Dear Friends of Conservation,
Rising spectacularly out of the northern reaches of the Salish Sea, Cortes Island’s varied topography has created a rich landscape with a complex of habitats that encourage robust biological diversity. From the sea-sprayed, chiselled coastline to the dense forest sprinkled with provincially blue-listed reindeer lichen (Cladina spp.), the island is home to species of all magnitudes including majestic resident gray wolves (Canis lupus). Part of Cortes’ distinctiveness is its location within a transitional area between the at-risk Coastal Douglas-fir (CDF) and Coastal Western Hemlock (CWH) biogeoclimatic zones. Such areas offer refuge for species and ecological communities as we experience changes in our climate: contiguous corridors provide species with the potential to extend their ranges to areas that, previously unfavourable, may provide greater opportunity in the future. However, species resiliency relies on these glorious greenbelts remaining intact.
Located on the unceded territory of the Klahoose and Tla’amin First Nations, our recently registered conservation covenant on southern Cortes Island expands and further connects existing networks of protected areas on the island. Protecting more than 16 acres of multi-aged forest and wildlife corridor between Hank’s Beach Forest Conservation Park and Poisson Cove, the covenant provides wildlife the opportunity to safely venture to alternative areas where resources may be more easily found. For species at risk including the blue-listed northern red-legged frog (Rana aurora), this can be particularly important as their habitat is already heavily impacted by habitat degradation and fragmentation.
The primary purpose of the Cortes Island conservation covenant – like many of our covenants – is to allow the natural forest succession to proceed and develop a biologically diverse, mixed-age, old-growth forest. If stewarded responsibly this goal is attainable, however, enabling a thriving ecosystem within a province experiencing heightened development pressure requires continued attention. TLC expert involvement including biologists, educators, and legal professionals make this possible.
Annual monitoring of our conservation covenants is a critical step in ensuring that protected areas are supporting healthy ecosystems and that the terms of the covenant are being upheld. Scientific monitoring methods completed annually including photopoints (i.e., repeated photography from the same position) can aid in tracking changes in landscape and biological communities by comparing data with previous years and baseline inventories completed initially. Our environmental technicians and professional biologists spend time recording any potential areas of concern as well as plant and wildlife species. Species-at-risk such as the provincially blue-listed northern red-legged frog and great blue heron (Ardea herodias fannini) found within the new covenant on Cortes Island are also documented.
Further, developing relationships with landowners and supporting them in understanding the importance and intricacies of ecosystems broadens our reach and provides additional data on changing biological communities. The current landowners are our partners in conservation; they practice citizen science and can offer seasonal monitoring as well as anecdotal experience as they spend a greater amount of time on the land. The landowners on Cortes Island have been able to share sightings of cougars (Puma concolor) and gray wolves as they traverse the protected wildlife corridor in search of prey.
Conservation covenants are a voluntary means by which landowners can protect areas of ecological significance in partnership with an authorized covenant-holding organization. These legal agreements remain on property title regardless of changes in ownership. This usually means that landowners that work with TLC are conservation minded, however, a sense of concern, engagement, and stewardship are not guaranteed when property ownership changes hands.
While we strive to work with landowners to protect important habitats, defending our conservation covenants can require legal support. This year a landowner in Coquitlam petitioned to have a covenant removed from the property title to gain greater financial benefit from the sale of the property. The covenant restricts development and preserves the mature forest for the benefit of wildlife including a variety of birds and mammals that regularly frequent the site in their migrations between the Pinecone Burke Provincial Park and the Pitt River. Had the landowner been successful, the 2-acre sanctuary could have been destroyed. Thankfully, Justice Lamb of the Supreme Court of B.C. sided with TLC and third-party environmental experts that the protection of urban greenspace is more critical than ever.
Will you join others in protecting habitat in perpetuity?
This fall our goal is to raise $30,000 in support of ongoing conservation covenant monitoring and protection. Please consider donating online or by calling 1-877-485-2422 to make your donation today towards protecting TLC’s conservation covenant portfolio. Donations are eligible for 2021 tax receipts.
Throughout the province our conservation covenants protect precious wetlands, riparian areas, and greenbelts as well as forests and wildlife corridors like those found on Cortes Island. Your gift in support of annual covenant monitoring, education, and, when necessary, legal defence, can ensure that B.C.’s biological diversity remains protected. Thank you for your support.
With gratitude,
Cathy Armstrong
Executive Director
