevitably with my own spin.

I want to hit the November 22 starting line running,by a well-squeezed history of the years of changebefore 2003.

A dozen or so Islanders worked for a decade after themid 1980s to get the Province to convert Salt Springscrown lands into parks and reserves a job, by the

way, which is exceedingly well begun but not done.They formed the Crown Land Coalition to assure thatthe work of persuasion was done by a broad array of Island interests. In 1994

Mill Farm,a ne andstrategicallylocated bit of private landamidst crownlands, edgedtoward sale.

A registeredcharitableorganizationwas needed tohead up localefforts to buythe land, sothe leaders of

the Coalitioncreated the SaltSpring Island Conservancy.

The Conservancy was builtto last. It was given a sharpfocus promoting, acquiringand managing natural

Acornthe

The Newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy Number 25, Wint

A Decade of the Conservancy Your Photos

On Being and Becoming

Continued on page 4

On Being and Becoming..1Presidents Page................2Board Update....................2Good Business...................2Directors Page..................3

Channel Ridge..................5Earth Charter Youth.........6Poem...........................6Sharp-tailed Snakes..........7SSI Management Plan......8Birgit Bateman Cards.........8Nature Reserve Signs........9Of ce Space Wanted.........9Broom Pull........................9No Lassitude...................10Energy Strategy...............10

All Things Precious.........11Epiphyte Neophytes.......12

Wild Whales...................13Maniacal Mushrooms......14Trail and Nature Club......15Fundraiser Help Needed..15Patience.........................16Mammals Talk................17Call for Submissions........17Of ce Update.................17Small Actions.................17Recognizing Volunteers...18Haiku Contest.................18Leaving a Legacy...............19

Inside:

http://saltspring.gul slands.com/conservancy

Karen Hudson at 2000 Garry Oak Walk. Photo Anon.


2/202

Moments of Truth- Peter Lamb

There are moments of truth in life when a word ora phrase resonates in ones mind and captures theessence of what one believes but cannot articulate.Such a moment came tome during the height of the battle with TexadaLand Corporation overlogging in south-westSalt Spring, in an articlewritten by the late Jan vanStolk of Salt Spring. Hewas a Past President of theCanadian Physicians for

the Prevention of Nuclear War which received aNobel Peace Prize in 1985for their humanitarianwork. Jan wrote Itseems as if some possibleimmediate monetarygain for some interest group is more important thanlife itself. This is either criminal or it is madness or it isboth.

Those words struck home again and again as I read of new legislation being pushed through by the currentProvincial Government in the name of economicgrowth. Over the past few months, we have witnessed

an unprecedented assault on the environment andlocal community interests. Bill 46,the WorkingForests Initiative and strategic sale of Crown Land;Bill 48, permitting aquaculture even when opposedby local authorities; Bill 75, the Signi cant Projects

Streamlining Act givingthe Provincial Governmentthe power to fast-trackdesignated projects andoverride any legislationthat might impede theirprogress; Bill 84, whichamends Parks and Protected

Areas Acts to allow resortsor lodges in parks at the

Ministers discretion anddirectional drilling for oiland natural gas under parksand protected areas; Bill85, enabling BC Hydroto be privatized; andBill 88, preventing local

governments from interfering with private ManagedForests. And Im sure there is more to come.

So much for the touted Community Charter, the

Islands Trusts preserve and protect mandate andenvironmental reviews. Which makes the task of your Conservancy so much more important. We mustcontinue to be vigilant in our efforts to protect thenatural features and sensitive ecosystems that are soimportant to our community.

Presidents Page

Board Update A summary of major items recently discussed by theBoard: Our annual Strategic Planning Retreat and 2004Budgets Density Transfer/Amenity Zoning and a review of the Of cial Community Plan Establishment of an Endowment Fund Adoption of Standards and Practices Guidelines A proposed Environmental Scientists Registry tosupport the Islands Trust Grant application for 2004 Stewardship Program Government policy on Crown Lands Plans for a sustainable development symposium.

Beach Combers at 2002 Beach Walk with David Denning.Photo Courtesy Tamar Griggs

The Conservancy thanks all of our business

members. Please support these local businesses: Anchorage Cove B&B Balmoral by the Sea B&B Barbs Buns Barnyard Gra x Creek House Realty Derek Crawford

Architect Inc. Island Escapades Salt Spring Books

Salt Spring Centreof Yoga

Salt Spring Kayaking Salt Spring Linen &

Drycleaners Spindrift at Welbury

Point Terra Firma Builders

Good Business


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Membership Reaches 400I am proud to announce that the Conservancy nowhas over 400 members. We reached this number inOctober and are still growing as membership formsare delivered to our post of ce box every day thesepast few weeks. Part of the reason for the dramaticincrease in the last two years is that the Board of Directors made membership a priority for my workas your Executive Director. In cooperation with ourSecretary (previously Ruth Tarasoff and currentlyRachel Bevington) and our volunteer databasemanager Sheryl Taylor-Munro, I have been looking athow the Conservancy records, manages, and servesour members. Sheryl came up with the idea of puttingthe membership expiration date on the renewal letterand Acorn so members know when their membership

expires.Recently,as part of this yearsmembershipcampaign, weundertooka numberof newinitiatives.

In November,we mailedall of ourold, but notcurrent,membersa lettertelling them of our current work and asking themto join again. In just four weeks, 19 members haverenewed and sent us a total of $1,296. Many of thesemembers not only renewed but also added a donationand signed up for 3 years. Due to the success of thisletter, we will again ask our non-active members torenew once a year in an effort to catch anyone whosemembership has lapsed.

As part of our second membership initiative, we sent430 local businesses two pages of information aboutour work and asked them to consider a businessmembership, which is a newly created membershipcategory. Though we have already received seven

business memberships, we think many of thesebusiness owners are already individual members orare too busy with holiday preparations to respond soquickly. If you are a member with a local business,please ask us for a member decal to display on thewindow at your business. Our nal membership appeal, which was sent to allmembers recently, was a request for members to gifta membership to a friend, relative or organization.Thanks to all of you who have responded by givinga membership thereby helping us to increase ourmembership even further, and to those who respondedby sending a cheque. We encourage members to gift amember in the future for special occasions and also to

let us know if you know of someone you think wouldbe interested in a membership. The many members Ispoke to who sent a cheque without reading the giftletter and all of you who have stayed on as memberswithout getting a follow up membership letter haveshown me that we have an extremely loyal (andorganized) membership. Thanks to all of you for yoursupport, loyalty, and steadfastness over the years.

