the

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The Newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy Number 19, Winter, 2001

Saved
2,600 acres now protected on Salt Spring
Conservancy negotiates covenant to preserve 262
acres of Maxwell watershed forest
by Sam Lightman
By the time you read this, the celebration will Elizabeth White’s press release announcing
be over, so really, this report is just for the the closure of the entire Texada deal – mostly
record. Nevertheless, it’s worth repeat- just for the fun of reading and relishing the
ing in print: the Salt Spring Island details one more time before we get back to
Featured Conservancy is, along with the rest of the more mundane details of our lives.
artist – the island, absolutely jubilant at the
outcome of the Texada negotiations. This is a great moment in Salt Spring history.
Fenwick
Everyone involved in any way with the success
Lansdowne
So much came right down to the of these efforts is entitled to give themselves a
see page 18
wire. The Conservancy was part of huge pat on the back. Special recognition, of
the cliff-hanger, at the last possible course, go to the folks who drove it hardest –
moment finalizing a conservation cov- Briony Penn, Gary Holman, Elizabeth White,
Inside: enant to save the entire 262-acre Maxwell Andrea Collins, and Bill Turner and TLC The
secondary watershed ecosystem. Covenant Land Conservancy of BC. Tom Gossett de-
Save...................Page 1
Committee members Charles Kahn (Chair), serves a special laurel for persevering for over
Editorial.............Page 2
and Maureen Milburn worked day and night 20 years to make his dream of the preservation
President..........Page 3
for weeks to bring it off, with significant of the Maxwell watershed a reality. The efforts
Maxwell............Page 4
assistance from their committee colleagues, of the protestors, the naked ladies of calendar
Complexity.......Page 5
Ann Richardson and Doug Wilkins. fame, and the hundreds of other unsung local
Decline............Page 8
heroes who were part of the effort to publicize
Steps.................Page 9 Inside, we’ll present Kahn’s report describing
our plight to a wider host of potential donors
Release.................Page 10 how it all came about. And for those of you
– all deserve our gratitude.
Stewardship..........Page 11 who might have missed it, we’ll reprint Tom
Time....................Page 12 Gossett’s report to the Water Preservation It was a great effort and a terrific triumph for
Feminism.............Page 13 Society, with whom the Conservancy worked Salt Spring Island – a triumph for today, and
Treaty...................Page 14 so closely to bring about the successful especially for tomorrow. A
Legacy..................Page 16 acquisition of the watershed lands; and
Lansdowne..........Page 18

