IN THIS ISSUE | Summit 2022 | LTABC News | Conservation News Member Profile | Events & Education | Funding

Land Trust Alliance of British Columbia accepts donations year round to aid in our conservation programs. These can be one-time, monthly, corporate matching, and planned giving. Read more about donation options here. Find a full list of our member organizations here.

Speakers! Schedule! Registration

Click here to find info on the Canadian Land Trust Summit
being held in Ottawa October 24-26.

LTABC NEWS

Watch for news on our upcoming webinars -

NOVEMBER:
Environment & Climate Change Canada Funding Programs

JANUARY:
Carbon Offsets and Land Trusts

CONSERVATION NEWS

Largest donation in TLC’s 25-year history

The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (TLC) is honoured to announce the receipt of a bequest of three adjacent properties in the Blenkinsop Valley, funds to maintain the properties in perpetuity, and a $40,000 gift to Abkhazi Garden from the estate of Joan Alston-Stewart (nee Lohbrunner). Located near Blenkinsop Lake and the Lochside Trail in Saanich, the three adjacent properties span more than 8 acres of wetland, Garry oak, and Douglas-fir habitat. Read the full News Release here.

Focus on Stewardship & Restoration

ASSOCIATE MEMBER PROFILE

Tsolum River Restoration Society (TRRS)

The TRRS emerged out of a local grassroots movement and public pressure to lobby provincial and federal governments, and landowner and mineral rights holders to fund the reclamation of an abandoned copper mine on Mount Washington on Vancouver Island. On a regular basis acid mine drainage caused copper concentrations to spike to lethal levels for juvenile salmonids and threatened to wipe out prolific wild salmon and steelhead runs, and resident rainbow and cutthroat trout populations in the Tsolum River. The mine operated for 3 years from 1964-67 and left a 40-year legacy of pollution. The mine was capped in 2009/2010 and the water quality immediately improved. The fish and biotic communities are recovering and September 2021 saw over 150,000 pink salmon return to the river, the most ever since counts began in the first half of the last century. It is uplifting to know that nature can recover from past human harm.

In the past decade TRRS undertook biological and hydrological studies and adopted the Tsolum River Recovery Plan to aid the river in its recovery. The Plan includes a prioritized list of projects to improve habitat and conditions for wild fish. We are currently working through the list in addition to conducting our regular programs such as water quality and flow monitoring, a temperature study, community fish and wetland monitoring including invasive species control, biennial in-migration pink salmon counts, annual out-migration monitoring, school watershed education and attending public outreach events.

The Society has completed over 50 projects since its inception including a recent multi-year gravel bar live staking project to plant willows on mobile bars which are a legacy of historic logging practices and ongoing forest harvesting on the mountainside. Growing a natural willow forest in this way has many benefits such as stabilizing the gravel to stop downstream migration during high flows, flood mitigation, shading the water and deepening the river channel to lower water temperature especially critical in light of recent heat waves and increasing summer drought conditions. Another current project is a watershed health assessment which will take a couple of years and when complete will provide further guidance to direct restoration efforts in our large watershed.

The TRRS thrives on partnerships with landowners, local businesses, industry and government to encourage stewardship of this vital watershed including improvements to habitat and retention of important ecological features and areas. The mine site pollution was fixed as a result of efforts by a multi-disciplinary partnership of interested parties spearheaded by TRRS. As an active member on the steering committee of the long-standing Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT) initiative, the Comox Valley Conservation Partnership (CVCP), we attend regular monthly meetings to share important local information, expertise, urban development applications and restoration techniques with the 25+ member organizations. We collaborate on mutually beneficial projects and advocacy. Being a member of the CVCP has many benefits and allows members to champion and raise awareness of region-wide initiatives to protect and utilize connected natural assets. Having a collective voice leads to positive outcomes.

TRRS encourages land donations for parks and conservation covenants to protect critical habitat in the large Tsolum watershed. Referrals are made to CVLT when appropriate. The directors, staff, members and volunteers of the TRRS strive to work in balance with natural systems and community partners.

Thanks to Laura Ann O’Brien, Director/TRRS outreach for this article.

EVENTS & EDUCATION

FUNDING

The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program’s 2022 grant intake is now open. All grant applications are due on Friday October 28, 2022. Find more information about the program here.

TD Friends of the Environment Foundation's next grant submission deadline is January 15, 2023. Find more information here.

The Nature Trust of BC has established two scholarships and one grant in honour of distinguished scientists and past members of our Board of Directors: the Bert Hoffmeister Scholarship at the University of British Columbia, the Dr. Ian and Joyce McTaggart-Cowan Scholarship at the University of Victoria and the Brink/McLean Grassland Conservation Fund. The Rain Garden Fund has been created thanks to their donors. See this link for information about all of NTBC's Scholarship and Funds opportunities.

The Victoria Foundation offers a variety of grant opportunities. Find out more on their website.

Vancity Savings Credit Union enviroFund™ Program encourages programs or projects that support sustainable consumption and production practices in our communities. Find more information here.