Sincerely, Karen Hudson (far left in above photo)

Directors Desk

Mill Farm Walk 2000. Photo Anon.

SSI Conservancy 2004 Annual GeneralMeeting Will Be Held May 18th 2004


4/204 Continued on page

Conservancy Interests

habitat reserves partly because of the foundersinterests and partly because at the time a broadly-based action organization, the Island Watch Society,existed. Conservancy leaders have kept that centralinterest. However, a fuller understanding of whatpromoting natural habitat reserves entails, and thedemise of the Island Watch Society, resulted in theaddition of major new efforts: promoting private landstewardship, and education.

The stewardship work, meeting landowners andoffering free nature-assessment and planningservices, was fuelled for two busy years by grants. Itinvolved the Education Committee, which organizedinformational meetings, and fed into the covenants

program. Grants dried up. Education dropped itslandowner-tailored events and expanded its generaleducation schedule. Stewardship languished in 2001-2003; covenants, acquisitions, and recently landrestoration and management kept good pace.

As matters stand theConservancy is knownfor its lively programs innature education: slideshows, walks-talks, major

speakers, broom-pulls,the Acorn. It is known,too, during campaignsto raise money for landacquisitions whether tohold title (once) or inpartnership with othertitle-holders (four times).Its covenants workis quieter but widelyunderstood and supported.Its land restoration andmanagement work is just beginning.

Early this autumn the board recognized thatstewardship work was too important to leave dormant.

A new grant proposal has been submitted. If funded,that will restore stewardship to a solid level.

The strategy session brought consensus that oureducation program should reduce the percentage of

time devoted to organizing events in the categoryof nature education for the general public, shiftinginstead to programs supporting stewardship andcovenants, and to actions making contact withtargeted audiences like Island newcomers and schoolchildren. Later meetings will shape those prioritiesinto an action plan for the next year or two.

We decided to keep the energy levels of the covenants,acquisitions, and land management volunteers attheir accustomed level. Our history tells us that newcovenant and acquisitions projects will be offered bycircumstance we dont need to seek them out.

A renewed effort will be made to work with the Local

Trust Committee and be involved signi cantly in thenext OCP review. We want to see the Trust develop anew capability (and willingness), through volunteeringexperts living on SSI, to access environmental changeslikely from permit applications, re-zonings, etc. Andwe feel it is urgent to undertake a serious review and

public discussion of thewhole concept and realityof density transfers.

Supporting all this work

are money, volunteers, andorganizational partners. In2004 we want to develop astructured effort to contactmajor donors whose giftsand bequests will go intoour new endowment fundand to current operations.

We made majorimprovements in nding,using and thankingvolunteers this past year

(thanks to the efforts of a volunteer coordinator). Weagreed that ne partnership opportunities exist andare well worth the effort to cultivate.

Perhaps our best discussion was about the characterof the Conservancy the qualitative image ourneighbours have or should have of us. Professionalwas the rst and common response, a word meantto embody an instinctive desire to be well informed

On Being and Becoming,Continued from page 1

Beach Crab at 2002 Beach Walk with David Denning.

Photo Courtesy Tamar Griggs


5/205

Channel Ridge Village and BeyoConservancy Interests

-Peter Lamb

If you read the Driftwood, you will have seen therecent updates on the plans for the new Village in theheart of the Channel Ridge lands. This is the largestproposed real estate development in the Gulf Islands,contemplating about 430 dwelling units and 80,000sq. ft of commercialspace on completion.Such a high-densitydevelopment will clearlyhave a substantial impacton the Island and aparticularly dramaticimpact on the northern

sector. Your Conservancy has,therefore, taken a specialinterest in the proposaland has expressed itsconcern over sensitiveecosystems in the area.

While the developers are carrying outextensive studies, we have drawn their attention tonew ecosystem maps which identify natural features at

risk, particularly terrestrial herbaceous, woodland andwetland areas. Hopefully, these vulnerable habitats willbe avoided during site clearing, expected to begin in

January 2004, and during construction.

We are also interested in longer-term protection of theremainder of the lands in Channel Ridge to the northand west of the Village since this area represents theonly remaining undeveloped area in the north of ourIsland. Accordingly, we have offered our assistancethrough conservation covenants, eco-gifting and otherprograms. Our goal will be to have the natural features

of the area preserved andprotected as much aspossible.

A meeting was heldin December withrepresentatives of thedeveloper where we

discussed our offer toassist and elaborated onour genuine concernsfor critical featuresand wildlife habitatsin the area. A publicmeeting was heldon December 13 th togive the community

an opportunity to hear about the proposal from thedevelopers directly. If you missed this session, and are

interested in learning more about their developmentplans, visit the Islands Trust of ce to look atpreliminary layout plans, site clearing proposals,artists rendering of homes and commercial units.

before acting, and a respect for others. The bestprofessionals do work that is good and needed,not for self-gain but for the community. Directors

recognised three downsides to professionalism,coolness stemming from trying to be objective,a feeling of superiority from knowing more thanothers, and that common criticism of conservationorganizations, elitism. The response was immediateand clear we have to have heart to balance thehead. As individuals we are emotionally responsiveto nature and passionate about our cause show it!Lastly, most directors wanted the society to stay awayfrom the radical fringe and be a respectable part of the

On Being and Becoming,Continued from page 4

Alligator Lizard. Photo Courtesy Todd Conohan

community Just one of us, but simultaneously tohave the courage of our convictions, ready to use thehammer when thats the tool for the job. A long-dead

American president said it: Speak softly, but carry abig stick.

Ours is a lively organization fully involved ina growing community and a gloriously diversenatural environment. For us, change and time areindistinguishable. Wed rather change through ourown alertness and corresponding shifts in prioritiesand structure, than to suffer Darwins curse on thingsthat make too many mistakes.


