Walking through the serene forest on an old trail, you suddenly burst out of the dimly lit verdant landscape into a bright ocean scene. Clambering over layers of driftwood piled up at the beach edge, you make your way to the sandy surf and smile knowing this small but important piece of nature is protected in perpetuity. TLC joyfully presents our newest covenant: Sandy Beach Nature Reserve (SBNR).

Although registered just this year, discussions began in 2015 between TLC, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association (SCCA), and Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC) who own the land, to covenant the 3.55 ha (8.77 ac) property located on Keats Island. The protected area includes about 0.4 ha of coastal bluff, 3.1 ha of closed-canopy conifer forest, and has approximately 353m of waterfront.

Keats Island is within the lands and waters of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and is the homeland and gathering place of many Coast Salish Peoples. Keats Island is a place of cultural importance, with significant village sites and archeological areas.

Previously owned by the Convention of Baptist Churches of B.C., and known as Keats Camps, the Church donated a portion of their lands to ITC as a Nature Reserve. This project has been in the works for an extremely long time; the Sandy Beach transfer was included in a 1978 land use contract. The lands had been identified to be protected as part of a rezoning process with ITC and the donation was intended to secure protection of the ecosystems of the shoreline and the uplands for future generations of Keats Islanders and others who visit the Island every year.

SBNR is found in the Eastern Very Dry Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock Biogeoclimatic subzone (CWHxm1) and contains several red- and blue-listed ecological communities, as well as providing habitat for species at risk. Found adjacent to the CDFmm subzone, the CWHxm1 subzone has been similarly rapidly developed. As reported by the Coastal Douglas-fir Conservation Partnership, 32% of the CWHxm1 is occupied by human-dominated land cover. This makes it more important than ever to conserve these sensitive lands.

Four provincially at-risk ecological communities and several Sensitive Ecosystems occur in SBNR, a high diversity given its size. This community diversity also provides a high biodiversity of plant species, from those restricted to dry, nutrient poor soils of the coastal bluffs with their high ecological sensitivity, to ones requiring rich, moist soils on the eastern slopes of the lush mature second growth forest dominated by Douglas-fir, Western redcedar and Western hemlock with a few bigleaf maples scattered in for good measure. Salmonberry and red huckleberry provide shrub habitat while sword fern, salal, thimbleberry and dull Oregon grape fill in the rest.

SBNR also has a significant number of old growth trees that pre-date Euro-Canadian colonization and escaped the ensuing lumber resource extraction of the early 1900’s. There is suitable habitat for numerous wildlife species-at-risk and two were observed during baseline studies: great blue heron, fannini subspecies (Ardea herodias fannini) and double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). ITC has also mapped suitable forage fish spawning habitat along the beach for surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) and Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus), and identified patches of offshore eelgrass.

Coastal black-tailed deer, Douglas’ squirrel, raccoons and river otters have all been seen using the forest and foreshore habitats. Undisturbed land that protects the interface between terrestrial and marine habitats is extremely important ecologically. The natural cover of the terrestrial portion promotes the health of the intertidal and deeper marine zones offshore. TLC is grateful to be one of the partners protecting this small but important place.

~ Torrey Archer, TLC’s Biologist & Land Manager