Conservation Covenants
“Land Trusts are non-profit, charitable organizations committed to the long- term protection of natural and/or cultural heritage of lands. A land trust may own land itself, or it may enter into conservation covenants with property owners to protect or restore natural or heritage features on the owner’s land.” Land Trust Alliance BC
In 2006, the SCCA decided to explore becoming a “Land Trust.” The board and our Executive Director at the time felt that this could be a great opportunity for the SCCA to merge community desire to protect important private lands, with our mandate for the protection of biodiversity. We engaged with the Land Trust Alliance of BC for support in becoming a registered land trust organization and in 2008 we gained the right to hold conservation covenants under Section 219 of the Land Titles Act.
Gambier Island
Our friends from the Gambier Island Conservancy approached us, hoping that we would consider joining with them in holding three more covenants on Gambier Island: Mt. Artaban Nature Reserve, Long Bay Nature Reserve and Brigade Bay Bluffs Nature Reserve
These reserves were under the control of the Islands Trust Fund, and the trust was interested in seeing that the three areas were protected and secured over the long term. We reviewed the three properties in question and agreed that they were indeed worthy of protection in perpetuity.
Our first task was to write up a memorandum of understanding with representatives of the Gambier Island Conservancy to describe our relationship and responsibilities in relation to the covenants. Subsequently, we worked with our partners to have baseline studies done, develop covenant agreements and management plans for the lands. In 2014 we finalized the agreements and formally protected the lands
Every year, we are invited by our partners to participate in monitoring and restoration projects to ensure the ecological values of these lands are properly maintained.
These two pictures are from a 2020 monitoring visit by the SCCA.
Photography by Suzanne Senger.
Block 7 Gospel Rock
The SCCA has been working with the Friends of Gospel Rock Society to protect ecologically rare, environmentally sensitive lands in the Gospel Rock Neighbourhood area since 2004. As of March 30, 2022, we are delighted to announce that - after more than 35 years of community, non-profit, and local government effort - 16.6 acres of rare and sensitive forests on “Gospel Rock” are now permanently protected.
Keats Island
Sandy Beach is a 3.4 ha stretch of Coastal Douglas-Fir forest on the southwest shoreline of Keats Island. With over 250 metres of sandy beachfront, the area provides habitat for threatened species including great blue heron, olive-sided flycatcher, and the little brown myotis bat. The beach also provides spawning habitat for surf smelt and Pacific sand lance.
Sandy Beach was a part of the BC Baptist Churches ‘Keats Camp’ which has operated on the Island since 1926. In 2020, the church transferred the land to the Island Trust Conservancy as part of a rezoning and subdivision application. Sandy Beach is the first formally protected parcel of land on Keats Island.
The SCCA was invited by Islands Trust Conservancy and The Land Conservancy of BC to become a covenant partner on these lands. The process of establishing a conservation covenant and management plan to protect the property in perpetuity took decades since the idea was first conceived. On September 13, 2023, the three organizations celebrated the finalization of this conservancy.