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- SSI Education Committee

Daniel Fogarty, a grade 12 student from Gulf Island Secondary School, was selected by the SSIConservancy to attend an Earth Charter conferenceat Lake Cowichan Education Centre earlier thismonth. Forty- ve BC students attended theconference, which was one of 15 organized worldwideunder the Earth Charter Initiative. What follows isDaniels impression of the Conference.

- Daniel Fogarty

On the weekendof November 8 th

to 11th

, forty-eightyouths and twelve co-facilitators from diversebackgrounds cametogether for four days of learning, innovation andfun. The Earth Charter

Youth Conference,held at Cowichan LakeEducation Centre, wasone of many Inclusive

Leadership Adventures organized by Dr. Linda Hilland others. This adventure, however, was particularlyunique as it was the rst time the Earth Charter hadbeen implemented into the curriculum. The EarthCharter is an international peoples agreement for acompassionate, just and sustainable world. Its fourmain pillars are respect and care for the community of life, social and economic justice, ecological integrity,and democracy, non-violence and peace.

Having heard of this amazing opportunity throughthe Gulf Islands Secondary School (GISS) Leadershipprogram, I was immediately interested in attending theconference. A major obstacle then emergedcost. Iapplied for the generous sponsorship of the SaltspringIsland Conservancy. Another student, CamilleSchmah, was sponsored by GISS.

Camille and I approached the lakeside on November8 with excitement and anticipation. The days tofollow only furthered this excitement. An incredible

The Earth Charter Youth Conference 20atmosphere rich with laughter, acceptance andlearning quickly made the Education Centre feel likehome and the sixty participants from all over B.C. likefamily.

Over the weekend, we explored the Earth Charterthrough participating in a variety of activities andworkshops such as cooperative games, improvisationaltheatre, music, dance, solo journeys into nature,outdoor adventure challenges, and creating a Unity

Flag and an EarthCharter globe. Also,each night DylanSpencer, the Canadianrepresentative on the

Year 2000 Pole toPole Expedition, gavemultimedia presentationsdescribing his travels.His talks were bothinteresting and inspiring.

The Earth Charter globe,consisting of cardboardpanels artisticallydepicting the four pillars

of the Earth Charter, willbe traveling to differentschools around the

province as a symbol of how to build a world basedon respect for people and nature, universal humanrights, fairness and peace. Camille and I are currentlypreparing GISS to take a turn in hosting the globe.

The conference concluded with workshops abouthow to bring the Earth Charter back to our families,schools and communities. In all, it was a wonderfulexperience. I am grateful to have had such anopportunity and look forward to sharing my weekendwith Saltspring.

Midshipman Eggs at 2002 Beach

Walk with David Denning.Photo Courtesy Tamar Griggs

I think that I shall never see A chainsaw lovely as a treePerhaps unless the chainsaws stallIll never see a tree at all.

(with apologies to Ogden Nash)


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- Charles Dorworth and Christian Engelstoft

During the last weekend of November 2003, twosharp-tailed snake sites were restored in Vesuvius.This project involved six yards of rocks and roughly30 volunteers. The work was part of HabitatStewardship Program (HSP) funded project and theresult of careful landowner consultation and projectplanning.

The Sharp-tailed Snake is an endangered speciesin Canada and provincially red listed, and workconcerning this species is overseen by the Sharp-tailed Snake Recovery Team.

The species is known from a total of nine locationson Pender Islands, Galiano Island, SaltspringIsland and Vancouver Island. It is likely that morepopulations exist as the discovery of two new sitesthis fall indicates. Small forest openings on southfacing slopes are considered critical habitat. If youhave found a small red snake (between 10 and30 cm) under a rock or other cover object, pleasecontact one of the authors.

Most known Sharp-tailed Snake sites are found

on private land and in densely populated areas.Careful stewardship by landowners is an importantpart of Sharp-tailed Snake population recovery.

The structures put in place over this weekendwere 70 m of stack wall with cracks and crevicesand carefully arranged back ll that provides thesnake with habitat for winter hibernation, summeraestivation and feeding sites. Because little isknown about mating and egg laying of this species,we built structures to investigate breeding biology.The sites will be monitored during the comingyears to determine the effect of the restorationefforts.

Sharp-tailed Snake Habitat Restoratio

From top to bottom: Christian Engelstoft and crew (PhotoCourtesy Charles Dorworth), Adult Sharp-tailed Snake

initiating escape (Photo Christian Engelstoft), ChristianEngelstoft showing Sharp-tailed snake condo being built

(Photo Courtesy Charles Dorworth)


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-Charles Dorworth

We are now responsible for two properties: The Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve (AVNR) and theManzanita Ridge Nature Reserve (MRNR). Thisconfers both anenvironmentaland a legalresponsibility uponthe Conservancyto formalizeManagement Plansand provide themeans wherebythose plans will

be enacted andmonitored.

The ManagementPlan is a writtenprotocol whichoutlines the qualities of the land (bothlegal and substantial), the goals of management forthe area and the means whereby those goals are to beattained.

Each situation is different and the requirements forthem must be re ected in the Management Plan.In our situation, the AVNR was deeded to the SSIConservancy by Cordula Vogt of Salt Spring Islandand Oda Nowrath of Duncan, who expressed their

SSI Conservancy Management Planwishes that the property be maintained in perpetuityas a natural area, but with access provided to let thepublic appreciate the natural beauty and biologicalinteractions which occur thereon. In that regard, wehave marked a trail for hikers and encouraged use

of the area forbiological research,while holding thelower two-thirdsof the property asa nature reserve.The MRNR,conversely, wasobtained bypurchase from

a local residentMartin Williamswho wished tosee the propertypreserved fromdevelopmentand who was

receptive to minimal nancial compensation in orderto achieve that goal. We have permitted a hiking trailto be maintained on the property but, otherwise, theproperty will be maintained purely as a nature reserve.

In each case, these goals will be entrenched in alegally based covenant.

The Conservancy is selling beautiful photocards with local nature images donated by BirgitBateman as an ongoing fundraiser at these localbusinesses:Treehouse South and the Beach House in Fulford Blue Dragon Naturals in Grace Point Square Spindrift at Welbury Point Fables Cottage on Hereford Ave.Thanks! to all of these businesses. The cards willalso be available at the Conservancy of ce upstairsin the Upper Ganges Centre when the of cereopens on January 19th.

