Gambier
Island Conservancy: Spring 2013 Update
Work
in progress: the Conservancy has had its AGM, and updates are
coming on new directors and current initiatives, and on the proposed
Burnco gravel mine at McNab Creek (see below for more information).
Check back soon for our 2013 news. Thinking of hiking Gambier? Here's a
photo of our trail coordinator at Gambier Lake to whet your appetite!
Burnco
Aggregate Mine Project in McNab
Valley: BURNCO
Rock Products Ltd. has proposed to develop
the BURNCO Mine Project, formerly the McNab Valley Aggregate Project, a
sand
and gravel mine located on the northwest shore of Howe Sound,
approximately 22
km southwest of Squamish. On 23
May 2012, an informational meeting was held
at the Gleneagles Community Centre on the Burnco McNab Creek Mine
Proposal
which was hosted by
our two trustees
for the Gambier Local Trust Area. It was an overcrowded meeting with
many attendees from outside the Gambier Trust Area as well as island
community members.
McNab
Creek Valley from Lions Bay
source:
Lions Bay Community News
There
were expressions of
concern
from a number of property owners on Gambier Island, including owners
from
Brigade Bay, Douglas Bay, and Ekins Point, and members of the Burrard
and Thunderbird
Yacht
Clubs. At a
Director's meeting on 22
July, the Conservancy reviewed a draft letter that it intends to send
to MP
John Weston, voicing our concern about the possible impact of the
federal Bill C-38
on the
environmental assessment and review process for the proposed Burnco
sand and gravel mine
project.
2012 News
Nature
Reserves: At
a special Director's meeting on 8 January, a
Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Gambier Island
Conservancy and the Sunshine
Coast
Conservation Association (SCCA), which forms a protocol on how the two
organizations will cooperate in being co-covenant holders on the
protective
covenants on the three Islands Trust Fund Nature Reserves in the
vicinity of
Brigade Bay, on Gambier.
On
11 February, John Gibbs from the SCCA, Boris
Gorgitza,Tess
Johnston, Peter Scholefield, Mike Stamford and Maria Van Dyk from the
Conservancy accompanied Jeff Ralph from the Islands Trust Fund office
on a
visit to the nature reserves to examine possibilities for restoration
work on
the reserves.
Nature
reserves near Brigade Bay, Gambier Island
source: Islands
Trust Fund
The
annual monitoring visit to the three nature reserves
was
conducted on 21 April by Islands Trust Fund consultants Doug Hopwood
and Chris
Ferris, who were accompanied by Conservancy members, Peter Scholefield
and Tess
Johnston. Doug came
back to the nature
reserves the next day and on the following weekend to collect
information for
his preparation of a baseline study of the reserves, which is
a
prerequisite for the covenants.
AGM: One interesting proposal
arising from the
annual general meeting in the Gambier Island Community Centre on 17
June was that the Conservancy
participate in a
meeting of those concerned about the future of Howe Sound,
including
topics such as the
proposed Burnco
Aggregate Mine Project in McNab Creek Valley (top of page) and the idea of a
National Park Preserve on Gambier (below).
To
commemorate Wolf Wiedemann's contribution to the Conservancy, it was
agreed
to use local resources to construct a shelter to house a trail map of
Gambier
Island and erect it in a prominent outdoor location. Project planning is underway.
The
results of the
AGM election of officers were as follows: Peter Scholefield, President;
Boris Gorgitza, Treasurer; Kathy McTaggart,
Secretary; and Maria Van Dyk and Mike Stamford, directors-at-large.
Lois
Kennedy bequest:
The Islands Trust Fund is still considering our
suggestion
to utilize the Sponsored Crown Grant process to acquire land on Gambier
Island--using the bequest from Lois's estate to cover the cost of a
land
survey and the preparation of a management plan that would be required
to
establish a new nature reserve on Gambier. It has been learned
that
Trust Fund staff are now examining the possibility of giving a higher
priority
to pursuing a sponsored crown grant on Gambier than was previously the
case. In the meantime, the
funds from
Lois's bequest have been securely invested with the Municipal Finance
Authority.
Feasibility
of a National Park Reserve on Gambier Island:
At its 8 January
meeting, the directors agreed to invite Nerys Poole, former Bowen
councillor
and park advocate, to speak with the Conservancy directors on the
subject, and
also to invite Mel Turner of Bowen who was involved with the
consultations on
the proposed feasibility study for a Bowen Island National Park
Preserve.
Both
Nerys and Mel came to the director's meeting on 19 February, discussed
their
experience on Bowen Island and gave us their reasons why they thought
the
referendum to proceed with the Feasibility Study was defeated. They
suggested
that detailed preparation work be done before seeking input from the
community
on a proposed feasibility study for a National Park Preserve on Gambier
Island. There was
general agreement at the AGM that the
Conservancy
does not want to be a “lead-organization” on an
initiative of this size; rather,
it would prefer to be part of a Howe-Sound-wide general discussion on
the
topic.
Membership in the Gambier Island Conservancy
supports its mission: to preserve and restore Gambier's biological
diversity, and
enhance
and share knowledge of its ecosystems. Membership also supports the
ongoing
maintenance of the trail system. Please join us!
As
always, for more information on
membership and volunteer opportunities contact