1
 Editorial
Mission Accomplished (for the moment)
When the Salt Spring Island Conservancy was
first conceived, the founding mothers – the
steering committee was exclusively female –
established three objectives for the organiza-
tion: education, stewardship, and covenants.
Over the years, each of these objectives has
come to fruition. The Education Committee
has delivered a continuing menu of delights,
including guest speakers from the Habitat
Acquisition Trust, Fish for Life, Canadian
Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Parks
Canada, Environmental Law Society, CRD
Water Branch and many others. In total, we
have spent years raising consciousness over a
broad spectrum of issues concerning things
environmental. We like to think it’s been a
useful exercise, that in some small way, we’ve
made a difference, although it is clear we still
have a ways to go (see below).
On the stewardship front, we were tested
much earlier than we anticipated. We had
hardly been in operation a year when the Mill
Farm situation manifested itself. The Mill
Farm was not exactly what we had in mind in
our original thinking about stewardship, but it
was clear that we could not avoid the chal-
lenge. After the successful transfer of the Mill
Farm to the CRD Parks branch, we reverted
back to our more modest original goals,
providing stewardship information to people
who wanted to know how to restore their land
or maintain it in good health for posterity. The
current Lakes Stewardship project, underwrit-
ten by the Bullitt Foundation, allows us to
continue in this role successfully.
In many way, covenants are the most challeng-
ing aspect of our self-directed mandate. First
we have to find willing landowners. Then we
have to determine the flora and fauna that
flourishes on their properties, so we can verify
its continuance unchanged from year to year.
Then we have write it all up in a proper legal
document that meets with the landowner’s
approval. And finally we have to monitor it in
perpetuity, to make sure it is being honoured.
Hardly a trivial task.
Before the Maxwell covenant, we had com-
pleted three others, more modest in scope,
2
The Maxwell covenant process was a sort of
magnum opus, putting our Covenant Commit-
tee to the ultimate test, with a property owner
whose goals were not entirely in sync with our
own. The prize, however, made the effort
worth it. With the Maxwell covenant, it is clear
the Salt Spring Island Conservancy has arrived
at a level of maturity and accomplishment on
all three fronts of which its members can be
proud.
Where did we fail?
“…to spend public money on a place for rich women
to walk their dogs, while one-third of the civil service
goes without supper, emergency medical services are
failing and almost one-third of the citizenry cannot
find a GP, is unethical, and should be seen as
such”. –Elizabeth Nickson, National Post
We hold workshops. We write articles and
letters. We distribute brochures. We sponsor
guest lecturers. We really do try to inform our
community about the importance of preserv-
ing the incredibly rare, frail, vulnerable, and
disappearing ecosystem which surrounds and
nurtures us.
The island goes through one of the most
traumatic experiences in its history, rallies
and, mirabile dictu, wins! We persuade the
Nature Conservancy of Canada to buy the
Garry Oaks, the province and the CRD to buy
the mountains, the Water District to buy the
watershed, the developer to take a tax receipt
for the watershed trees. The province’s
contribution to this minor miracle: $9 million.
Now, $9 million falls well below the threshold
of a rounding error in the provincial budget.
On the other hand, there is the matter of a
$1.5 billion dollar tax cut, which will indeed
impact on those services Ms. Nickson – and
the rest of us – care about so passionately. Not
being personally a regular or even occasional
reader of the Post, we have no way of knowing
if she raised a similar howl over that provincial
decision, but somehow we doubt it. Irrespec-
tive of what one supposes about her priorities,
however, one thing is clear.
Our education programs have failed dismally
to penetrate the thinking of this sage. Clearly,
we are going to have to try harder. A
 President’s Corner
Green Partners
This issue of the ACORN likely will reach
you about the time local newspapers trumpet
the end of the campaign to preserve a whole
swatch of Texada Land Company’s holdings
on our Island.
Do they – do you – really think that’s the
end of anything? Sorry, folks. It may
be the end of a two-year quest to
transfer a few legal deeds, but
it is only the beginning of a
It is only the beginning never-ending stream of
of a never-ending stream deeds of will and muscle that
determine whether nature
of deeds of will and prospers or suffers on those
muscle that determine green and misty ridges.
whether nature prospers But surely, you say, now
or suffers on those green that we’ve helped raise the
issue and some money, the
and misty ridges. rest is someone else’s
problem? Nope. In fact when
Texada owned the land we
could duck any personal responsi-
bility for what happened to soil and streams,
trees and wildlife. Now we can’t. The new
owners are us. Sure, government agencies and
an NGO or two are the managing trust-
holders, but who pleaded with them to buy in?
And who but we and our kids and guests get
the goods?
The coming year or two will be pretty
confusing for everybody. Once we see the new
map of ownerships, we’ll realize what a puzzle
we’ve got. A dozen landowners in different
shades of green. Owners with one parcel,
owners with several separate ones. Managers
seeing straight lines across a curvaceous
reality. Owners eager to get cracking, owners
with no budget (not always a bad thing at first,
but a bummer if prolonged). And let’s be
honest, we the interested constituency may
never be as united during the long decades of
stewardship as we were in the rousing
months of crisis.
We need a way of gluing it all together.
It strikes me that the means are already at
hand. I’m thinking of the South and
West Salt Spring Conservation Partner-
ship, which began last century as the
Crown Lands Coalition, renamed and
reshaped itself in 1997/98, and took a break
while the intensive land-purchase efforts of the
past two years ran their course.
The Partnership was an information sharing,
coordinating group representing landholding
agencies, NGO’s, user groups, and private
owners of big blocks of land in the southwest
part of our Island. Your Conservancy acted as
host, chair, and sometimes gadfly.
That basic model would still work. There are
new players and more public and less private
land, but the need for cooperation is greater
than ever. We really need to shorten its title,
and maybe when we did that we could include
stewards of Ruckle Park, Mouat Park, Ford
Lake, the west watershed of St. Mary Lake, the
Maxwell Lake watershed, and McFadden
Creek heronry. How about “Salt Spring Island
Green Partners,” or, simply, “Green Partners?”
A year ago I ate my buttered roll while
Jimmy Carter addressed 200 veteran conserva-
tionists in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1980 Presi-
dent Carter had signed into law a bill that
established 100 million acres of protected wild
country in the North; he told us it was one of
the six actions during his presidency that
pleased him most. “But,” he said, “all I really
did was to turn over stewardship responsibility
to you folks in this room. You’ve worked for 20
years to preserve the places Congress and I
took credit for. The difference is that you’ll
never be able to relax.”
The scale of things is different, but our job
on Salt Spring is no less enduring, no less
important. A
–Bob Weeden
3
 Saving Maxwell Watershed
by Tom Gossett, Campaign Director
Salt Spring Island Water Preservation Society
In the Fall of 1999 Texada Logging Company,
owner of 5000 acres of island green space, sold
their entire land holdings to two mainland
businessmen who publicly announced plans to
harvest all the timber. A major portion of
these lands comprised the watershed of
Maxwell Lake. While fearful of the extreme
consequences of clear-cut logging in water-
sheds, we felt that this change of ownership
could provide a unique opportunity to achieve
community ownership and preservation of the
Southeast corner of the lakeshore and sur-
rounding hillsides (Lot 9). Obtaining this
parcel unlogged and undeveloped has been a
goal of our Society since its inception in 1982.
Our board of directors met with the trustees of
the North Salt Spring Waterworks District and
other island environmental organisations
urging them to make Lot 9 a high priority. A
three-stage campaign was proposed: Stage
One was the purchase of Lot 9. Stage Two was
the purchase of the 270 acres of Rippon Creek
(Maxwell Lake diversion) and Stage Three the
purchase and preservation of as much of the
timber as possible in the Rippon Creek
watershed. A dialogue and negotiations with
the new owners of Texada was started
immediately and a “Save Maxwell
Lake – Protect the Source”
campaign steering commit-
tee comprised of members
of the Society, Water
District, SSI Conservancy
and Save Salt Spring
Society was established in
the summer of 2000.
After months of tough
negotiations, the Firs-
Stage of the Maxwell Lak
Campaign was success-
fully completed. Th
Water District announce
an agreement to purchas
Lot 9 (fifty acres o
4
primary watershed lakeshore property) for
$437,000 unlogged. Partners in this purchase
included the SSI Conservancy $33,000, SSI
Appeal $17,000, our Society $100,000 and the
Water District ratepayers $287,000. The
purchase was completed on August 16 of this
year.
In the Second Stage an agreement to pur-
chase the Maxwell Lake Rippon Creek second-
ary watershed land was negotiated by August
of this year. The price for these watershed
lands was $650,000. Our Society, the Save Salt
Spring Society and the Salt Spring Appeal
each contributed $100,000. District ratepayers
will be making up the difference ($350,000)
from taxes, tolls and deferred projects. The
agreement is scheduled to close on November
30, 2001.
The above purchases left only the timber in
the Rippon Creek watershed remaining (Stage
Three). Intense negotiations between the
parties ensued. Finally, at the end of Septem-
ber Robert Macdonald offered to sell the
$1,040,000 valued timber in the Rippon Creek
watershed for $57,000 (Our Society $25,000,
Save Salt Spring Society $25,000 and proceeds
from the joint Conservancy-SSIWPS
Shooglenifty Watershed Benefit Concert
$7,000) and take a tax receipt for the balance.
We are particularly grateful to Mr. Macdonald
and all the donors—members and non-
members of our society—who gave so gener-
ously in this campaign and for years prior to
the campaign for the preservation of this
pristine watershed. In our wildest dreams, we
could not have anticipated the community
owning almost the entire Maxwell Lake
watershed by the end of this year. The total
amount of funds to save the watershed of
Maxwell Lake raised from the public is an
impressive $507,000. Add $637,000 of Water
District ratepayer participation and the total is
an eye-popping public contribution of
$1,144,500—not one penny of which came
from the Federal or Provincial governments.
A
Maxwell Watershed covenant:

