Seasons greetings friends!
The December weather may be cold and wet but thankfully that hasn’t stopped me from spending time in the garden. Dressed in my old wool cardigan and yellow raincoat, I’ve been tackling those tasks that remain at this time of year: harvesting brussels sprouts, cutting the last of the cabbage, planting bulbs, and potting up rooting oak acorns in the hope of sharing seedlings next spring. I’ve also been working on enriching my soil before the next growing season. Covering beds with chopped vegetation from plants I’ve harvested, fallen leaves, and manure from a farm down the road to allow time for decomposition over the winter. I’m also mindful to take breaks to warm up with a mug of hot tea; once I’ve shed my muddy rubber roots, these moments allow for documenting growth and 2024 garden planning.
I value the chance to get outside and get my hands in the soil. This passion was rediscovered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others experiencing the stresses of the last few years, my gardening practice has brought me peace like few other activities. As I recently heard horticulturist Monty Don describe it, I experience a total immersion in the present. This mindfulness of time – being in the moment as I work the soil and steward my beds for future crop returns – is one of the parts of gardening I love most.
Friends, spending time in nature provides relief to many seeking solace and replenishment.
Amidst visits with loved ones this season, I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful biodiversity surrounding you. Whether you are caring for native plants on your balcony, enjoying a winter walk around your favourite nature reserve, or volunteering at a local ecological restoration project, engaging with the natural world has countless benefits. Spending time in nature can help enhance your physical and mental health, boost your mood and reduce stress, and foster a sense of connection with the natural world. All wonderful benefits to living a life inspired by conservation!
The peace I find in the garden is shared by those who volunteer weekly at TLC’s Abkhazi Garden. During the pandemic closure, our volunteers were outspoken about their desire to get back in the garden. Gardeners, greeters, and docents find value in spending time with others in this beautiful heritage garden. And the garden provides joy for more than our devoted volunteers: more than 20,000 visitors from around the globe found relevance beneath the oak trees this year. On the International Day of Peace in September, members of the Georgian community in Canada visited Abkhazi Garden and were vocal about how important the site is in connecting with their shared history with Prince Abkhazi.
Our calendar has been filled with similar opportunities for supporters and the public to connect with nature through our programming this year. If you read our Giving Tuesday update, you’ve heard about recent planting events at TLC’s Fort Shepherd Conservancy Area. In collaboration with the Kootenay Native Plant Society, Sn̓ ʕaýckstx (Sinixt) Confederacy, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, and Waneta Sunshine Rotary club, TLC staff and volunteers planted 1,000 common camas (Camassia quamash) bulbs and 350 native pollinator-friendly seedlings to continue our efforts to support native and endangered pollinators in the Columbia River Basin and to increase biodiversity in the interior brushlands found at Fort Shepherd.
Our Deertrails Naturalist Program included two sessions in 2023 to explore the beauty and brilliance of Cortes Island and the Clearwater River Valley. An intergenerational, place-based learning opportunity designed to facilitate the transfer of naturalist knowledge, both scientific and traditional, TLC’s Deertrails Naturalist Program focuses on the protection of local natural places and our relationship to land. This year aspiring naturalists connected with seasoned experts Briony Penn, Trevor Goward, Maleea Acker, Nancy Flood, Nancy Turner, Ann Mortifee, Rex Weyler, Sabina Leader Mense, and Kristen Scholfield-Sweet.
TLC’s 2023 Passport to Nature – the sixth year of our program – included nine events for participants to learn about our protected areas as well as gain knowledge and skills they could take away to implement in their daily lives. Highlights included visiting Lisa’s native pollinator meadow to hear her tips on creating habitat for pollinators in your own backyard or patio planter; the identification of 264 different species at the Bioblitz at our Millstream Creek Watershed property with local naturalist experts Kem Luther, Juliet Pendray, Hans Roemer, and Andy MacKinnon; and exploring the Boundary Layer – including 40 species of fungi – at Second Lake.
Our Passport to Nature also featured one of TLC’s newly announced protected areas: Garibaldi Springs Ecological Reserve. This recently registered conservation covenant protects 36.69 hectares (90.66 acres) of aquatic and riparian habitat in partnership with the District of Squamish on the Lower Mainland.
We expanded our conservation covenant portfolio yet again this fall with the protection of Sandy Beach Nature Reserve on Keats Island. Located off the coast of Gibsons, this new conservation area protects 3.55 hectares (8.77 acres) of forest and foreshore in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Conservation Association and Islands Trust Conservancy.
As a land trust supporter, you are making a difference in protecting at-risk habitats like these.
Friends, on behalf of TLC’s Board, staff, and volunteers, thank you for your contributions to our projects and programming this year. With more than 15,000 acres of protected area to monitor or manage every day, this critical work is made possible through our network of conservation-minded supporters including you!
If you are still planning to make a gift in support of B.C.’s incredible biodiversity this year, please consider making your gift to TLC online or by mailing a donation to the address below. Donations made online or postmarked by December 31 are eligible for 2023 tax receipts. If you have already made your year-end gift, thank you for your generous support.
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year,
Dianna Stenberg
Executive Director
P.S. In January, TLC will be fundraising with West Coast Seeds’ Fundraising Program. Beyond supporting our mission, this fundraiser provides a wonderful additional benefit: encouraging supporters to get their hands dirty in the name of conservation. To participate, visit fundraising.westcoastseeds.com between January 22 and February 9, 2024, and shop for your favourite varieties. Your order will ship to TLC and you’ll be notified when they’re ready for pickup or delivery by Canada Post.
