It is now 10 months since the Bowen Island Conservancy bought 16 ten-acre lots at Cape Roger Curtis from Metro Vancouver. This added to the three lots which the Conservancy already owned at the Cape and which form the Wild Coast Nature Refuge. So, what has happened since last October?
One lot - to the east of the Wild Coast Nature Refuge - has become part of the Nature Refuge, expanding it to the west bank of Huszar Creek and increasing its size to 40 acres. The Nature Refuge protects the forest, shoreline and the precious coastal bluffs above the water and will continue to be managed as before.
The Conservancy’s primary mandate is nature conservation and so we are conducting studies to find out more about the biodiversity on our new lands - everything from mammals to lichens. This requires time, making observations in different seasons. Once we have a good understanding of what is there, what is most precious, what is at most risk and how best to protect it, we will draw up a management plan for the remaining 150 acres.
It will spell out priorities for the control of invasive species, areas requiring special protection or attention, and the restoration of areas that were disturbed by the building of driveways and housing pads and the logging of the forest to create views from the house sites.
The plan will also balance the impact of visitors. While we welcome people to the land, including the Wild Coast Nature Refuge, we do ask you to respect our conservation efforts. This means abiding by requests to keep dogs on leash or - as in the Nature Refuge - not to bring in dogs at all.
There are some existing public trails which continue to be open to the public. We hope you’ll recognize that some places where the public have been walking, such as along existing driveways, are now closed for recovery and study. Trail management will also be part of the management plan.
Meanwhile the land must be monitored and protected. We have a long list of matters requiring ongoing attention. To give you some idea of what we are dealing with… there are camping and fires, property taxes, rezoning, protection of delicate/sensitive features and areas, increased visitation and public access, graffiti, unauthorized tree cutting and theft of logs, dumping of garbage, toilet facilities, roaming dogs, trails, and signs.
There are many more items, and probably some which we don’t yet even know about, but which will become evident as we move forward.
Dogs are an ongoing issue, but, on the whole, people have been respectful and other problems have been manageable. Nevertheless, the task of caring for the land, drawing up plans and creating a new protected area is an enormous amount of work. The Conservancy has no paid staff, but we have engaged Bowen biologist Claudia Schaefer to conduct an environmental assessment and advise us on a management plan.
We are also fortunate to have dedicated volunteers, such as Mark Edmonds, who says that one of his biggest tasks is monitoring and removing invasive species from the Nature Refuge. Mark says that he and other volunteers have successfully removed the English ivy, yellow flag iris and pampas grass which were in the Refuge.
Other species such as Himalayan blackberry and English holly have gained a foothold: “It is a slow process which we are picking away at, and slowly, over time, we will regain those areas,” says Edmonds.
You will notice new signage restricting some access points. As we balance conservation priorities with other demands on the land, we will employ “adaptive management,” respond to issues as they arise, and implement or remove restrictions as warranted.
As one member said, “This is a long-term project. The foreshore and the forest will be here long after we have gone. Large trees will grow back and, with care, the wildlife will flourish. We are doing this project for the generations to come.” Small steps have been taken, but it is a start.
We always welcome new members and volunteers. Contact details are available on our website at www.bowenislandconservancy.org