Birgit Bateman CardsNow For Sale

Karen Hudson at 2000 Mill Farm Walk.Photo Anon.

2000 Stewardship Rain Water Collection Talk. Photo Anon.


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Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve SigConservancy Interests

- Charles Dorworth

SSI Conservancy volunteers trekked to the Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve on November 6th, 2003 to installour handsome new trail signs. Hikers entering theReserve from either end will be greeted by this 2 X 3sign.

Within another 10 M., a secondsmaller sign is posted givinghikers our welcome and aset of rules to reinforce theprotection we wish to providefor the Reserve and insure thathikers are aware that this is an

unsupervised trail, and theyare responsible for their ownsafety.

You may locate the trail bydriving west off Stewart Rd. onto

Jasper Rd., then onto JenniferRd. at the mounted fuel tankson the right, part way up thehill. Near the top of the hill,turn right onto Sarah Way and

proceed to the end of pavement.Beyond the pavement lies privateproperty (please stay off!), soturn right on the next to lastunimproved right of way. Thevery last dirt roadway off thepavement will put you over theedge and into the bush, so you willrecognize that error promptly. At the bottom of thegraveled right-of-way, take the trail toward the yellowmetal horizontal gate pole but turn left at the rst

opportunity (trail), proceed across the streamlet andleft again at the next trail. Carry-on perhaps 50 M andyou will encounter your trailhead and the SSIC sign,with the trail nicely roughed-in by our members andby our colleagues with the SSI Trail and Nature Clubwho performed major trailbuilding and also donatedfunds to establish the trail.

Expect an easier job of it rathersoon, as we plan to install signsnoting TRAIL along the wayto the trailhead from Sarah

Way and a trail map will beavailable. At the far end of the

AVNR trail, another pair of signs

occurs, and the trail circles backthrough the adjacent CrownLand parcel. Although the

Vogt Reserve trail is reasonablywell-marked and trodden,some people have experienceddif culty keeping on the CrownLand extension. If you haveany doubts, we recommend thatyou retrace your steps alongour reserve trail. Otherwise,

go with compass, a clear ideaof where you have been andwhere you are going. Betterstill, go the rst time with anexperienced companion. We donot patrol the trail and you useit entirely at your own discretion,as the SSIC disavows any and

all responsibility for lost or injured hikers. But wehope you dont, and we hope you have a splendid hikewhen you head for the AVNR!

Peter Lamb, Gloria Dorworth and Jean Gelwicks.Photo Courtesy Charles Dorworth

Scheduled Broom PullJanuary 31st, 2004

Check the website for updates and details on thisevent. http://saltspring.gul slands.com/conservancy

The Conservancy is interested in hearing about anystorefront of ce space in town or uptown to be let(or donated!) for a reasonable amount. A big thanksto Richard Murakami for our current of ce space inthe Upper Ganges Centre.

Of ce Space Wanted


10/2010

No Lassitude at Our LatitudeBob Weeden, November 21, 2003

Whatever the global energy resource situation may be,the Earth Festival Society on Salt Spring Island has itsfair share.

Im talking about energy for the cleanest, most ef cientengine known the human mind. And Im thinking of a new community project hatched and tended by theEarth Festival Societys dynamos, Elizabeth White andMarion Pape.

The project is the Community Energy Strategy whosestartup was ipped late this summer. When theStrategy is completed we will know how much energy

is used by Islanders, and how it is used. We will havede ned the most workable local strategy for savingenergy and lowering outputs of air pollutants, andthe community will have bought into an action plan

as a community and as individuals. We will be fullparticipants in the One Tonne Challenge, Ottawasprogram to engage private citizens in meeting thegoals of the Kyoto Accord.

Right now the Earth Festival Societys work centerson getting good real-time measures of energy usein sectors like housing, transportation, institutions(hospitals, schools, etc.) and agriculture. Good datanow will give us a solid basis to measure future trends,and show us where high energy uses exist.

In midwinter, Elizabeth and Marion will partner withthe Local Trust Committee to host a town hall meetingpresenting the energy audit results and starting a

community dialogue. A month or two later , EFSand your Conservancy plan a jointly sponsored openhouse to offer more information, outline some possiblecommunity strategies and private actions, and keepthe discourse alive.

Environmental Policy

- RB Weeden

Few disagree that human actions are among the causes

of climate changes thatcould wreak desperatemischief very soon. Fewdisagree that every partof society, especially indeveloped countries, hasto do its share towardamelioration.

The question is, Whatdo we do?

Community level of thought and action iscritical. Communitiesmake national strategiesreal and customizethem to unique locales.Communities can catalyze and integrate the differentpaths individuals take.

On Salt Spring Island the Earth Festival Society isleading the effort to foster a community-wide strategyand to organize support for individual, family, and

business-level action.

Elizabeth White (EFS)has nished an initialstudy of how muchenergy we use, how it isused, and apparent recenttrends in use. Meanwhile,MarionPape (also EFS) hascontacted potentialpartner organizations,put together a broad-spectrum steeringcommittee, and planneda series of events toorganize individual

enthusiasms and offerpractical information.

The rst is a Town Hall meeting on January 17 to

Our Very Own Energy Strategy?

Crofton Mill at 2002 Beach Walk. Photo Courtesy Tamar Griggs

Continued on page 1


11/2011

Environmental Policy

-Bob Weeden

If only one dandelion grew, youd have to add to the grandstand.- A.B Guthrie Jr., The Last Valley

If you are alert to the natural world you knowthat some species and habitats are rare, others arecommon. Ive often wondered whether abundanceor scarcity should help me decide where I shouldput my conservation energies. Conservation groupsIve been in have discussed this question often.

Out-of-place scotch broom and esh-eating bacteriaaside, we usually feel that rare things are precious.They are dear in part because we cant bear the

thought of extinguishing any light of creation lestthe next is our own. They are precious because theyilluminate the range of possibilities of evolution, therichness of an endless encyclopedia of ideas abouthow life may be lived. Rare things are valued becausewe know that during their last fall the ties that bindthem to the rest of life will tug other species closer tothe brink. We cant forget, either, that in this changingworld those life forms on the margin of today may beall there is to populate tomorrow.