79 Pages of Complexity
by Charles Kahn
Covenant Committee Chair
Who would ever have thought covenanting concern. We also found that some of the
106 hectares (262 acres) of watershed land clauses from our standard covenant template
would cost so much in time and money? Who had been omitted from the Waterworks
would even have thought it necessary when document. Changes had to be made to the
the North Salt Spring Waterworks District’s covenant on a daily basis. But, for us, that was
original deal with Texada Land Corporation only the tip of the iceberg.
was to buy the secondary watershed without the
trees? Early on, Tom Gossett took us on a tour of the
watershed and the surrounding
For the Salt area, much of which belongs to
Spring Island Tom. We visited the “residen-
Conservancy, the It seemed that wherever tial area,” which contained
story began the original 1929 homestead
when Texada we turned, there were (now in disrepair), a 460
agreed to donate new problems to deal square foot, two-room cabin,
the trees on the a one- storey, 600 square
watershed land
with and new clauses to foot barn converted to a
to the Water- be worded and inserted residence, five trailers and
works in ex- into the ever-changing mobile homes, eleven
change for a tax derelict vehicles, a number
credit for the covenant document. of operational vehicles, and
company’s a collection of motorcycles.
“ecological gift.” We were told that only four
To get this tax people were living in the
credit, the company residential area and that any others
required a tax receipt from an organization we saw were “guests.” We later discovered that
like the Conservancy, which would also have to the cabin with its septic field and the barn’s
hold an environmental covenant that would open septic pit were too close to one of the
protect the land forever. two creeks the covenant was supposed to
protect. As we worked on the covenant, it
In mid-October, we (the members of the became clear that in a conservation covenant
Conservancy’s Covenant Committee) found we couldn’t justify the residential area as it
ourselves negotiating the covenant with the existed and that the area would have to be
Waterworks (the future owner of the land), surveyed. The Waterworks agreed to pay for
which was more concerned about the contents this survey.
of the covenant than Texada (the current
owner of the land) because it was the Water- A baseline documentation report, part of the
works that would have to abide by the cov- legal covenant document and essential for
enant’s restrictions once it took possession of later monitoring of the covenant, had been
the land. It immediately became clear that the completed on the main piece of land being
Waterworks and the Conservancy shared an covenanted. However, we felt that it was
interest in conserving long-term water quality. inadequate, so we contracted to have it redone
The Conservancy wanted the covenant to at our expense. We also contracted to have a
reflect that sound watershed practices are key separate baseline documentation report
to the goal. completed on a second, totally separate six
hectare piece of land that was also part of the
The initial covenant was drafted by the watershed and part of the total area being
Waterworks, which was eager to complete the covenanted. All of this work required many
negotiations and get on with the deal as
quickly as possible. But as we examined the
continued on page 6
document, we found more and more details of

