Private Land Protection
Local Government Environmental Protection Tools
On Friday, October 28th, 2022, the SCCA co-hosted a workshop on Revitalizing Local Government Environmental Protection Tools on the Lower Sunshine Coast. It was a really great brainstorming session about region-wide planning for environmental protection.
We are planning to host a follow-up strategic action planning session in early 2023 to hone in on specific, immediate actions we can take to support our long-term conservation goals. This will be done with the support of Organizing for Change and with a diverse representation of community stakeholders on the lower Sunshine Coast.
Land Trusts and 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.
Covenants
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.
Gospel Rock has its own area in our website.
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.
O’Neill Estate - Rainfrog Sanctuary
In 2019, the SCCA's friend and benefactor Rick O'Neill, passed away, leaving the SCCAas the executor of his estate and heir to his property. We will be maintaining this property as a conservation area according to his wishes.
More information is coming on this project.
Updates on Private Land Protection
Gospel Rock – Oct 2011 Update
Gospel Rock has been off the radar lately, but the issue is far from asleep.On September 14, 2011, Town of Gibsons Council received a staff report outlining potential ways of resolving outstanding issues in the Gospel Rock Neighbourhood Plan, Draft Version 3.1. Staff recommended tabling the whole process in light of the property owners wavering […]
Gospel Rock Recommendations
The Town of Gibsons is now receiving comments from the public on the draft Gospel Rock Neighbourhood Plan. Your written comments to the Town are critical for achieving a positive outcome to the planning process. The SCCA has written a summary of our Recommendations for fixing the plan. Also, Town of Gibsons’s development consultant Michael […]
Questions about Gospel Rock
On June 18, 2010, SCCA Executive Director Dan Bouman emailed a list of questions to the Conservation Data Center. His email is here, and the answers he received are below.
Conservation Values in the Gospel Rock Neighbourhood Plan Area
Sunshine Coasters have known in their hearts for generations that the Gospel Rock area is special. Currently available scientific information, provided through the Provinces Conservation Framework, strongly supports this widely held point of view. To continue reading this article, click Read more, below. Read the Questions to the Conservation Data Center about Gospel Rock Carmen […]
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