But that which is common is precious, too, because itis the stuff of which daily and abundant human livesare made. Common things supply the character of our home lands: the painted hardwoods of autumnal

Vermont, the kelp beds at Mendocinos door step,the spires of shadowed balsam in a New Brunswicktwilight, the curtseying cotton grass of arctic wetlands,the sage-stippled saucered valleys of Wyoming. Wewalk our ordinary days with them as companions.They are the images of our art. From them we gatherdaily bread and accept the gift of breathable air. To

them we entrust the renewal of soil and the cleansingof our careless wastes.

Saving rare things, then, often is more urgent becausetheir time is so short. Tending to the well being of common things is more important because they areso signi cant to us - and because without care theycan become scarce in a blink. Think of this: passengerpigeons, American chestnuts and wild elms, oncepillars of eastern hardwood forest ecosystems, are nowextinct or mere hangers-on. Abundant still, easternhemlocks, beech, and ash are so threatened that theycould be gone in our lifetimes.

Im no closer to being able to set priorities; maybethe lesson is that there is no overwhelming reasonto choose rarity over commonness, or the reverse.

Whether Im entrusted with the care of an acre of Garry oak or an acre of Douglas- r and arbutus, mystewardship is of equal worth.

All Things Preciou

Baby Sharp-tailed Snake. Photo Courtesy Christian Engelstoft

introduce the idea of a Strategy, get feedback, andinvite people to get involved. On April 3 the EFS andyour Conservancy host an open house/workshop todraw in more people, offer detailed information onenergy use and conservation, and work out targets thatseem substantial and feasible.

If you havent yet heard of the One Tonne Challenge,you will. It is the slogan for a national effort to set outa measurable target for individual conservation action.That Challenge will focus the Community EnergyStrategy work, at community and individual levels, as2004 unfolds.

Our Very Own Energy Strategy?Continued from page 10


12/2012

Natural History

- Kate Leslie

The worst moment in canopy research,says biologist Nick Stanger, is right beforethe climb. After four years of research inNew Zealand and western B.C., I know thismoment well. My thumbs ache from fasteningall my gear. The harness and carabineers biteinto my skin. Everything feels too tight. I dothe nal safety-check of the rope that will bearmy weight through the ascenders [brakes thatonly allow upwards movement].

Nick Stanger is describing the exhilaratingaspect of studying tree canopy epiphytes

[plants which grow upon other plants, butwhich do not draw food or water fromthem]. On November 1 st and 2 nd Nick gave atalk and a walk on Salt Spring as part of theConservancys Tourist in Our Own Back Yard series.

Nick is one of only a handful of B.C. biologistsspecializing in epiphytes, yet these plants areindicators; they hold keyinformation that helpsscientists gauge the health of

our forests and the impacts of industrial logging.

With funding from Weyerhauser B.C., NickStanger has designed afour-year study looking atthe effect of forest practiceson the diversity of canopy-growing plants. He explainedto the audience how hissystem of studying epiphytezones is useful for identifyingthe age of the forest, and fortracking impacts from loggingand other changes. Zonesare more useful for gaugingchanges than indicatorspecies because someindicator species [e.g. LettuceLung (Lobaria oregana)] are

found in newer forests, despite the fact that they aremeant to indicate old growth.

As epiphytes are in uenced by prevailing winds, theyare very sensitive to the changes in wind pattern.

Looking at the epiphytedistribution across the MountMaxwell landscape, participantsobserved the edge effect that isalso present in forests adjacentto clear-cuts. Trees located nearthe cliffs and the open breezehad fewer epiphyte zones thantrees located deeper in the forest(these had a larger number of distinct epiphyte zones).

On the walk, Stanger pointed

out a number of epiphytespecies common to ourarea, such as Forking Bone(Hypogymnia inactiva),Methuselahs Beard (Usnealongissima), Common WitchsHair (Alectoria sarmentosa) andSpeckled Horsehair (Bryoriafuscescens). He discussedsome of the commercial uses of epiphytes. For instance, they are

Epiphyte Neophytes

Nick Stanger on Mt. Maxwell at our 2003 Epiphyte Walkand Talk. Photo Courtesy Charles Dorworth

Nick Stanger on Mt. Maxwell at our 2003 Epiphyte Walk and Talk.Photo Courtesy Charles Dorworth

Continued on page 1


13/2013

Wild WhalesNatural History

- Karen Hudson

On a cold November night, 36 people braved theicy roads to hear Michaela McDonald speak andgive an excellent slide show (with real whale anddolphin sounds) about the BC Cetacean SightingsNetwork. Their goal is to increase public awarenessof B.C. cetaceans (whales, dolphins or porpoises)and the conservation concerns affecting them and toencourage the public to become active stewards of allcetaceans and report their sightings of cetaceans seenin B.C. waters.

British Columbias expansive coastline is home totwenty-three species of cetaceans (whales, dolphins

and porpoises), six of which are either endangered orthreatened. An understanding of their distribution andabundance is crucial to conservation efforts. However,monitoring these coastal waters year-round isimpossible for researchers without help from thepublic.

In 1999, the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network was

established to collect and compile sightings reportssubmitted by the public. When analyzed, thesesightings data create a clearer picture of cetaceanhabitat use and aid in our understanding of thesecreatures and their requirements.

Please get involved! Join the hundreds of participantsfrom all over our coast in helping conserve ourcetaceans. Increase your awareness of B.C. cetaceansand let us know what you see. Environmentalstewardship begins at home and in your daily life.If you see a whale, dolphin or porpoise the networkwould like to know!

CONTACT INFORMATION:

http://www.wildwhales.org / e-mail [email protected] (604) 659-3515B.C. Cetacean Sightings Networkc/o Cetacean Research Lab

Vancouver Aquarium MarineScience CentreP.O. Box 3232

Vancouver, B.C. V6B 3X8

used in hanging baskets and for producing dyes.

As Senior Project Of cer of Vancouver Island andthe Coast with TLC, The Land Conservancy, Stangeris rightfully proud of the privately donated orcovenanted lands currently protecting epiphytes inthis region. There are fewer epiphytes in our ecozonethan in the lush west coast forests, but some of thosepresent are found only here. Particularly at risk are

lichens, liverworts and mosses growing on or nearrocky outcrops, as these areas are popular withpeople who want to build homes with a view. Someof Stangers work at TLC involves developing plans tomitigate the negative environmental impacts from suchdevelopments.