5
 continued from page 5
Complexity
visits to the two properties.
The work on the main baseline report re-
vealed large amounts of logging debris in
Rippon Creek and blocking culverts on the
logging roads that cross the watershed and
carry on to other Texada lands. This debris
was evidently left from logging conducted by
Texada Land Corp.’s predecessor, Texada
Logging Company. We determined that the
covenant would have to include a clause
relating to cleaning up the debris, and we
decided that this would be done at our
expense in the next couple of years.
It seemed that wherever we turned, there were
new problems to deal with and new clauses to
be worded and inserted into the ever-chang-
ing covenant document. As well, there were
many other agencies and individuals involved
in the covenant process. To legitimize the
ecological gift tax receipt, an official of the
Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment
Canada had to review all the documents,
including an assessment of the value of the
timber being donated, and issue a Certificate
of Ecological Certification. This and the
appraisal of the fair-market value of the timber
had to be sent for ecocertification to another
government official at BC’s Ministry of Water,
Land, and Air Protection.
We also had to consult with TLC The Land
Conservancy, our partner in the covenant, and
its concerns had to be incorporated into the
document. Finally, the completed covenant
document, by now running to some 79 pages,
and all of the other bits of legal paper, had to
be reviewed by lawyers for all parties – the two
covenant holders, the landowner (Texada),
and the future landowner (the Waterworks).
Many signatures later, the covenant was finally
completed.
We think that this is the first covenant on a
watershed in BC and quite possibly anywhere
in Canada. It’s also the most complicated
covenant on the largest piece of land that the
Conservancy has ever been involved in. While
many individuals contributed to the final
document – it was a real team effort – the job
of shepherding the covenant through the
legal maze, with the infinite number of details
involved, fell to Maureen Milburn, and she
worked tirelessly on the project for almost two
months. Congratulations to all involved, but a
6
special thank you to Maureen, whose enor-
mous contribution of time, energy, patience,
perspicacity, and persistence ensured its
successful completion.
And a PS from Ms. Milburn
Often those who work behind the scenes are
most instrumental in setting the stage for
achievement but they often fail to receive
credit for their outstanding work. Maureen
Bendick is one such person. Tomorrow
Maureen will hand deliver two replacement
pages of the covenant document to Ashurst
our lawyer in Victoria. This is somehow
fitting because it was Maureen who initially
forged our alliance with the Water Preserva-
tion Society and NSSWD. It is because of her
work in that area that Bob Brawn approached
SSIC to write the covenant on the watershed.
As a fundraiser Maureen also secured $5,000
in funds from Maralyn Thaden Dexter for
covenant work. Without this endowment the
committee would have had great difficulty
fulfilling the needs of such a complicated
covenant. And who do you know who would
have the dedication to call me up every other
day or so throughout this difficult negotia-
tion offering and giving her assistance in
many different ways? Maureen did just that
and I will be forever grateful to her for her
wise and steady advice. So let’s give credit
where credit is due — to the behind-the-
scenes folks like Maureen without whom this
covenant would never have happened.
Sincerest thanks from Maureen Milburn and
the Covenant Committee.
And finally, a special thanks to Elizabeth
Anderson, notary public, for donating her
time to the Covenant Committee. A
What We Saved
by Robin Anderson
[In order for a covenant to have meaning, the
covenant holders have to determine what is
currently on the property. The covenant holders
then monitor the property yearly and note any
changes that have been made in the interim. If
those changes are outside the covenant agree-
ment, charges may be assessed by the covenant
holder against the owner of the property. The
determination of current condition is called
“baseline” data. Here are excerpts from an
continued on page 7
continued from page 6
What we saved
extensive and thorough-going baseline study of
the Maxwell watershed area under consideration,
prepared by Robin Anderson for the Salt Spring
Island Conservancy. –Ed.]
3.0 Description and Current Uses
The property is irregular in shape and slopes
downhill northwesterly from near the peak of
Mt. Maxwell to a point near Maxwell Lake.
The parcel area is 100.3 ha (247.8 acres).
Overall topography is moderately sloping with
some steeper sections. Several small ephem-
eral watercourses have been identified.
Vegetation is dominated by dense stands of
second growth Douglas fir with hemlock, red
cedar and red alder in moister areas. There is
a large wetland at the headwaters of Rippon
creek, and smaller wetlands are dotted along
the ephemeral water courses that drain the
property.
There is a total of 4.7km of roads throughout
the property, some of which have been
recently upgraded by the Texada Land
Corporation. Three families reside in the
residential area, in a complex of small build-
ings and scattered trailers and motor homes.
Due to the short time frame in which this
covenant was completed, and to the complex-
ity of the residential area and network of
logging roads, a disproportionate amount of
time was spent in the mapping and inventory
of human impacts and disturbance to the
property. A more detailed inventory and
mapping of the wetland, riparian and forest
ecosystems is desirable at a later date.
4.0 History of the Property
The area was partially logged in about 1918 for
railway ties and was again logged in about
1952. Subsequently, thinning with a feller-
buncher was conducted by the original Texada
in several areas in the mid-nineties. The
original homestead was built by the Carter
family in 1929. Seven people were raised in the
house which still stands. The Carter family
sold to Prince Thurn und Taxis in the fifties.
He had made his fortune providing courier
services to the German army during WWII.
Upon his death, his wife frittered away his
assets and eventually the land was sold to the
current owners, the Texada Land Corporation.
Tom Gossett pastured his cattle in the back
field in the seventies, and at one time there
was a cabin back there.
5.0 Significance of the Property
This property comprises approximately 56%
of the watershed of Maxwell Lake. Maxwell
Lake is important as the only significant
source of good quality water on Salt Spring
Island. It also is one of the very few lakes in
the Insular Lowland limnological region that
is in a relatively pristine state and is therefore
important for ecological reasons, as well as for
scientific study. Maxwell Lake is very sensitive
to water quality deterioration from increased
nutrient loading from its watershed. In this
respect maintenance of the watershed with its
natural vegetation and in a relatively undis-
turbed state insures the lowest practical level
of nutrient input to Maxwell Lake. Limited
water quality testing in Rippon Creek indi-
cates phosphorus levels are near the maxi-
mum value consistent with protecting Maxwell
Lake. The protection of this property also
contributes significantly to the integrity of the
general Mt. Maxwell area and its important
biodiversity values.
6.0 The Management Vision
The purpose of this covenant is to protect the
land, the vegetation and the quality of the
water it supplies in perpetuity. This will be
facilitated by the landowner and monitored
on an annual basis by the Covenant Holders.
7.0 Natural Features of the Property
7.4 Vegetation Communities
The slopes of the Maxwell Lake watershed are
in the driest sub-zone of the Coastal Western
Hemlock biogeoclimatic zone. The natural
vegetation in drier areas consists primarily of
Coast Douglas Fir, with lesser amounts of
Western Red Cedar, as well as some hemlock
and white pine. The understory is salal,
Oregon grape, mosses and lichens. Moister
areas contain Coast Douglas Fir, red alder,
Western Red Cedar and hemlock, with
occasional cottonwood and big leaf maple.
The understory is sword fern, salal, bracken,
mosses and lichens.
7.5 Wildlife
To have such a large continuous area of
protected habitat with limited human access
continued on page 8
7
 continued from page 7
What we saved
connected to the ecological reserve is a great
asset to wildlife. Black tailed deer use the
property extensively as evidenced by the
abundant scat and networks of trails as well as
direct observation during field work. The
wetlands provide excellent habitat for water-
fowl and for the following species of amphib-
ians which would be expected on this prop-
erty: roughskin newts (Taricha granulosa),
pacific treefrogs (Hyla regilla), red-legged frogs
(Rana aurora), long-toed salamanders
(Ambystoma macrodactylum), and Western toads
(Bufo boreas). The British Columbia Conserva-
tion Data Center classifies the red-legged frog
as a Blue-listed (vulnerable) species.
7.6 Disturbance
Part of the land is reported to have been
affected by a forest fire many years ago.
Evidence of this can still be seen in the
charred stumps of the upper watershed. It has
certainly been logged many times, and
managed as a commercial forestry operation
Sometimes we simply have to decline
by Maureen Milburn
Some months ago, the Islands Trust ap-
proached the Salt Spring Island Conservancy
to consider holding a covenant it wanted to
negotiate as part of a density transfer plan.
The plan was originally initiated as a result of
recommendations by the Advisory Planning
Commission and first proposed to the Trust
Fund Board. The Board turned it down as an
insufficiently large tract for their purposes,
and the Trust then asked us to become
involved.
The idea was to transfer densities from a
property in a “sending” area to a property in a
“receiving” area, and then set the resulting
undevelopable property aside as green space.
From the Conservancy’s point of view, how-
ever, there was a snag. The trust had produced
a baseline study that was inadequate for our
purposes of monitoring the covenant.
