The past week I had the amazing opportunity to participate in covenant monitoring at the Howard Horel Nature Reserve on Salt Spring Island with TLC’s Covenant Coordinator Larissa Bron, Salt Spring Island Conservancy’s (SSIC) Land Manager Rachel Bevington, and SSIC Volunteer Warden Keers Ruurs.
This was my first covenant monitoring experience, and I had a lot of fun! Covenant monitoring is when TLC staff members walk the covenant area and observe annual changes on trails, vegetation, interesting features, and any areas of concern. On this trip a Northern Pacific Tree Frog (Pseudacris regilla) was spotted in an ecologically sensitive area, along with a funky Garry oak (Quercus garryana), which just shows how important it is to keep clear of those places and respect the nature around you! The conservancy area is especially cool because it protects endangered Garry oak ecosystems, which are in danger of encroachment by Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) (seen in the photo with me).
These covenant monitoring opportunities are sometimes open to volunteers, and I would highly encourage you to attend! It’s an amazing opportunity to gain access to these protected areas and help TLC with our covenant monitoring program to further protect the integrity of these ecosystems.
~ Erin, TLC’s Summer Covenant Program Intern
