• The Directors’ Report, Treasurer’s Report, Committee Reports
• Election of Directors

LANDKEEPERS PROGRAM

In many ways the start of the Denman Conservancy Landskeeper Program started over two decades ago. A meeting was called to talk about saving a tract of land and this meeting lead to other meetings which then channelled into a assortment of activities; letters were written; research was done; phone calls were made; volunteers were lined up; cakes were baked; funds were collected; networking began; legal issues took root; regular meetings were set up; meetings at the hall ensued; fundraising committees were struck; issues splashed over into the press; letters were written; flurries of phone calls made to government; quick meeting convened; options were identified; strategies articulated; meetings in Victoria booked where “maybes” were promised; time started to pile up; strategy meetings were called; fundraising auctions organized – “Yes!, Bateman is coming”; more research undertaken; AGM’s came and went; fundraising continued; a garden tour was produced; Things were looking up when problems cropped up; setbacks occurred; a flurry of meeting ensued; more committees were formed; letter were written; phone calls were made; a meeting with the assistant to the assistant to the Deputy Minister was held; progress was made; The minister was replaced and it was back to square one; emergency meetings held; information tables set up; letter writing campaigns sustained; many more pressing projects cropped up; new volunteers recruited; more fund raising; more grant applications; more AGM’s came and went; garden tour anniversaries were celebrated. The new minister was sympathetic; regular meetings got longer; more volunteers recruited; e-mailing arrived; attachments were sent; more meetings; new legal tools arose; new legal problems addressed; grant writing; websites took hold; really big legal problems elbowed in; writs were issued; more fundraising; more meetings. Before you knew it the eighties slipped into the nineties and a decade of the new millennium had transpired but like Sisyphus, pushing that rock up the hill only to have it roll down again, the DCA and all it’s volunteers persevered.

What a wild and strange journey

it was and look how much there is to show for it – Inner Island Nature Reserve, Winter Wren Wood, Lindsay Dickson Nature Reserve, Morrison March, and The Settlement Lands set aside for conservation; Conservation Covenants on Lindsay Dickson, Komas Bluffs, Railway Grade Marsh; Morrison Marsh and Danes Creek North. All of these lands, each distinct and unique are wonderfully special and are significant not only to Denman Island’s ecology but also play a part in the well-being of the surrounding West Coast ecologies.

All that work

has given rise to the Denman Conservancy Landskeepers Program. With the successes of the past come new responsibilities and once again we must rely on ourselves to meet those responsibilities. In most ways the lands take care of themselves but a certain amount of human involvement is necessary to manage the lands and fulfill the obligations the DCA has taken on. Assistance is needed for the monitoring and maintenance tasks required to keep these island properties’ flora and fauna healthy. Inspired by the very successful “Streamkeepers” program that trains people to help conservation organizations manage streams and rivers around the province, the “Landkeepers” program is designed to train volunteers of all ages to help DCA manage the properties under its care, namely Winter Wren Wood, Central Park, the Settlement Lands and the three Nature Reserves that DCA manages under contract for the Islands Trust Fund.

As spring approaches

and the natural world begins to wake up from its winter slumber, the Landskeepers Program will begin hands-on training of the Landskeeper volunteers. To prepare for this, on Sunday March 20th, at 9:30 am an orientation assembly will be held at the Old School. Volunteers will be able to meet each other as well as some of the folks that will be providing the training. We will review overall goals and objectives of the project, and intend to provide as much information as possible about how we hope achieve them. The series of workshops and field exercises designed to train interested individuals to become Landkeepers or Land Stewards will be introduced. Time lines and job descriptions will be explained. Implementation and continuity of the Landkeepers project will be broached at this assembly in order to be worked on in the coming months.

The first of the series of workshops will take place on Sunday March 27th and will focus on the use of GPS instruments.

The Landkeepers Project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada, provided through the Department of the Environment.

CENTRAL PARK REPORT

The recent snowfalls on Denman provided evidence of lots of use of the trails in Central Park by hikers and at least one snowshoe-er. Each time we visit the park we are encouraged to see signs that mother nature is working hard at healing the landscape. The trees are really taking off in some areas. We continue to need to do some limbing and thinning along the trail sides as the trees keep on growing.

It took groups of volunteers about three work bees to develop the newest path in the park.

“Long Log Path”

links Beaufort View Path with Pickles Road Trail – and was so named because of the long old Douglas Fir log that forms part of the path. There are still a few small alder stumps here and there but this new path is now very usable and enjoyable for walkers.

In the fall we improved the emergency vehicle access route first by cutting back some of the young alders that were leaning into Alder Trail and then by having some Denman gravel spread on this trail near the entrance off North Central Road. While we hope never to need to have a fire truck enter the park we thought it wise to improve the deeply rutted part of this trail. Having this work done also made this route safer for use by equestrians, walkers, and bicyclists.

In the spring of 2010

we had a couple of work bees to clean up existing trails – cutting back saplings and branches growing into the pathways. We focused on Pickles Road Trail, Alder Trail, and Graveyard Marsh Path. A bit later a volunteer tackled the bracken on Trumpeter Trail. This spring we will organize some work parties to do some limbing and trail repairs in particular on Swale Trail and Beaufort View Path, as well as a few other spots. A tree took out part of the railing on the boardwalk and this is something that will be repaired properly soon.

In late summer we installed a closed-in map case and a bulletin board at the main entry kiosk. We will be able to change maps occasionally as things change, and also have an area for posting Central Park and other DCA notices.

We encourage everyone to visit Central Park.

Please remember that the work of developing and maintaining the trails is done by volunteers. If you are interested in helping out at future work bees give Annie (2762) or Denise (1608) a call.

Thanks very much to all the volunteers whose tremendous efforts have helped to make Central Park a great place to get out for a walk. And thanks to all the people who visit Central park and make our work worthwhile.

FUNDRAISING REPORT

Many of you received our letter asking for donations back in November, and once again the generosity of Denmanites showed in the response. To date, about $17,000 has been donated. And some donations have come off island, from visitors who became members while they were here. While not a record-setting amount, this is a remarkable result in a year when most of us see our daily costs on the rise.

Sometimes the cost of fundraising becomes an issue. In the case of DCA, our costs are about 5% of the donations to date, mostly for postal costs. That percentage will reduce as other donations come in, as usual, over the next several months, since our costs are already paid.. You may be familiar with more prominent organizations that expend 30% or more in fundraising costs.

Bequests to DCA are another way to support your interest in conservation issues. Financial advisors would be best qualified to consider how a bequest might benefit an estate as well as conservation on Denman. DCA Board members are available to discuss these issues at your request.

Contributors to this Newsletter:

Juan Barker, Annie Cordry, David Freeman, Keith Walker. All photos by Andrew Fyson.

Denman Conservancy Association March 2011