The covenant process is detailed and involves
a yearly monitoring. The baseline study is the
basis on which this monitoring can take
place. A baseline study indicates what natural
features are present on the land at the time
the covenant is placed there. This includes
8
(clear-cutting, spacing, commercial thinning).
The property contains a considerable length
of roads (4.7km) which will have the most
serious and lasting effect on the hydrology of
the watershed. Though the creeks are small
and mostly ephemeral, they are profoundly
impacted by the presence of roads both
blocking their flow and generating sediment
for years to come. The two most recent
disturbances occurred in the last two years as
the current owner built or increased the
capacity of existing roads, and in the last 6 or 7
years since the previous owners commercially
thinned with a feller-buncher.
8.2 Trails
There are a great many trails throughout the
property. Some of those in the immediate
vicinity of the residential area are mapped, as
are some in various other parts of the prop-
erty. This is by no means a complete account
of the trails on the property, and a more
thorough inventory is desirable in order to
monitor minimize public access. A
flora and fauna and any manmade elements.
Without adequate baseline data we would not
know what changes if any had occurred on the
land from year to year. If natural features such
as trees have been logged, this triggers a
process by which financial compensation must
be made to the covenant holders. This is the
only deterrent in the covenant. The baseline
study is therefore critical in order to monitor
any unnaturally occurring physical changes
that may take place on the land throughout
the years, i.e., logging , destruction of flora or
fauna through grazing, dumping, etc.
The planner indicated that the trust did not
want to engage in this level of legality regard-
ing a covenant but preferred to trust the
landowner to do the proper thing. As the
legally responsible party, however, we have to
be more conservative in our approach. We
requested an upgraded, more detailed base-
line. The Trust indicated that they had not
informed the property owner of the additional
expense and they themselves were not pre-
pared to fund an augmented study. At which
point we withdrew from the proceedings. A
 STEPS IN COMPLETING A COVENANT
[Creating a conservation covenant is an undertak-
ing for posterity. It has to be right, and making it
right is no trivial task. Here is the Conservancy’s
step-by-step process. –Ed.]
1. Tour property with owner to determine if a
covenant is appropriate. Discuss costs with
owner – survey, legal costs and contribution to
Land Stewardship Fund. Give landowner a
copy of Covenant Brochure, Leaving a Living
Legacy, Schedules C- Restrictions and D-
Reserved Rights.
2. Complete Environmental Assessment form.
3. Obtain title information from owner.
4. Recommendation to Board re pursuing
covenant and Board action.
5. Advise owner to consult legal and tax advi-
sors.
6. Have landowner arrange for survey of home
site.
7. Compile Baseline Data Report, including
maps, photographs, air photos, floral and
faunal inventories
8. Negotiate Restrictions and Reserved Rights
Schedules
9. Enlist backup with The Land Conservancy of
BC or other land trust.
10. If the land is in the Agricultural Land
Reserve (ALR) or the Forest Land Reserve (FLR),
contact the appropriate reserve office to
discuss any concerns it may have about the
conservation covenant. Obtain the written
consent of the land reserve where necessary.
11. Have an appraisal completed where
necessary.
10. Obtain a Legal Review of the document.
11. Obtain Board Acceptance of the covenant.
12. Execute the conservation covenant.
Notarize signatures.
13. File document with the Land Title Office.
14. Monitor the covenant to ensure compli-
ance with the terms of the agreement at least
once each year. A
9
 And for the record...
T h e Sa l t Spr i n g A p p e a l P r e s s Re l e a s e .
For immediate release December 1, 2001
DEAL GOES THROUGH. 2,600 ACRES NOW
PROTECTED ON SALT SPRING
In just four weeks, Salt Spring Islanders have
raised over $300,000, needed to complete a
complicated land deal that sees 1,643 acres
purchased for parkland at a cost of $15.9
million. The deal closed November 30th. All
levels of government and the community
came together in a massive effort to save the
area from further logging and proposed
housing development. This deal brings the
total land purchased from Texada Land Co. to
2,600 acres. Purchased properties now include
the Maxwell Lake watershed (a source of
drinking water for the island), all of Burgoyne
Bay with its extensive Garry oak meadows and
forests, and hillsides on Mt. Maxwell, Mt.
Sullivan, Mt. Bruce and Mt. Tuam.
“It seemed like the whole of Salt Spring rallied
round to support the final fundraising push.
Thank you to
10
everyone who has made this possible. We have
gained a huge new protected area of great
ecological significance, and the community
now has a voice in the future of these lands”,
said Elizabeth White, fundraiser for the Salt
Spring Appeal.
The most recent land acquisitions will see a
large provincial park at Burgoyne Bay, and a
CRD regional park that will eventually connect
from Mt. Sullivan through to Mill Farm
Regional Park. In addition to the parkland
acquisition, 262 acres of the Maxwell Lake
watershed is being purchased by the North
Salt Spring Waterworks District (NSSWD) and
is being protected by covenants to be held by
the Salt Spring Island Conservancy and The
Land Conservancy of BC. “We hope that the
adjacent properties still held by Texada will be
purchased by people who want to protect the
forests and their wildlife” said Andrea Collins
who today announced that she has purchased
one of these lots.
Partners in the $15.9 million deal include the
Province, the Georgia Basin Ecosystem
Initiative, the Capital Regional District, and
The Land Conservancy of BC (TLC). Prior to
this, the NSSWD had negotiated a separate
watershed purchases of 47.5 acres, and The
Nature Trust of British Columbia had pur-
chased 705 acres on the north shore of
Burgoyne Bay early in 2001. A
Project Report
Community-Based Watershed Stewardship
by Murray Reiss
Community-based watershed stewardship is an
idea that is catching on all over B.C. The
Conservancy’s lakes and watershed steward-
ship project that I’ve been coordinating since
June is part of that emphsis. The project is
closely linked with the process of Watershed
Management Planning that was the subject of
the recent forum the Conservancy sponsored,
“Saving our Lakes through Community
Action.”
The goal of watershed management is to plan
and work toward an environmentally and
economically healthy watershed that benefits
all who have a stake in it. It’s also been called
a holistic approach which recognizes that all
ecosystem components and functions are
interconnected and that identifies and
protects processes that maintain and support
these interconnections.
It’s community based because this process is
locally driven by community members who
wish to address a broad spectrum of interests
and needs both for the present as well as the
long term. Community based planning
normally begins with developing a common
vision for the community’s watershed and
defining a process that maximizes co-opera-
tion and participation amongst community
members. Just as the watershed itself depends
on complex interactions among many living
forms, effective stewardship depends on
partnerships that include everyone with a
stake in the watershed’s health.
It makes sense then that this project
has depended on the contributions
of many partners to accomplish
what it has.
The Cusheon Lake Steward-
ship Committee identified
the need for a brochure for
tourists to inform them that
although our lakes are here to
be enjoyed they are also major
sources of drinking water.
Together, we created a pamphlet
that included guidelines on how to
keep from polluting our lakes as
well as how to conserve water while
visiting Salt Spring. Thanks to some
tireless volunteers (Marilyn Thaden-Dexter,
Michael Butler, Jim Spencer and Blake
Richards) a thousand copies were distributed
to island B&B’s and other tourist accommoda-
tions. We’ve printed 2,500 more for next
spring’s tourist season.
A bi-weekly “WaterWise” column in the
Barnacle informed islanders on issues ranging
from water conservation indoors and out-
doors, to septic system maintenance and
nonpoint source pollution.
We’ve also produced a brochure for all the
residents in the watersheds of Saint Mary,
Cusheon and Weston Lakes, promoting good
watershed stewardship practices. A centerfold
illustration by Donald Gunn accompanies
advice on topics like reducing run-off and
increasing soil absorption; eliminating phos-
phates and other pollutants; septic system
maintenance; conservation; and non-polluting
car care. John Sprague provided invaluable
technical assistance both on the brochure and
the “WaterWise” columns. Both the Islands
Trust and the Salmon Enhancement Society
are helping us distribute the pamphlet.
The “Saving our Lakes” forum that I men-
tioned earlier brought together speakers from
Salt Spring, Saanich and Victoria to talk about
their experiences with community-based
watershed stewardship. From Salt Spring, we
had Kathy Reimer of the St. Mary Lake/Duck
Creek Stewardship group, and Wayne Hewitt
of the Cusheon Lake Stewardship Committee.
Off-islanders included John Roe of Victoria’s
Veins of Life Watershed Society, Eric Bonham
of the Highlands Lake Stewardship Group,
and Mary Haig-Brown of the Friends of Tod
Creek Watershed. An exciting picture
emerged of watershed stewardship as a new
form of governance, rooted on the eco-system
level; to succeed, our speakers all agreed, it
can’t leave anyone out. It’s an approach that
stresses education at the community or
neighbourhood level, without which all the
rules and regulations in the world never seem
to work. A
11
 Walk Through Time a Great Success
by Jean Gelwicks & Peter Lamb
1. Introduction
In June 2001, Salt Spring Island was given the
opportunity to have the Walk Through Time
exhibit after a Vancouver conference in
September. The dates agreed on were Friday,
September 28 through Monday, October 1. A
small group was assembled to explore the
possibility of hosting such an