Meanwhile, on the Central Coast, Nick has beenvolunteering his time with members of the HeiltsukFirst Nation, who are exploring the ecotourismopportunities of upper canopy viewing. At the slide

Epiphyte Neophytesshow, he showed stunning slides from his work inHeiltsuk territory. Over the winter, he will be offeringHeltsuik youth a crash-course in epiphytology, andwill teach how to take people safely up into the trees.

A wildlife-viewing trail with canopy lookouts is beingdesigned near Bella Bella.

Nick Stanger is a busy man, juggling many differentconservation and forest research projects. But as hereminisces about his many hours in the tops of ourtemperate rainforests, there is no doubt about thesource of his inspiration: Slowly I move up the tree,threading among branches, careful not to damage thecomplex micro-ecosystems. This is the best part of theclimb, he recounts, the complexity of fallen trees,pendulant mosses, lettuce-lung lichens, snags, bloatedtree trunks. But I must stop gawking and return toscience.

Thank you, Nick for sharing with us a wonderful

gawk with science.

Continued from page 12
http://www.wildwhales.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.wildwhales.org/


14/2014 Continued on page 1

Natural History

Maniacal Mushrooms- Rachel Bevington

On November 14th, Bryce Kendrick began his talkby explaining that all mushrooms are fungi, but notall fungi are mushrooms. Roughly 90% of all fungiare not mushrooms!

The Eumycota, or true fungi have walls madeof chitin. There are 1 1/2 million species of Eumycotes and so far only 6% have been describedby scientists. The Chromista fungi have walls madeof cellulose and examples are potato blight and bullkelp. The Protozoa are unicellular.

Fungi begin as spores and send out hyphae. These

very narrow tubes are the operating units of theorganism. They use the hyphal tips to explore theirenvironments and use enzymes to digest food they

nd from starches to sugars. Fungi exist in colonies,and these colonies can be very old and very large.One fungus has been isolated by molecular testingof the hyphae and its genetic information shows thatin an area of 200 acres, the fungus present is a singleorganism! It could be 1.5 thousand years old!

A mushroom is a machine for making spores, Bryce

described, humans breathe in up to 1000 spores /m 3 of air. Thankfully our immune systems have evolvedto protect us from most fungal infections. However,people with compromised immune systems, such asthose with AIDS, do get more fungal infections thanothers.

Spores will germinate depending on factors in theirenvironment: mainly moisture, temperature andimmediate food supply. Spores vary in their size andshape some spores are shaped by their ecologicalrole. For example, some spores oat and wait forleaves to fall onto the surface of a pond. This placesthem in the immediate area of a food supply that noother spores have evolved to exploit. Mushroomsliterally shower the world with spores in order toensure the continuation of their species.

We notice fungi growing on things that we leavesitting for a period of time. They are the decomposersof the world, and without fungi, the world would

become overwhelmedwith the litter of life.Since the air is so full of spores, it doesnt take themlong to colonize a new food source. A loaf of bread,when left out, is immediately covered in spores, andsince bread does not have an immune system, itquickly sprouts a fungal colony of bread mould. Fungieat by absorption through their hyphae. Up to 40% of the top layers of soil can be made up of hyphae. Thisamount of biomass places them ahead of the animalkingdom, and second to the plant kingdom.

Some fungi play another ecological role. Mycorrhizalfungi act as partners to trees in a mutually bene cialsymbiotic relationship. The hyphae of these speciesgrow among cells in the trees roots. The tree makessugars through photosynthesis, and the fungiexchange these sugars with the tree for nutrients,such as phosphorus, that the fungi are better ableto absorb from the surrounding soil. They becomeobligate symbionts, as they rely on each other for

survival in that environment. Only 200 species of trees bear vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal where thefungal hyphae penetrate tree root cells. 2000 plantsare ectomycorrhizal, where the hyphae grow betweenroot cells. A 100 foot tall tree has 100 000 000mycorrhizae.

Most fungi reproduce sexually and may have manydifferent mating types. Sex cells in fungi are calledbasidia, and each basidium can make four spores.Unlike humans, where there are men and women,

Photo Courtesy Rachel Bevington


15/2015

Natural History

fungi may have hundreds of possible mating types. Theyexchange nuclei in a process calleddikaryotization, where the hyphaeexchange nuclei between them.Further development of the fruitingbody or mushroom and basidium,allows them to create many morepairs of the two nuclei.

A mushroom cap is shaped likean umbrella because the basidiumcannot shoot spores if they get wet.

When hunting for mushrooms, digdown to get to the bottom of the

stock to see if it has a vulva. This iswhat is left of the membrane whenit was young. If you do not checkto see if it has a vulva then youmay never know what killed you.

A ring is a partial veil attached tothe edge of the cap before the capexpanded and then tore when itexpanded.

Rule #1: Never pick something and eat it. Absolutely

know the name down to the species before eatinganything.

Rule #2: Dont eat much. This allows you to test thepoison so to speak.

Rule #3: Dont eat more than one type at a time. Thiswill help you identify which mushroom makes yousick.

Rule #4: Always cook mushrooms. They all containhigh levels of carcinogens and mutagens.

Rule #5: Dont eat mushrooms unless they are in verygood condition.

The poisons are secondary metabolites, produced

by the fungi as a result of their metabolism. When weeat mushrooms, we help todistribute the spores, but we maynot survive the meal. Humanscan get sick days or weeks later,with the poisons slowly killingyou by dissolving your liveraway.

Mushrooms are not inherentlynutritious because their cell wallsare made of chitin the materialcomposing insect exoskeletons.Mushrooms also accumulate

heavy metals and therefore onemust be cautious of where themushrooms they eat are grown.Handling toxic mushrooms willnot kill you but licking your

ngers afterward is not a goodidea. The spores of mushroomscan also be toxic, but it wouldtake three years of steady

exposure to toxic spores at a concentration of 100spores/m 3 breathed in where every bit of toxin from

each spore is absorbed into the bloodstream beforeyou would accumulate one nanogram of toxin. Themost important thing to do is correctly identify themushrooms you are about to eat!

