Light breaks through the canopy of second-growth Douglas firs, as we walk astride fields of ferns and mosses. Birds twitter through the forest.
For Nancy Powell, this is nature as it should be B次元官网网址� unspoiled, untouched and offering crisp clean air. And it should stay this way, technically forever. The eight and a half acres on Liberty Drive in Metchosin is the latest property in the Capital Region to be placed under a conservation covenant.
B次元官网网址淭here are so many animals and flowers, the place is so full of life, itB次元官网网址檚 bursting with life,B次元官网网址� says Powell, 48 as we walk through property, which transitions from steep rocky outcrops and wildflowers to dense forest. B次元官网网址淲hat ever happens here happens. If a tree falls down, it stays down. You canB次元官网网址檛 buck it for firewood.B次元官网网址�
Powell, a blacksmith artist by trade who now resides in Fernwood, lived on the Metchosin property for 12 years and inherited the 10 acre parcel last year after the owner, her close friend, passed away.
Honoring the ownerB次元官网网址檚 attachment to the land, she initiated the covenant process with the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) last fall. In March the covenant B次元官网网址� called B次元官网网址淚vanB次元官网网址檚 IslandB次元官网网址� covenant B次元官网网址� was legally registered with the property title.
Although difficult to imagine under past and current Metchosin councils, Powell says its not impossible for a pro-development regime to be elected in the future. ItB次元官网网址檚 an area home to cougars, black bears, deer and owls, all creatures great and small. If housing and condominium subdivisions are on the march toward Liberty Drive 50 or 100 years down the road, that patch of forest wonB次元官网网址檛 be going anywhere.
B次元官网网址淭his property will never be a subdivision, logged or destroyed,B次元官网网址� Powell says. B次元官网网址淵ou canB次元官网网址檛 subdivide the property, but that doesnB次元官网网址檛 drop the value much. But in the future it might be the most valuable property in the neighhourhood.B次元官网网址�
That fear of a Metchosin council allowing development akin to Langford or Colwood has driven, in part, the creation of the Metchosin Foundation. That foundation is working with a number of Metchosin property owners to establish a series of conservation covenants, in partnership with HAT.
HAT and The Land Conservancy both hold the Ivan's Island covenant and bear responsibility for ensuring the property is monitored in perpetuity.
B次元官网网址淲e are responsible to monitor the property a minimum of once per year, to record what the property is like, make sure no one is cutting the trees or dumping garbage or clearing areas,B次元官网网址� said Adam Taylor, executive director of HAT.
Under the covenant, the land remains private property and alterations can be made to the home and accessory building. Existing trails can be maintained and some brush clearing is allowed to avoid a buildup of dry branches, which could trigger a forest fire.
B次元官网网址淭he goal is to leave nature standing as-is, recognizing that we respect the safety of the neighbours,B次元官网网址� Taylor said. B次元官网网址淔ire hazards are a big concern. Chopping logs may take care of that with minimal ecological damage.B次元官网网址�
HAT shares responsibility of 28 land covenants including, 14 on private properties in Greater Victoria and the Gulf Islands, including a few in Langford and Highlands. Sizes range from less than two acres to 100 acres.
Powell set aside a $10,000 fund for HAT to monitor IvanB次元官网网址檚 Island, and she estimates it cost her $10,000 more for surveys and legal fees that established the covenant. ItB次元官网网址檚 money well spent, she says.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to me the land stay safe for the animals. ItB次元官网网址檚 well worth the money,B次元官网网址� Powell says. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 be very very happy to be an example for people on this. I donB次元官网网址檛 know how else land will be saved. ItB次元官网网址檚 up to us to save it.B次元官网网址�
For more on conservation covenants, see hat.bc.ca.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