event and it was soon agreed
to proceed with the
necessary planning
We believe that it is activities. The Salt
crucial in this time in
Spring Island Conserv-
history that we, the ancy agreed to be the
sponsor of the Walk.
human species, learn
The group decided
to work together in early in its discussions
community to solve
that the Walk itself
the planet’s problems. would be the central
feature around which
other related events
would take place. It was
also decided to involve the local
schools as much as possible.
Responsibility for planning the event fell into
five areas - special events, tours and schools,
publicity, fund-raising and route coordination.
2. Objectives.
The Walk Through Time is a way to enhance a
sense of awe of the world in which we live. It
can be an inspiration to young and old alike to
preserve and cherish our natural world and a
rich context in which to ask today’s pressing
questions...about our personal role and that of
our community in life’s future.
One of the great strengths of the Walk
Through Time is its intention to expand our
traditional and limited understanding of
“community”. We are accustomed to restrict
that term to human interaction, but today we
are learning that humanity must also build
community with the Earth, and with all
creatures that know the Earth as home.
Because we have not seen that truth—because
in so many ways our mechanized, urbanized
culture alienates us from Mother Earth—we
violate our need for community with the Earth
and in so doing undermine the quality of our
own existence. This Walk invited people to
understand themselves as integrally involved
12
in deep community with the Earth. It invited
us into a new communion‚ with the mystery
and the majesty of the material environment
which is our home.
We believe that it is crucial in this time in
history that we, the human species, learn to
work together in community to solve the
planet’s problems. We need a new way of
thinking, away from a human-centered culture
to a life-centered culture. We need to learn to
widen our definition of community to em-
brace all living things.
3. Conclusion.
The Walk was a great success in raising
awareness in the community and allowing
schoolchildren the opportunity to experience
the Earth story in a different way. 675 children
from 32 classes were given guided Walks and
an estimated 600 adults attended the Walk
over the four days of the event. On the
weekend, guides led 10 public tours of the
Walk.
The talk and slide show by David Denning,
organised the week before the Walk, attracted
over 100 people - a standing room only event!
Also, the interactive presentation by Judith
Bradley and friends, held during the Walk,
provided an entertaining and informative
evening for an audience of all ages. On the
weekend, drumming, chanting, movement
dance and Playback Theatre added to the
message of the Walk.
Another measure of the impact of the Walk on
our small community was the large number of
volunteers who made the event possible - to
greet participants at the start, meet them at
the end, guide tours, set-up and take-down the
panels each day, monitor the route, provide
crossing guard duties and whatever else
needed to be done. In total, about 120
volunteers gave their time and their talents to
the Walk!
4. Financial.
Final accounting for the Walk is not yet
completed. In total, we were able to raise
almost $5,800 which will be sufficient to cover
all our expenses. A
Feminism Could Save the Planet
(but then you knew that already)
Planetary plundering threatens Earth: UN
report
Reuters News Agency
London, Wednesday, November 07 — The which has doubled to 6.1 billion in the past 40
human race is plundering Earth at an unprec- years, is projected to surge 50 per cent to 9.3
edented rate, but the growing power of billion within another half century, with all the
women over their own futures could save the growth in developing countries whose re-
planet from destruction, the United Nations sources are already overstretched.
said on Wednesday.
“By 2050, 4.2 billion people (over 45 per cent
“More people are using more resources with of the global total) will be living in countries
more intensity than at any point in human that cannot meet the daily requirement of 50
history,” the UN said in its annual world litres of water per person to meet basic needs,”
population report for 2001. the report said.
But Alex Marshall, editor of the report, said a It said water was being used and polluted at
ray of hope lay in the fact that women catastrophic rates.
were winning the war to
At present 54 per cent of
control their fertility and
available fresh water
had finally gained the ear “You are finding a supplies is being used
of government. tremendous up- annually — two-thirds for
“Nearly 60 per cent of surge of strength agriculture.
women now have access to
some sort of family among women This figure is set to surge
to 70 per cent by 2025 due
planning — even if you joining together to to population growth
take China out of that you do what they see alone, and 90 percent if
still have about 40 per
needs to be done.” consumption in the
cent,” he told Reuters in an
developing countries
interview.
reaches the levels in the
“The whole attitude has developed world.
changed. You are finding a
Water is being used at unsustainable rates in
tremendous upsurge of
many places, with water tables under some
strength among women
Chinese, Latin American and South Asian
joining together to do what
cities dropping by more than one metre a year
they see needs to be done.
and water from seas and rivers being diverted
“There is a sense now with disastrous results.
that you can’t just
The report said 1.1 billion people already do
ignore the little people.
not have access to clean water, and in develop-
You can’t just ignore
ing nations up to 95 per cent of sewage and 70
women. You have got to
per cent of industrial waste is simply being
listen and you have got
dumped untreated into water courses.
to respond somehow,”
he said. Vital rain forests are being destroyed at the
highest rate in history, taking with them
And if we fail...
crucial sources of biodiversity and contribut-
His report painted an ing to climate warming, thereby boosting
otherwise bleak picture of already rising sea levels.
the planet.
The seas continue to be massively
The world’s population, overexploited and erosion is taking a rising
toll of plant species — one quarter of which
could be lost forever by 2025. A
13
 Update on First Nations Land Claims on Salt Spring Island
T h e R e f e r e n d u m o n Tr e a t y N e g o t i a t i o n s
by Phil Vernon
The provincial Liberal government’s The Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group
proposed referendum has This past year the Hul’qumi’num Treaty
already had an impact on Group1 returned to active negotiations after
treaty negotiations. two years spent in restructuring. At the July
Provincial negotiators 31st Main Table Meeting in Ladysmith they
were instructed to presented Discussion of Negotiating Priorities &
remove governance Work Plan on HTG Interests2, a thorough
and other issues document which sets out in clear detail the
from the table areas to be addressed in moving from the
until after a current Framework Agreement to the next
referendum is stage of negotiations, the Agreement in
held, a move First Principle (AIP).
Nations saw as
being in breach of As lands and resources continue to be alien-
the Protocol ated from the Crown, the success of treaty
Agreement signed negotiations and by extension the future well-
by all parties. being of aboriginal peoples are threatened.
Under the BC Treaty Commission process,
The report from Interim Measures (IMs) and Treaty Related
the Select Stand- Measures (TRMs) can be negotiated to ensure
ing Committee on that threatened cultural values are protected
Aboriginal Affairs until a Final Agreement is signed. Interim
which held province- Measures and TRM lands may or may not be
wide hearings into part of a final settlement. A recent TRM set
potential referendum aside what is known as Hill 60 near Cowichan
questions is due November Lake; these lands were recognized as culturally
30th, and is expected to recommend going significant to the Hul’qumi’num and removed
forward with the referendum despite the for the time being from timber harvesting.
enormous opposition voiced by a broad range
of submissions at every hearing. The govern- There are a number of areas which the HTG
ment will probably decide on the wording of has stated are most critical to their people,
the questions in the new year, with the referen- and which are also of particular interest to
dum to be held some time in June or July. Gulf Islanders. In the area of land, the HTG is
seeking TRMs on the selection and protection
While the First Nations Summit has called for of Crown lands for spiritual & wilderness
a boycott of any participation in the referen- protection and for economic development.
dum, they are seeking funding to mount an Because of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway
education campaign on treaty negotiations. endowment in the 19th Century, almost no
Other activist groups organized within the Crown lands exist on the east side of Vancou-
newly-formed BC Referendum Action Network ver Island, severely limiting potential settle-
are developing a “Stick It to the Referendum” ment lands at several treaty tables, and making
campaign, with mass-distribution of adhesive Salt Spring’s Crown parcels more important.
stickers which voters can use to spoil their
ballots. Another significant area is an Interim Measure
which the HTG wants on the creation of the
Of the two aboriginal groups described below, Gulf Islands National Park, the expansion of
the Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group are proceed- BC Parks in the islands, and Marine Protected
ing as quickly as possible in treaty areas not Area development. The HTG has indicated its
proscribed by the new provincial government. interest in becoming partners with federal and
The Tsawout First Nation is not in negotia- provincial park authorities to co-manage park
tions, but must surely be dismayed by the lands in their traditional territories.
prospect of a referendum and the potential
for anti-aboriginal sentiment being inflamed.
continued on page 15
14
continued from page 14

Referendum

In the face of increasing development and In 1985 the Tsawout people succeeded in
following the recent desecration of a burial obtaining an important ruling in BC Supreme
site on Valdez island, the HTG are also seeking Court halting the construction of a marina in
a TRM to inventory and protect sacred and the waters of Saanichton Bay. The court upheld
burial sites, of which there are many on Salt the Douglas Treaty as applying to contemporary
Spring Island. In mid-November negotiators protection of the Tsawout First Nation’s rights
for the federal and provincial governments to hunting and fishing “as formerly,” which the
and the HTG toured Salt Spring to view the marina had threatened. A
lands and sites of interest to these negotia- 1
The HTG represents six bands in negotiation under the
tions.
protocol of the BC Treaty Commission: Cowichan
The Tsawout First Nation Tribes(Duncan), Cowichan Lake, Chemainus, Penelakut
(Kuper Island), Lyackson (Valdez Island), and
Besides the Hul’qumi’num, a second language Halalt(Westholme).
group with claims to parts of the Gulf Islands 2
Copies of documents cited can be obtained from Phil
are the Wsanec, or Saanich, peoples. The Vernon, of Salt Spring Islanders for Justice and Reconcilia-
Tsawout First Nation, located at Saanichton tion.
Bay, owns the Reserve at the east side of the
entrance to Fulford Harbour. Their ancestors
were signatories to one of the treaties drawn
up by James Douglas in 1850 as head of the
Hudson Bay Company. The so-called Douglas
Treaties guaranteed that aboriginal “village
sites and enclosed fields” would not
be encroached upon,
and that aboriginal
people would be “at
liberty to hunt over the
unoccupied lands, and
to carry on our fisheries
as formerly.” (For this
they received seventy-
five pounds Sterling).
Despite the text of the
treaty stating the signato-
ries agree to give over all
remaining lands forever,
the Tsawout people insist
their ancestors under-
stood the document to be
an agreement to live
together peacefully, and
no more. They declare
that no settlement has
been ever been made
regarding lands, and that a
settlement must one day
be negotiated. However,
the Tsawout will likely not
pursue treaty making under
the BC Treaty Commission, but
rather negotiate directly with the
federal government.

15
 Make a Lasting Difference on Salt Spring -
Leave a Legacy
Canadians are living in a time when the largest
ever transfer of wealth is passing from those
born in the Depression to the next genera-
tions. Between 1990-2010, 3.5 million Canadi-
ans are expected to leave $1 trillion to their
families and communities upon their passing.
Working with a tax advisor is a way to take
advantage of reduced taxes and increased
benefits of leaving a legacy to your community.
With foresight and planning, almost everyone
can make a difference during their life and
beyond. Many Salt Spring residents are
making a difference by choosing to leave a
Conservation Covenant on their land. A
conservation covenant is a voluntary, written
agreement in which the landowner promises
to protect the land in specified ways in perpe-
tuity. The Conservancy’s Covenant Committee
is currently assisting 17 local landowners with
covenants at this time. More volunteers are
needed for this important work.
Financial assistance is also essential to support
this work. A vast number of Salt Spring
residents generously give their money and
time to local not-for-profits. But many people
are unaware that by making a gift in their will
or estate plan to the not-for-profit groups of
their choice, they can continue to help people
in need or promote a favourite cause. And
there may be tax benefits to these gifts. Under
the Ecological Gifts Program, the Federal
government has reduced the tax
payable on capital gains associated
with conservation-related gifts
by 50%.
The Salt Spring Island
Conservancy Planned
Giving Program
One way you
can assist the
Salt Spring
Island Conser-
vancy is through
the SSIC Planned
Giving Program.
Gifts to the Conser-
vancy benefit our
community, and become
your legacy to the future of Salt Spring Island.
Your gifts help foster a sense of community
16
involvement and pride by helping to protect
Salt Spring’s natural environment. There are
many reasons why a person, group or business
might choose to gift SSIC:
• to commemorate a great occasion or
achievement
• to celebrate a birthday or anniversary
• to assist a stewardship project
• in remembrance of someone who
cared about preservation on Salt
Spring
Tax Advantages
A donation to the SSIC program has tax
advantages beneficial to you and/or your
family or organization. A donation of cash or
assets may:
• provide a tax credit
• provide an even better tax credit if the
donation is in the form of securities
• reduce taxes on your estate if pro-
vided in a will
• provide immediate tax credit and
lessen probate fees if SSIC is the
owner and beneficiary of an insurance
policy
• provide virtually tax-free income if you
are 70 or over and the income is
derived from a charitable gift annuity.
These are just a few of the ways that you can
help support SSIC and benefit from reduced
corporate or income taxes and probate fees.
Consult your financial advisor or call SSIC to
discuss the advantages of charitable giving.
Questions and Answers about leaving a gift
How do I leave a gift for a not-for-profit
organization that I admire?
You can arrange for a gift in several ways, the
most common being a charitable gift through
a bequest in a will. Many people set aside a
certain dollar amount. Others leave a percent-
age of their estate or any assets left over after
their family has been provided for. Some
continued on page 17
continued from page 17

Legacy

people donate something they own, like land

or their home. Others leave a paid-up life
insurance policy, securities, retirement ac-
count or other financial investment.
Do I have to include my wish to leave a gift to
a specific organization in my will?
A charitable bequest will not take effect unless
you state your intention in your will. Without a
will, you lose control over your property after
death. Your property and finances are settled
according to provincial laws whether or not
they coincide with your and your family’s
wishes.
Do I tell the not-for-profit that I’ve left a gift? percentage of the assets in your will.

That is up to you. Not-for-profits often like to
know in advance so they can recognise your
generosity. They can also tell you about
opportunities for giving for a specific purpose.
How do I leave a gift in memory of a person?
A gift is a wonderful way to recognize someone
who has made a difference in your life. This
kind of memorial gift can be arranged in your
will. You just need to make it clear that the gift
is given in memory of a particular person.
Who can help me arrange for a gift?
Your favourite not-for-profit organization may
be a good source of information. If you have a
professional advisor you’re working with - like
a financial or estate planner, lawyer, account-
ant, or insurance agent - please talk with him
or her about leaving a gift. He or she can tell
you about the tax benefits of planned gifts. An
advisor can make sure you are getting the
maximum tax and legal advantages allowed for
your gift. If you do not have an advisor, you
can find a professional to help you through a
referral from a local organization.
Things You Can Do To Leave a Legacy
1. Prepare a will. Without a will you lose
control over your property at death.
2. Leave a gift in your will for the Salt
Spring Island Conservancy. Imagine
the positive impact if everyone made a
gift from their estate to our commu-
nity.
3. Leave a specific dollar amount or a
4. Consider using assets for your charita-
ble gift. These include but are not
limited to cash, stocks, bonds, mutual
funds, term deposits, or insurance.
Such gifts may even provide tax
savings.
5. Name a not-for-profit as a beneficiary
of your RRSP, RRIF or pension.
6. Name your favourite not-for-profit as
the beneficiary of an existing or paid-
up life insurance policy.
7. Purchase a new life insurance policy
naming your favourite not-for-profit
as the beneficiary.
8. Remember loved ones with memorial
gifts.
9. Encourage family and friends to leave
gifts to not-for-profits in their wills.
10. Ask your financial or estate planning
advisor to include charitable giving in
their counsel to clients.
For more information about conservation
covenants, planned giving, or to volunteer
time to assist the Covenant Committee,
contact the Conservancy office at 538-0318 or
by email at ssiconservancy@saltspring.com A

17
 [When Donald Gunn mentioned in passing that Fenwick
Featured Lansdowne lives in Victoria, we immediately thought, ‘close
enough’, and got on the phone. One of the world’s most
artist – celebrated artists of bird life, Mr. Lansdowne was kind enough

Fenwick Lansdown to respond to our request to reprint his drawings with permis-
sion. We are pleased to offer them throughout this editionas
our Christmas gift to the membership. –Ed.]

Born in Hong Kong in 1937, Fenwick Lansdowne was the only child of British parents having a
long association with Asia. At the age of three he came with his family to British Columbia and
spent the next six years on Vancouver Island, where he developed an early interest in birds and
drawing. After a brief return to Hong Kong, his family settled in Victoria in 1948 and
Lansdowne continued his education at St. Michael’s School and Victoria High School.
The artist’s work first attracted national attention in 1956, when John A Livingston arranged an
exhibition of forty watercolours at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. In the next few years
Lansdowne held one man exhibitions at Audubon House and the Kennedy Galleries in New
York and the Tryon Gallery in London. Since then, his paintings have appeared in many major
shows and in galleries in Canada, United States, Britain, Europe, South Africa, Asia and Aus-
tralia. In the late 1970s, the Smithsonian Institution mounted a two-
year travelling exhibition of 42 paintings, entitled Rails of the
World.
In 1967 a Lansdowne painting was presented by Lester B. Pearson
on behalf of the Canadian Government to H.R.H Prince Philip
and in 1977 a painting was a jubilee gift from Canada
to H.M. Queen Elizabeth. A painting entitled
“Canada Geese” was commissioned by the
Canadian Armed Forces as a wedding
present to Prince Charles and Princess
Diana and another hangs in the resi-
dence of the United States Vice-President.
Fenwick Lansdowne was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in
1977 and in 1979 was given an honourary Doctor of Law degree by the
University of Victoria. In 1995 he was made a member of the Order of
British Columbia, the highest award in the province.
His publications include Birds of the Northern Forest, Birds of the Eastern
Forest Part One, Birds of the Eastern Forest Part two, Birds of the West
Coast Volume I (some drawings from which are reproduced on these
pages), Birds of the West Coast Volume II, and Rails of the World.
Lansdowne is presently painting west coast birds for exhibition and sale. A

18
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
sam_lightman@saltspring.com
or by regular mail to the
Conservancy office.
Editor/Designer:
Sam Lightman
Board of Directors:
Maureen Bendick
Samantha Beare
Jean Gelwicks
Gary Holman
Peter Lamb
Andrew Lewis
Sam Lightman
Andrea Rankin
Ann Richardson
Ruth Tarasoff
Doug Wilkins
Membership Application Participation
Individual $15 I would like to participate in the work of the Conserv-
ancy by volunteering in the following way(s):
Family $20
Underemployed $10
Research

Land restoration
Name:

Office work
Address:

Site evaluation and habitat identification

Computer work
Postal Code:

Mapping
Phone: Fax:
email:
Fund raising
Please email the Acorn to me.
Specific educational programs (your ideas
welcome)
Donations
Joining the Board of Directors (this Board is
Tax deductible receipts are provided for every active, not passive)
donation over $20.

Other (your suggestions)
In addition to my $15-20 membership fee, I have
the Salt Spring Island
enclosed my donation in the amount of:

$25 $50 $100

Co n s e r v a n c y
Ganges PO Box 722
Salt Spring Island, BC
Bob Weeden,
V8K 2W3
President Other________ http://salt-spring.bc.ca/conservancy/

printed on recycled paper

19
 the Salt Spring Island
Co n s e r v a n c y
Ganges PO Box 722
Salt Spring Island, BC
V8K 2W3

20