Manical MushroomsContinued from page 14

Bryce Kendrick at 2003 Mushroom Walk and Talk.Photo Courtesy Charles Dorworth

Thank you to the Trail and Nature Club and allof its members for their generous support for thepurchase of the Manzanita Ridge Nature Reserve

from Martin Williams.

Trail and Nature Club

The Conservancy is looking for volunteers to assistwith a planned June fundraiser. We hope to haveseveral different events, including a guest speakerand auction on one weekend in June.

We are looking for:- Volunteers to help plan and organize this event- Heated storage space for donated auction items- Donations of antiques, art, and quality items.- Musical acts and speakers

Please call Karen Hudson at the Conservancy of ce:538-0318 for more information or to sign up.

Early Summer Fundraiser Help Needed


16/2016

Regional Insight

We scurry over the land Anxious to perform our tasks Appointed and self-appointedMiles to go before we sleep

Were here for only a short time And there is much to be done And the land remains quietThe land waits patiently

Only three to 4 million years agoOur species began to form

And far more recently, we namedHomo erectusThe early human who stood

Who looked out over the veldt Whilst hunting and gatheringIn order to feed his mateand offspring, from the landThe patient land

Later, a more settled species emergedHomo habilis,Built the rst rudimentary sheltersTo protect the familyThe home maker - former of communitiesThe species who saved seeds

Who planted the land and gathered crops Who possibly rst considered and preparedFor the coming winter.The next year on the land.

The land gaveThe land was patient

From those, came our present formHomo sapiensThe thinking unit of Homo spp.The reasoning unit of Homo spp.The logical one; Homo sapiensThe species which did more than respondTo external stimuliThe species which tabulated its own history

Which expounded its own philosophy Which explored and documented its rootsThe reasoning Homo sp.The species which dominated the landBut the land had time to watch,To observe, perhaps to hopeBut patiently, always patiently

We who named ourselves the reasoning animal Are populating this land Are altering it beyond the abilities of our predecessorsOur technology is splendid and increasinglogarithmically

Our morality and humanity lag well behindBut we are a very young speciesThe land is ancient, beyond our kenThe land has seen many, many speciesCome and goThe land can waitPatience is a natural attribute of the land

The very young speciesThey called themselves Homo sapiensThe exploiters, the warriors, the achieversThe war to end all warsUntil the next war, and the nextThe ultimate species, far advanced over the apesBegun 50,000 years ago at earliestTo live for how many more years?Nature knows only change

What species will supercede Homo sapiens? We, of today, will never know Ask the landThe land has seen this event in the past

Watching. Waiting patiently. Become extinct? Change after 100,000 years or 100,000,000Our species must be immortal!

We are living enormously important livesOur species will undoubtedly be the ultimate of Homo sp.But, then, we would qualify as an evolutionary dead-end.Entropy increasing. Entropy decreasing.But locally and never static

And powered by a nite reservoir of energyBut we here, now, will never know.The land, however, existed before there was life.The land can afford to waitIt will exist when life has been extinguishedFinally, to amalgamate with the universal energy Bank

The land saw us arriveThe land will watch our departureIn honour, integrityOr in disarrayIts one in the same; human valuesSuccess. Failure. They blend in timeIts one in the same

But now, for a brief interval within the succeeding severalbillion years

The land might observe us,without noticeable concernPatiently Ever patiently.

- ced

Patience


17/2017

Regional Insight

- Jean Gelwicks

The Conservancy is excited to announce our nexteducational event THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OFMAMMALS IN OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD with what Ithink we should call the Dynamic Duo Bristol Fosterand Trudy Chatwin. We could not get two morequali ed people to do this presentation.

Trudy Chatwin is the Rare and Endangered SpeciesBiologist for Vancouver Island Region of the Ministryof Water, Land and Protection. She has worked inthis position for eight years and before that worked asthe Biodiversity Coordinator in the Wildlife Branch of

Victoria. Her job at present revolves around creation

of wildlife habitat areas for identi ed Wildlife (species-at-risk affected by forest and range practices) andparticipating in recovery teams. Trudys specialinterest is in bats and she has conducted research onhibernation habitat for bats on northern VancouverIsland. Recently she helped teach about bats in atropical biology course in Belize. Trudy is truly ageneralist with interests in most anything natural.She is particularly fascinated by the adaptation of allspecies to their particular environment.

Bristol Foster has been a naturalist from as far back ashe can remember. Like many, the beauty, vitality andvisibleness of birds attracted him at rst. But as hetook his biology courses at the University of Toronto

he concentrated more on mammals, culminating in aMSC thesis on the ecology of a sub arctic rodent. Aftera stint of traveling across Africa, Asia and Australiafor 18 months with Robert Bateman he enrolled atUBC to study the evolution of the native mammals

of the Queen Charlotte Islands, and this earned hima PhD. Experiences in Africa led him back to Kenyawhere he taught wildlife ecology to graduate studentsfor 5 years. Giraffes were his specialty and resultedin a book on this fascinating species behavior andecology.

He was lured back to Victoria to become the Directorof the Royal B.C. Museum for 6 years. In 1974he began the Ecological Reserves Program for thegovernment wherein natural areas are set aside forresearch and teaching. This project took him to thefarthest corner of the most spectacular parts of BC.These are only a few of Bristols involvements andaccomplishments. His greatest joy is to share naturewith others.

The richness of knowledge that is in the headsand hearts of these two incredible individuals issomething you will most de nitely not want to miss.One evening will only whet your appetite for moreinformation. You are invited to learn about the TheBiogeography of Mammals in our Neighbourhood

January 30th (Friday), 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at theLions Hall. We suggest a donation of $5.00 to helpcover our costs (this includes refreshments).

The Biogeography of Mammals in Our Neighbourho

Donations of any of the followingwould be gratefully appreciated:Of ce Chairs, Digital Camera,

Laptop Computer, SmallRefrigerator, Telephones and GPSUnit. We wish to thank SherylTaylor Munro for a computer andkeyboard, Linda Quiring for acomputer desk, Andrea Rankinfor a vacuum and Greg, SamanthaBeares son for the ComputerNetwork System Installation.

Please remember to put yourshopping receipt in the greenConservancy receipt box at

GVM, and to say CommunityChest #58 at the check out atThriftys. You can also credit theConservancy when you takeback your bottles to the SaltSpring Refund Centre (BottleDepot at GVM). Every littlebit helps keep our programsrunning!

Of ce Update:Call for Submissions! You are invited to submit articles tothe Acorn on any topic, including:the Conservancys history, natural

history, complexity articles,stewardship, and fundamentalconservancy interests such aspolitical policies, accountabilityand issues beyond SSI borders. If you have any ideas, write to us [email protected] [email protected] orPO Box 722, SSI, BC, V8K 2W3.Thanks!

Small Actions Help!


18/2018

Maxine Leichter: Volunteer Pro leMaxine provides invaluable assistance to the Conservancyby writing applications for grants to be submitted to federal,provincial and private nancial donors. Many of the grantapplications are complex and must be submitted in formatsspeci c to the grantor. Prior to moving to Saltspring, Maxinewrote grant applications professionally for the City of Los

Angeles, as well as working on projects to redevelop brown- eldsites such as abandoned gas stations.

The Conservancy relies on grants to fund special programs suchas the successful Stewardship 2000 campaign, which raisedawareness of the importance of conservation, and resulted inconservation covenants and land donations. We hope to run asimilar program in 2004, concentrating on endangered species.

Maxine and her husband Steve have been members of theConservancy for seven years, since falling in love with the islandand purchasing property for their planned move from Los

Angeles. They have now moved to Saltspring and are building anenvironmentally designed home. Once relocated to Saltspring,Maxine immediately offered her expertise to the Conservancy, forwhich we are most grateful.

Recognizing VolunteersVolunteers

Haiku Contest

Misty Day on Mt. Sullivan Summit. Photo Anon.

Enter your haiku about mist for a chance to win a gorgeoussatellite map of Salt Spring Island!

Like misty moonlight,watery, bewilderingour temporal way

Issa (1763-1827).

To enter simply send your poem by e-mail to The Editor [email protected] or by mail to Acorn Mist HaikuContest, c/o The SSI Conservancy, PO Box 722, SSI, BC ,V8K2W3. The poem topic is mist, but the word mist does nothave to be included in the text of the poem. Unlimited entriesallowed! Judges will be the Acorn Editorial Committee. DeadlineMarch 31st 2004. Winner Announced in the April Issue of the

Acorn.

Maxine Leichter. Photo Courtesy Steve Leichter


19/2019

Editor and Layout :Rachel Bevington

Board of Directors :Samantha Beare (Treasurer)Maureen Bendick (Vice-President)Rachel Bevington (Secretary)Nigel DenyerCharles Dorworth

Jean GelwicksPeter Lamb (President)Linda QuiringRuth Tarasoff Doug WilkinsBob Weeden (Past-President)Maggie Ziegler

The Salt Spring IslandConservancy

#203 Upper Ganges Centre,338 Lower Ganges Rd.

Mail: PO Box 722, SSI, BC V8K 2W3

Of ce hours : Mon/Wed9 am - 12 am

Phone: (250) 538-0318Fax: (250) 538-0319

Email:[email protected]

Web site:http://saltspring.gul slands.com/

conservancy

The Acorn is the newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, a local non-pro t society supporting and enabling voluntarypreservation and restoration of the natural environment of Salt Spring Island and surrounding waters. We welcome your feedback andcontributions, by email to [email protected] or by regular mail. Opinions expressed here are the authors, not subject toConservancy approval.

Membership Application

Youth (Under 16) 1 yr @ $10 _Senior, or Low-Income: 1 yr @ $15 _ 3 yr @ $45 _Regular Single 1 yr @ $20 _ 3 yr @ $60 _Regular Family 1 yr @ $30 _ 3 yr @ $90 _Group/School 1 yr @ $30 _ 3 yr @ $90 _Business 1 yr @ $50 _ 3 yr @ $150 _

Name: ______________________________________Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Postal Code: _______________Phone: ______________________________________E-mail: ______________________________________

Please send me the Acorn via e-mail.

This is a renewal for an existing membership

DonationsIn addition to my membership fee above, I have enclosedmy donation in the amount of:$50 _ $100 _ $250 _ $500 _ $1000_ Other ___________Tax reciepts will be provided for donations of $20 or more.

Volunteer Opportunities

We have a Volunteer ApplicationForm that best describes areas youwish to help in. For now, which areasinterest you? Please Circle:

Of ce Work (typing, ling orcomputer work) Information Table at SaturdayMarket Education Programs Annual Fundraising Events Information Table at SSICommunity Events Joining a SSIC Committee (Land

Restoration & Management,Fundraising, Covenants, Acquisitions, Education orStewardship) Other: _______________________

Printed on 18% recycled paper

(We NEVER give out members e-mail addresses to anyone!)

the Salt Spring Island

ConservancyGanges P.O. Box 722Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3

Horse-logging at 2000 Stewardship Event. Photo Anon.

1. Prepare a will. Without a will you lose control over yourproperty at death.2. Leave a gift in your will for the Salt Spring IslandConservancy. Imagine the positive impact if everyone made agift from their estate to our community.3. Leave a speci c dollar amount or apercentage of the assets in your will.4. Consider using assets for your charitablegift. These include but are not limited tocash, stocks, bonds, mutual funds, termdeposits, real estate, vehicles, art, jewellery,or insurance. Such gifts may even providetax savings.5. Name a not-for-pro t as a bene ciary of your RRSP, RRIF or pension.6. Name your favourite not-for-pro t as thebene ciary of an existing or paid-up lifeinsurance policy.7. Purchase a new life insurance policynaming your favourite not-for-pro t as the

bene ciary.8. Remember loved ones with memorialgifts.

9. Encourage family and friends to leave gifts to not-for-pro tsin their wills.10. Ask your nancial or estate planning advisor to includecharitable giving as part of their counsel to clients.

The Salt Spring Island Conservancy Planned Giving Program -call 538-0318 for details.

Top 10 Things You Can Do Today To Leave a Legacy


20/20

40026325

the Salt Spring Island

ConservancyGanges P.O. Box 722Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3

Documents

Winter 2004 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy