1

t h e

The Newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy Number 22, November 2002

c o r nEarth Day Reflections on the

Earth Charter: Part IIFeatured Artist –

DavidDenning

Inside:Ecological Integrity . 1President ................ 2Executive Director ... 3Park Discussion ....... 4Burgoyne Bay ......... 5Way Forward........... 6Non-violence .......... 7Matthiessen ............. 8Mt. Erskine ............. 9Rebel Flower Poem .. 9Joanna Macy ..........10Volunteers .............12Heartfelt Thanks ....13Mower Thanks .......13Featured Artist .......14SSIC Needs ...........14Two Answers..........15

see page 14

The Earth Charter is a declaration offundamental principles for building a just,sustainable and peaceful global society in the21st century. Both an expression of hope and acall to help create a global partnership at acritical juncture in history, it seeks to inspire inall peoples a new sense of globalinterdependence and shared responsibility forthe well-being of the human family and thelarger living world.

When the Conservancy’s Earth Day planningcommittee was trying to decide how best toexplain the Earth Charter to an audience in away that would be both interesting and helpparticipants to remember its contents, theytook a closer look and realised that this is arich, inspirational document that demandsserious reflection. They decided to invite sixmembers of our community whose life-work –and passion – has been in the areas of peace,social and economic justice, and theenvironment and ask them to share theirreflections on the six parts of the charter.

In this issue we have articles by Bob Weeden,Maggie Schubart and Patricia Houston.

Ecological Integrity

Bob Weeden

Putting big ideas into words is like stuffing anoctopus into a bag : there’s always somethingleft dangling.

In the Earth Charter’s essay on ecologicalintegrity, what was left out was that portentousphrase’s definition. The best the writers coulddo was to pair “ecological integrity” withequally nebulous ideas like “health ofecosystems,” “biological diversity”, and “lifesupport systems”.

The problem word is “integrity”. We can agreethat “ecological” refers to the thin and

gossamer shell of air, water, soil andlife, interacting andinterdependent, that surfaces anddefines Planet Earth. But what inthe world is “integrity”? We haveto know, because that is the goal-setting idea from which follow allprescriptions for stewardship andrestoration.

The dictionary defines integrityas the condition of being wholeand unimpaired. In the contextof nature, a quartz crystal hasintegrity. But we want awholeness of diversity, nothomogeneity. Further, thediversity of nature is not a mosaicofbounded wholes, no matter how prettya fixed pattern they might make, but adiversity in which nameable forms(snails, nematodes, arbutus, …)exchange energy and nutrients andshare space in such a way as to createsystems nesting within systems.Beyond that, the systems, big andlittle, adapt to change over time,sometimes starting over from scatteredremnants of a cataclysm. Not all nameableforms survive – in fact, none do, if you were tocompare forms existing at start and end ofbillion-year chunks of time – but theponderous pace of natural extinction (or themyriad millennia for evolution after big andsudden events) allow the mantle of life toremain functioning and self-healing.

Earth care, then, at its core, means makingsure nature retains the capacity to become. Interms of global systems the key is thecontinuing balance of carbon dioxide andoxygen – a balance created by life – in air andoceans, and maintaining an atmosphere pureenough to sustain complex life. The globe,

(Continued on page 6)

2

President’s PagePassagesBob Weeden

There was a small wetland at the foot of asloping pasture, by a well-travelled road.Cryptic springs, rationing winter moisturealong a layer of clay, kept its waters alive evenin full summer. It stood out then as an oasis inthe sere, brown, weedy fields. In winter itbulged out over the broad rush-and-cattailshallows, and the breeze that ruffled its surfacecarried the tang of the sea.

Although I didn’t pass by the wetland often, Ialways slowed and sometimes stopped to lookat it. If binoculars were handy I would sweepthe summer-lush marsh for a glimpse of asecretive rail whose existence, like God’s,requires much faith. In winter I watched thehooded mergansers in their miraculousplumage, diving for dragonfly larvae, newts, orother unimaginable treasures. Sometimes,surfacing, they attached themselves to theirown wake as if it were a shadow they nearlyforgot.

Now, shockingly, the marsh is gone.Excavators, bulldozers and trucks have scrapedoff the dark rich topsoil. Much of it is spreadto fill hollows on the adjacent slope. Themachines have trenched the underlying clay asif preparing for war. The machines are still atwork. What the marsh will become, has yet tobe revealed.

Other people are as shocked as I. They wroteletters to the newspaper, called the owner andthe Islands Trust, and gathered in impromptugroups to gossip about it. While the marshremained itself through decades of spirallingseasons people spoke of it rarely. Now itsspectacular death was news. A hundred mindsremembered Joni Mitchell’s line, “you’ll never

know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

We were bound to, or invested in, those fewacres. It was ever green, alive, always differentbut seemingly unchanged from year to year.Not a tourist’s spectacle, it was of our scale, aneighbourhood miracle. It bloomed andthrove without permission or help, its liferequiring of the owner only neglect. We couldsample its beauty in a moment, yet appreciateits continuity over a lifetime.

I am glad we are outraged. It is good to knowthat nature still calls so strongly. I remindmyself that for millennia, and up to just over acentury ago, the marsh was a wet place in adense cedar forest, beloved, perhaps, by onewho walked in the cool shade to smell the rankskunk cabbage and harvest the rusty-feltedfiddleheads. I imagine the horror of thatperson, who could only stand by while thetowering trees were felled by saw anddynamite, the stumps burned or dragged intopiles, the ground churned by the steel ofploughs. And yet . . . and yet, time and thebasic nature of the place brought a new beautyto the ravaged earth, brought a sun-struckverdant marsh which seemed to us in thiscentury to be forever.

I don’t know when this present destructionwill yield to a new time of healing, and I don’tknow what face nature will wear. Water willcontinue to gravitate to this hollow, bringingwith it soil, grain by grain. Green things willfind the place, and pioneer. Some willsucceed, and animals suited to the communityof plants will live out their inconspicuous,undemanding lives. Another generation ofHomo hubris will discover it, love it, be gentledby it, and come to pin its faith in nature’simmortality.

3

Director’s DeskInstructions From the Futureby Karen Hudson, Executive Director

I was recently inspired by Justin Friesen, an 11year-old actor, singer and environmentaleducator from Halifax, Nova Scotia, whorecently attended the World Summit onSustainable Development in Johannesburg,South Africa held August 26 - September 4,2002. Justin, who calls himself ‘The Eco-Kid’was selected by his peers at the InternationalChildren’s Conference on the Environmentduring May in Victoria, to present thechildren’s challenges from that conference tothe world leaders at the Summit. I haveincluded this list to challenge Salt SpringIslanders, only omitting sections that wouldnot pertain to our island. Says Justin “these arechallenges that the children of the world arevery concerned about. If the adults don’t startthinking about the future there won’t be anyenvironment left for us kids to live in when wegrow up!”

Challenges to Salt Spring Islanders:

I. Water•Be good environmental role models foreveryone. Conserve water by promoting theuse of organic farming, redesigning fuels sothat they don’t pollute water, collectingrainwater for drinking and watering gardens,encouraging the use of technologies that helppurify and/or conserve water, and supportingenvironmental groups.•Build biodegrading facilities like SolarAquatics.•Do not clear cut, as it causes soil erosion.•Find alternatives to oil.•Create more environmental projects andcontests for kids.•Put in place stronger laws and penaltiesagainst industries, individuals andcorporations that pollute water. Fines shouldbe put in place and the money from the fines

should go towards cleaning up the water.

II. Climate Change•Return the environment to what it was 300years ago.•Support the use of alternative transportationsuch as biking, walking, public transportationand car pooling, instead of driving.•Limit the use of gas cars, make idling for

more than five minutes illegal, and limit thenumber of cars per family.•Make clear cut logging illegal and if you do log,plant two trees for every tree you cut down.•Give money for research on electric cars,alternative energy and eco-friendly products andtechnology.•Use greener energy like solar, wind, biomassand hydrogen. Ban non-green energy like fossilfuels.•Have more recycling and composting programs.

III. Healthy Children, Healthy Communities•Make a lane for bikes and roller blades so thatpeople can exercise without using cars.•Have clean, healthy plants,animals and parks.•Incorporate environmentaleducation into the schoolcurriculum. Encourage clean-upsand more involvement inenvironmental issues.•Make sure that everybody ishealthy, has clean water and goodfood, and a place to live.•Stop destroying non-renewableresources.•Make stricter laws on theenvironment.•Keep your community clean andchildren healthy by not usingpesticides and/or herbicides.•Listen to each other, especiallychildren.

IV. Resource Conservation•Stop cutting down trees withoutreplacing them.•Create more efficient cars.•Put a limit on how much fossil fuel we use.•Protect our environment through keeping thelandmarks of the different cultures of the worldand banning clear-cutting.•Protect fresh water from pollution by ensuringthat it is not wasted or misused by individuals.•Tax people who waste non-renewable resources.•Create protected areas and plant more trees.•Find more sources of energy and use what wehave more efficiently.•Invent solar energy, use bio-degradable productsand use buses, or carpools.•Make and enforce new laws on conserving ournatural resources.•Give tax breaks for environmentally friendlyproducts.

Shrimp

4

Discussion Points regarding BC Parks Current“Request for Qualifications” for Park FacilityOperations by Nora Layard

Background:

BC Parks initiated a province-wide “Requestfor Qualifications” process in the summer toestablish a list of potential contractors who“qualify” to bid on “Park Facility Operator”services (e.g., campground and day use areamaintenance and fee collection) and otherpark “operations” (e.g., “visitor services” (food,recreation), interpretative services).Parks aregrouped in “bundles” within administrativeregions of the province The original closingdate on this process was September 23 but thiswas extended to October 15. Detailedinformation is available on the BC Parkswebsite http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/.

Southern Gulf Islands “Bundle”of Parks:

•Bellhouse •Bodega Ridge•Burgoyne Bay •Dionisio Point•Discovery Island •Montague Harbour•Mount Maxwell •Pirates Cove•Ruckle •Wakes Cove•Wallace Island

Potential Points of Concern:

•The entire process is being conducted in arushed manner in the midst of major plannedchanges in the roles of government agencies,community interests and private businesseswith the management of park facilities andoperations (announcement in mid-summerand short response time – what’s the rush?).

•This rushedprocess unduly

favours alimitednumber of

those withprior inside

knowledge andgivesthem aninsidetrack on

subsequent opportunitiesthat may be established by the

government – unfair competition

•This process is being undertaken prior tocompletion of the Recreation StewardshipPanel initiated by this government to addressfundamental issues concerning funding ofrecreation within and beyond provincial parksand which is reporting to government at theend of November this year. (for more info onthe Panel, see: www.praxis.ca/recpanel ) Therecommendations of the Panel and thesubsequent decisions of government withrespect to the funding and provision ofrecreation opportunities in the province willhave major implications on who may be“qualified” for provision and maintenance ofrecreation facilities and services (e.g., localand/or provincial community or recreationorganizations, local government, privatebusinesses, individuals) and what fees may beconsidered for use of parks (e.g., day use fees,trail fees, commercial recreation users). A“Request for Qualification” process should notbe initiated until the government hasestablished clear direction and groundrules –that is, until government has announced howit is going to act on the Panel’srecommendations (i.e., the bureaucrats are infront of the government on this issue).

•The bundling of parks into groups (for theSouthern Gulf Islands, 11 parks are included,with Burgoyne Bay considered part of MtMaxwell) unduly favours larger enterprises, tothe detriment of local entrepreneurs andorganizations.

•The ten year term that is anticipated for ParkFacility Operators (as outlined in the Requestfor Qualifications) “locks in” a limited numberof operators to set parks without sufficientopportunity for fair competition and with aterm that does not necessarily reflect fairsecurity in relation to the capital investmentinvolved (i.e., the capital costs to providecampground and day use facility managementservices are by BC Parks estimate less than$20,000 – an investment of this scale does notwarrant a ten year secure term).

•The Request for Qualification process is anunfair, bureaucratic and inappropriate“cookie-cutter” approach. It is ill-consideredand cannot address the diversity of existingand potential park facilities and operational

(Continued on page 11)

Discussion Points Regarding BC Parks

5

Burgoyne Bay Park UpdateNora Layard

Over the past few months, the work ofcreating new parks and beginning theplanning processes for their managementhave started:

1.The Friends of Saltspring Parks Society(FOSP) has been registered as a new society,with a primary initial goal of being involvedwith planning for the new parklands inBurgoyne Bay. Representatives from many SSIorganizations, including the Conservancy,have been involved in the creation of the newsociety. The purpose is:

•To support the integrity andappreciation of the natural environment andcultural heritage of the parks and ecologicalreserves of Salt Spring Island, initiallyfocussing on the Burgoyne Bay area.SSIConservancy members are encouraged to joinFOSP!

2. BC Parks is issuing an invitation to quote forthe preparation of a Background Report thatdocuments the natural and cultural features ofthe Burgoyne Bay lands that it will administer.FOSP is preparing a proposal to do thisreport. If successful, FOSP will be callingcommunity meetings to share information.The report, to be completed by March 31,2003, will feed information into a formalmanagement planning process later in 2003. Itis in the latter process that proposals for theuse of the land will be formulated and decidedupon.

3.Earlier this spring, BC Parks commissioned aManagement Direction Statement for thegarry oak meadows purchased by The NatureTrust of BC (TNT), together with thepreviously existing Ecological Reserve. Thereport and its recommendations are awaitingfinal approval prior to implementation.

4.BC Parks will also be contracting forresearch, signage and other planning work inthe Ecological Reserve and TNT lands.

5.CRD Parks is not yet actively engaged in aplanning process for their lands to the southof Burgoyne Bay.

At the 1st annual meeting of the Friends ofSaltspring Parks Society (FOSP) it was

announced that FOSP has been awarded acontract by BC Parks to do the backgroundreport for Burgoyne Bay parklands. Thisreport will be a compilation of knowninformation about the lands around BurgoyneBay now managed by BC Parks, but notincluding the ecoreserve or Nature Trustlands. It will look at what cultural, natural and

recreational features are there now, inpreparation for a future managementplanning process to set directions for the park.Colin Rankin is project leader, withcoordinators Jacky Booth (ecological values),Sam Sydneysmith (recreation values), ChrisArnett (First Nations liaison), and GaryHolman (community land use topics). Apublic meeting will be held in the new year.

The new FOSP board is: Nora Layard (chair),Patricia Lockie (vice-chair), Steve Grayson,Tamar Griggs, Bill Harrington, Pat (Neddy)Harris, Sally John, Paul Linton,Cora Platz,Peter Prince, Linda Quiring, and Peter Young.For more information, contact Nora at537-4612.

Please remember to say “Community chest #58”at Thrifty’s check out, and to put your receiptinto the Conservancy box at GVM. Every littlebit helps keep our programs running!Thank You!

Even Small ActionsCan Help!

6

though, is not one big system but a fractal ofnested local systems. Each local system has itsown history of environmental change and itsown present conditions for life, and thereforehas its own life forms and interactions. Thinkhow different Salt Spring Island “nature” isfrom neighbouring Vancouver Island. Wehave no big predators, no river ecosystems, noalpine species, many fewer plants, insects,birds and small mammal species even in look-alike low elevation forests. We can see the

Cowichan hills from our homes, yet thedetails of stewardship here necessarily will

differ from those .

The Earth Charter speaks ofstewardship as an essential processof survival. And it is. Humanity is tonature as a twig is to a tree; the well-being of the tree and its branchesare not different things. Still, we arehuman, part of which is ownershipof a self-conscious, imaginativebrain. For us – and we may onlythink ourselves unique – nature ismore than utility. It is beauty, whichnurtures art. It is mystery, whichnurtures science and religion,

though in opposite ways. Finally, nature ismeaning. Of all these things which make usdifferent, our intense, ongoing search for themeaning of life may be the most crucial.

And so the goal of earth care is to keep alivein living nature its usefulness, its beauty, itsmystery, and its meaning. To succeed, or fail,in nature is to succeed, or fail, in ourselves.

Non-violence and Peace

Maggie Schubart

I’ve heard the Earth Charter called “amotherhood document.” That’s appropriate:it speaks of caring, of the way towardgoodness. It deals with generosity, awarenessand forbearance – simple virtues, complex intheir realization but crucial to family,community, nation and planet alike.

We could find no better example of effectivenon-violence than Ghandi’s miraculouspersuasion of his fellow Indians to take backtheir country from British rule through passiveresistance, peaceful marches, and negotiation.

We saw respect for these ideas here on ourIsland when the recent crisis over the Texadalands energized hundreds of people to non-violent resistance. Creative responses like thecalendar, Briony’s impersonation of LadyGodiva and Mort Ransen’s film,supplementing tireless fundraising, increasedsympathy and awareness far beyond ourboundaries.

Another local instance: this is the birthplaceof SWOVA, Salt Spring Women AgainstViolence and Abuse. It’s a program forcultivating respect and avoidance of violencein personal relationships and has earnednational recognition. It is teaching positivetechniques to counter the violence thatpervades television that has become commonin the news.

As far back as the Seventies Salt Spring votedby over 90% in an officially organized pollconducted parallel to the November electionsto be a nuclear-free zone. Shortly after that,we organized the Peace Petition Caravan. Itstarted at this coast and went across Canadagathering thousands of signatures advocatingnuclear disarmament. There were groups allover the continent pressing for détentebetween the Superpowers. What happened?Just as the U.S. and the Soviet Union agreedon a program of arms reduction, the SovietUnion disintegrated and the Peace dividendthat we so naively and justifiably expectedevanesced into the coffers of the arms-makers.

This is discouraging to those who hope for abetter world. There are small, medium andlarge wars erupting all over the planet. Thepurported war on terrorism is used as anexcuse to deprive ordinary citizens of theircivil liberties. Missile defence in Space andcontinent-wide defence of North America arebeing discussed seriously. In our countrythere is contention among all levels ofenvironmental matters and other points ofdifference — a far cry from Peace.

How to keep hope alive?

First, refuse to become depressed. Save theenergy that depression would drain and investit in positive action at any or all levels.Support a reformed and effective UnitedNations where all countries will have a voice.NATO or the U.S. alone have been elbowingthe U.N. aside. Their recent recipe has beento militarize political situations, bomb and

Earth Charter(Continued from page 1)

7

despoil the countryside, kill civilians andcreate refugees, then dump the mess on theU.N.

Second, and closer to home. Join one ofCanada’s many staunch Peace organizations.Canadian Peace Alliance, End the Arms Race,Project Ploughshares and Voice of Women arejust a few. Locally, SWOVA always welcomessupport. So does the Island Voice of Womengroup. There is a Peace Circle that standsvigil in Centennial Park every Friday at noon.Swelling its numbers would be veryencouraging.

Also, … read, … and educate others. Canada’sown Peace magazine is heading towards itsthirtieth birthday and offers a cosmopolitanview of world affairs. Ken Simons who grew uphere on Salt Spring Island, and whose parentshave been active in peace and justice causeshere, is a member of the staff. Timeline isanother very interesting and worthwhilepublication. The Foundation for GlobalCommunity publishes this gem. That is thegroup that implements the Walk ThroughTime that many of us found thought-provoking when we experienced it last Fall.Then there’s Yes Magazine published justacross the border on Whidbey Island. Itfocuses on sustainable living. Every feature itprints points in a positive direction. If youhaven’t read Gandhi’s autobiography, considerdoing so. It brought worthwhile insight to mewhen I read it fifty years ago and continues todo so.

Recently a friend came to have tea with meand as often happens we got into the latestescapade of the man who owns the propertynext door. He visits frequently and hispresence is dynamic; he cuts down trees,disputes boundaries, brings in heavyequipment to disturb slide-prone soil. Myfriend keeps a wary eye on all this disruptionand can’t help worrying what will happennext, but she made a firm resolution to remaincalm and polite. “After all,” she said, “Howcan I expect the Israelis and Palestinians tomake peace if I can’t cope with this guy?” Thisseems like an individual application of whatthe Charter says in these words: “Recognizethat peace is the wholeness created by rightrelationships with oneself, other persons,other cultures, other life, earth and the largerwhole of which we are all a part”.

(Continued on page 8)

The Way Forward

Patricia Houston

I have been asked to reflect on the words ofthe previous presenters and indicate the wayforward. Where do we go from here? How dowe make the Earth Charter a vital part of ourevery day life? We have just heard how weneed to RESPECT the earth and all life forms,how we need to protect the integrity of theearth’s ecological systems: that our world isfinite and we must adopt lifestyles that reflectthat reality. Irene Wright has commented onthe importance of justice and equality for alland Maggie has enlightened us on the criticalissues facing us with regard to peace and non-violence. The Charter tells us that “we mustrecognize that peace is wholeness created byright relationships with oneself, with otherpeople and cultures and other life, Earth, andthe larger whole of which we all are a part”.For most of us this requires a change of mindand heart. It requires that we fall in love withthe Earth. That we put the Earth first. Wehave been conditioned always to consider ourown needs first, our warmth, our comfort. Wethoughtlessly idle our cars on the short ferryruns, poisoning ourselves and others inexchange for easy comfort.

The Earth Charter tells us that we are at acritical moment in history; a time whenhumanity must choose its future. It will be areference document for an entire generationfor an alternative world, for care and affectionfor life, for the importance of the Indigenouscause, the care of the homeless and the streetchildren, the role of tropical forests in our

lives, for clean air and waterand the preservation of

species, forthe

awareness

thatwe mustall act as onein thepreservation of the life ofthe only planet we have.We need a more holistic,more profound ecologywhich sees the human beingas part of a whole and is thebeginning of a more resolutestage in the process ofretrieving our heritage of life onearth.

8

– Karen Hudson

On October 27th, Peter Matthiessen, theinternationally acclaimed writer and naturalist,spoke to a sold-out crowd at Artspring as afundraiser for the Salt Spring IslandConservancy. Mr. Matthiessen came to SaltSpring Island to speak about his latest book ,“Birds of Heaven, Travels with Cranes”. Callinghimself a “craniac”, Matthiessen talked aboutcranes, and his extensive travels around theworld to find these rare and elusive birds.

Mr. Matthiessen began by describing thethreatened whooping cranes of NorthAmerica, whose numbers once haddiminished to only 14 birds. In Wisconsin,naturalists using ultra light aircraft continue toguide flocks of domestically raised whoopingcranes along their historical migration routeall the way to Florida. This successful effort toimprint the whooping cranes and introducethe birds to their natural migratory routes hashelped to stabilize their numbers at 450. The

whooping cranenesting sites inCanada areprotected asreserves.

Spanning the globe,Mr. Matthiessenshared his thoughtsand observations onvarious cranes he hasresearched in thewild. In Asia, eventhough the Siberiancranes number2,500, as comparedto the 450Whooping cranes inNorth America, Mr.Matthiessen stated

that the Siberian cranes are in much greaterdanger of extinction due to rapidly decreasingnumbers due to lack of protection. Afterreading several passages from his book, Mr.Matthiessen also shared stories from his trip toresearch cranes in the Poyang Lakes region ofChina, including a sighting of a rare white-naped crane in an area affected by drought.He also spoke of an odd paradise for cranesfound between North and South Korea in the149 mile long demilitarized zone between the

Peter Matthiessen Benefit a Successcountries. Cranes that exist there, previouslythought to be extinct, are now threatened bythe two countries working towardsreconciliation.

After a lengthy question and answer period,Mr. Matthiessen honoured us further byjoining us in the lobby to sign 40 copies of hisnew book. Ever the gracious gentleman, MrMatthiessen also took time to speak toislanders who brought their own dog-earedbooks for signatures. What he leaves us is notonly a great respect for those noble cranes, butalso for the man who has written of them.

Earth Charter(Continued from page 7)

HUMAN FATE IS COLLECTIVE.BELONGING TO THE PLANET MAKES USALL KIN. Every decision we make to act in acertain way affects us all.

There are presently many wars going on in theworld, some 40 I have been told, but the realwar that all of us are involved in is the war ofhumanity against unsustainable living. I lovethe car bumper sticker that reads “Live simplythat others may simply live”. Yet, these aredifficult decisions to make in a culture that hastaught us that “he who has the most toys wins”.The battle against unsustainable living is theonly one we can afford and it is only throughenlightened change that humanity can hopeto triumph. Otherwise, the planet will alwayshave the last word.

The way forward for each of us is to embracethe challenge of the Earth Charter withfervour and excitement. It is to know that allof us who subscribe to these principles aresaying “YES, this is how we must live.” It isknowing that if we put the Earth first ourcollective actions will bring new life and healthto the planet, our community and ourselves.

I will end by quoting the last paragraph of theCharter which says: “Let ours be a time forreverence for life, the firm resolve to achievesustainability, the quickening of the strugglefor justice and peace, and the joyfulcelebration of life.”

Good luck and blessings on you all as youmeet the challenges and the success of the wayforward.

9

By Gary Holman

The campaign by the Salt Spring IslandConservancy and the Trail and Nature Clubfor the 50 acre Martin Williams property in theMt. Erskine area is coming to a head. Withrecent donations from the Islands Trust Fund,the Royal Canadian Legion and individuals,total donations and pledges have now reachedover 75% of the $95,000 acquisition cost,including related subdivision, legal andfundraising expenses.

The Williams property, which contains anumber of sensitive and rare ecosystems, andthe other lands around Mt. Erskine, are part ofa key area of interest for the Islands TrustFund within the South and West Salt SpringConservation Partnership area. The TrustFund will be one of the covenant holders ofthe property, with The Land Conservancy ofBC (TLC).

Mr. Williams is also offering a trail easementthrough the rest of his property to otherprotected lands in the Mt. Erskine area,including the Mt. Erskine Crown parcel andthe adjacent Trust Fund property which wasdonated by Jack Fisher. Together with theseother conservation lands, the Williamsproperty would be part of a contiguous,protected greenspace of almost 500 acres.

Funding from several other conservationagencies has been requested, including theGeorgia Basin Ecosystem Initiative, and TLC’sSalt Spring Appeal. Preliminary indicationsfrom these groups are positive, and it is hoped

that we will have some good news to share onthese requests before the December 31 targetdate. In the meantime, a strongdemonstration of support to the purchasefrom SSI Conservancy and Trail and Naturemembers is essential to secure commitmentsfrom off-island agencies.

Anyone wanting information on the Williamspurchase should contact SSIC Board memberCharles Kahn (537-1899) or SSIC ExecutiveDirector Karen Hudson (538-0318). A

detailed copy of the proposal isavailable at the library and will beon the SSI Conservancy websitehttp://saltspring.gulfislands.com/conservancy/

Pledge forms are available at theConservancy office in UpperGanges Centre and cheques canbe sent to the Conservancy at P.O.Box 722, Salt Spring, V8K 2W3.All donations of $20 of morequalify for a charitable tax receipt.

Mt. Erskine Land PurchaseDecember 31 Fundraising Target Date

Rebel FlowerRebel FlowerRebel FlowerRebel FlowerRebel Flower

Do not say my nameAs if in a silent worldYours were the only words.Say it, rather,As if our voiceless multitudeHad names for you as well.

Do not say my nameAs if, once bound to yourpossessionYou could barter it for admiration.Say it, rather,As if it made us kin,Equal in the clan of the sun.

Do not say my nameAs if you closed a doorTo imprison every meaning.Say it, rather,As a way into a gardenOf infinite mystery.

Bob Weeden

Diatoms

10

The Work That ReconnectsA week with Joanna Macy by Maggie Ziegler

“It is the destruction of the world in our ownlives that drives us half insane, and more thanhalf. To destroy that which we were given intrust: how will we bear it?” Wendell Berry

In 1983 I came across a newly released bookentitled Despair and Personal Power in theNuclear Age. The author, Joanna Macy,examined the ways in which we defendour own hearts and minds in a time ofenvironmental destruction and nuclearproliferation. We avoid knowing the fullimpact of the crisis that confronts usbecause we believe we cannot bear it.Out of fear, many of us engage instrategies designed to keep ourselves ina state of numb denial. As a result, wefeel powerless, alienated and politicallydisengaged. And activists, who haveopened themselves to the reality of ourcollective distress, struggle to keep theirdefenses intact but too often succumbto burn out, bitterness and cynicism.The author argued that the route to anempowered activism is through the pain- that entering our fear, anger, sorrow

and despair enables to connect to our deepesthopes and fears. We find that our hearts don’tshatter. In fact, we break open to sources ofstrength within ourselves. This work, that shenow calls the work that reconnects, enables usto fully take our place in the interconnectedweb of life on this planet and to find theresources inside and outside of ourselves thatare required to act in a sustainable manner.

For almost 20 years, the ideas and vision of thisbook have been deeply influential in my ownlife and work. For a while I facilitatedworkshops based on the exercises Joanna haddeveloped to access our distress and to healinto the world. When I heard that Joanna wasdoing a week long workshop on Salt SpringIsland this spring (thanks to the organizingwork of Judith Bradley and Maureen Wild), Isigned up immediately. Twenty four of us,ranging in age from 21 to over 60,participated in this residential retreat:environmental activists and educators,community organizers, trade unionists, anti-globalization and social justice activists,ecopsychologists and seekers and healers of allsorts.

With wisdom and compassion Joanna createdan environment in which we could becomewhole. Her respect and reverence for all lifedrew each of us into a circle of acceptance andpossibility. In an astonishing week we cried,laughed and raged together. Throughexperiential exercises, dialogue, ritual andsilence we faced our terror, sense ofinadequacy, hopelessness and anguish. Wefaced the knowledge that we may or may notsurvive the disintegration of the fabric thatbinds us all together and we connected to ourgratitude and appreciation for being alive inthis majestic world.

For example, in one exercise we sat in a circle.In the middle were four objects: a stickrepresenting our anger, a stone for fear, abroken branch with dying leaves for sorrow,and an empty bowl for, in Joanna’s words, “our sense of deprivation and need, ourhunger for what’s missing, our emptiness.”Those who wished, could enter the circle,move to any object and speak their truth whilethe rest of us sat in silent support. Thisnaming and witnessing thawed frozen heartsand brought us close together.

There was as much emphasis on thinking ason feeling. Clear seeing is as important as asoftened heart. We applied our brains to ananalysis of the interconnectedness of allbeings, systems thinking, and the idea that weare of the earth rather than separate from it.We grappled with understanding the impact oftraditional notions of power on the beings ofthe earth and with current problems such ascorporate globalization. We thought aboutwhat could contribute to the “great turning,”the shift from an industrial growth society to alife sustaining one.

For Joanna there is no choice betweenunderstanding the external conditions andhistories that have led to our currentcondition and understanding our inner world.Our selves cannot be separated from thewhole. Our pain is global and the solutions arecollective. At the same time, she honoured theuniqueness of each of us. Joanna didn’t holdback. She cried and raged with us, drew usinto her passionate and joyous love of life,laughed and danced and played. She wasalways available, always part of the circle. Shesaw the best in each of us and reached to that

Wolf Eel

11

place. We weren’t offered solutions but eachof us found new strength and resolve todeepen our commitment to contributing whatwe can to the creation of a more equitable andsustainable world.

To find out more about Joanna’s work have alook at the revised and expanded version ofthat first book: Coming Back to Life: Practices toReconnect Our Lives, Our World. (1998). Toknow more about the world view that informsher approach, pick up World as Lover, World as

Work that Reconnects(Continued from page 10)

Self. (1991). And for a glimpse of the womannow in her seventies who can still rock into thenight with the young folk, read her memoir,Widening Circles (2000).

For myself, my deep gratitude for thisexperience led me to want to share the powerof this work. If you are interested in attendinga free one day or weekend workshop for localenvironmental and social justice activistsplease contact me. (Tel: 653-9482 or email:mziegler@saltspring.com.)

service provision needs and opportunitiesacross the province. In the Southern GulfIslands, for example, many of the parks aremarine focused and located on differentislands, there are several newly establishedparks with limited services and nomanagement plans, and the creation of aSouthern Gulf Islands National Park Reserveand transfer of PMHL (Pacific MarineHeritage Legacy) park lands between federaland provincial jurisdictions raise manyuncertainties and issues with respect to issuinglong-term Park Facility Operator contracts.

Potential Suggested Actions:

•Do not proceed with the Request forQualification process until the governmenthas acted on the Recreation StewardshipPanel recommendations at the end of thisyear.

•Withdraw the Southern Gulf Islands “bundle”of parks from the Request for Qualificationprocess until clear direction for provision ofappropriate and desired recreation facilitieshas been established – involving provincial,regional and national parks and other

Discussion Pointsgovernment agencies, First Nations, and localcommunities (i.e., at least until interimmanagement plans have been approved for allinvolved provincial parks and the nationalpark reserve).

•For existing park facilities and contractedoperations, review contracting arrangementsand, if necessary and appropriate, renew for amaximum of three years to allow sufficienttime for preparation and approval of park andrecreation management plans that take intoconsideration the entire Southern Gulf Islandsub-region.

•Work more closely with local organizations(community NGOs, Chambers of Commerce,First Nations) to establish a clear and fairprocess for contracting park recreationfacilities and services before initiating a revisedprocess.

Suggested people to send your concerns to:

1. Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land andAir Protection2. John Block, Director of Operations (?), BCParks

(Continued from page 4)

12

SSI Conservancy VolunteersCompiled by Karen Hudson

Volunteers are the core of the Salt SpringIsland Conservancy. I would like toacknowledge some of our wonderfulvolunteers who have been working behind thescenes recently:

Saturday Market: A huge thanks to RuthTarasoff for coordinating the Garden BenchRaffle this summer which includedtransporting the bench around town, workingnumerous shifts and managing all of thetickets. Thank you to Peter Lamb & JeanGelwicks who also carted the bench aroundand did several shifts, and to all of thevolunteers including Charles & GloriaDorworth, Ann Richardson, Doug Wilkins &Sharon Glover, Samantha & Ian Beare, MaggieZiegler & Phil Vernon, Maureen Milburn,Cara Joy Hughes, Nancy Holcroft, AndreaRankin, Mallory Pred, Di Setterfield, DonnaDe Hahn, Irene Wright, Sam Tarasoff, Bob &Helen Nation, Ailsa Pearse, SharonMcCullough, and Nancy Braithwaite. Thanksalso to James Falcon for getting up at the dawnto save our spot in the aisle. In addition to theraffle tickets sold by the volunteers mentionedabove, tickets were also sold by: Jim Spencer,Jill Thomas, Robin Annschild, MaureenBendick, Gary Holman, Andrew Lewis, BobWeeden, and Erin Mullan. By the way, BruceFilan of Victoria won the bench.

Webmaster: Thanks to Damien Barstead forhelping with our website.

Office: The newest face in the Salt SpringIsland Conservancy office are those of Bob

Nation and JimSpencer. Bobvolunteers in theConservancy office onWednesday mornings,

Jim on Fridaymornings. Theyrespond to phone andemail messages, and have

updated severalConservancybrochures.Bob has alsohelpedimmenselythis summer

by assistingwithregistrationfor ourTourist InYour OwnBackyardseries,assisting withvariousfundraisingappeals, andhelping tocoordinatevolunteers forour summerfundraisingevents. Thank you, Bob and Jim!! Thanks alsoto Cedar de Trey for his help in the office.

Grant Writer: Thanks to Marilyn Thaden-Dexter for writing a proposal for funds to helpland acquisition.

Garage Sale: Thank you to Jean Gelwicks andPeter Lamb; hosts of the event, as well as CaraJoy Hughes, Maureen Bendick, Bob & HelenNation, Nora Layard, Samantha & Ian Beare,Bob Weeden, John & Heather Neville, AnnRichardson, Maggie Ziegler& Phil Vernon,Alicia Herbert, and everyone else who donatedmerchandise, came by to make a purchase, orhelped out. You all made our first annual salea great success.

Anonymous: Thank you for making anddonating the Country Quilt for our Fall raffle.

Fall Fair Booth: Thanks for another great fair:Samantha & Ian Beare, Ann Richardson,Damien Barstead, Nora Layard, Cara JoyHughes, Ruth & Sam Tarasoff, Gary Holman,Bob Weeden, Mina Lee Johnston, MaureenMoore, Andrew Lewis, Nancy Braithwaite,Doug Wilkins, Sharon Glover, and AndreaRankin.

The Salt Spring Island Conservancy isconstantly at work promoting landstewardship, hosting regular educationalevents, and covenanting lands on Salt SpringIsland. There are many roles for students,retirees, and workers for committees,fundraisers and photographers. We need morehelp in our office, as well as a few more handsat educational events. What ever way you wantto help, we have a role for you. Please contactus at 538-0318 to inquire about these andother volunteers opportunities.

Black-crowned Night-Heron

13

Mower ThanksOne pleasure you can count on to colour lifeagain and again is to thank someone for agood deed.

Right now I want to thank Alan Robertson fordonating an Astra 2000 Colour Scanner to theoffice, plugging one more hole in our systemof electronic communications equipment.

As well, here’s a triple-decker: our thanks toTed Harrison and Susan Evans for donating ameadow mower, to Charles Dorworth forselling it, and to Bob Stimpson for buying it.

Bob Weeden

Heartfelt Thanks!… to members and friends who supported ourAnnual Appeal for operating funds. Betweenmid-June and 31 August the Appeal brought in$7,300, which is a fabulous financial boost.Our sincerest gratitude goes to:

Diana AngusLiz ArmourMary AshworthHarold AtkinsonRich & Phyllis AtwoodBob & Betty BallGordon & Bianca BarnesBrigit & Bob BatemanLois & Stuart BeattieMaureen BendickSheri BerkowitzMerle BoxMeg BuckleyPat & Grace ByrneSimon & Anne CampingTom & Joanne CartwrightEdward & Laurie CowellDorothy CuttingNancy & David DenovanDick & Vivienne DobellGloria & Charles DorworthRosamund & Jerome DupuyJean ElderDerek EmmersonBrian FinnemoreJack FisherVenu FitzgeraldBristol FosterE. Margaret FultonEdna GattTom GossettGanges Floor CoveringsJonathan & Michelle GrantAnna HaltrechtStan HamerJohn & Alicia HerbertNancy & Ronald HolcroftGary HolmanJudith HurdJoseph & Melitta KandlerLyndaLaushwayNora LayardPhilip & June MasonPat & David MassyMarianna MiddlebergTom MitchellFrank & Tina MooreNeil Morie

Art MortonDr. John MowbrayKatherine NonesuchVictoria OlchoweckiHarold & Gladys PageAilsa PearseHarry & Joyce PickstoneFred & Nancy PowellLinda QuiringLynneRaymond& Arthur BlackShirley RobertsonMaggie SchubartDiana SetterfieldEva & Jim SpencerGreg SpendjianLucie StuartMel & Alison SumnerRuth & Sam TarasoffMelanie ThompsonChristine TorgrimsonMary & Manson ToynbeeBev & Bob UngerBob & Judy WeedenBob & Audrey WildDick & Jill Willmott

We pray that this list is complete – please tellus if it isn’t. Note that people who gave beforemid-June, or after 31 August, are not (ratherarbitrarily!) considered to have responded toAppeal mailings.

Bob Weeden

AustralianGannets

14

Featured Artist – David Denning

Donations of any of the following would be gratefully appreciated.

Items needed by theSalt Spring Island Conservancy:

As a high school student, David Denning was inspired into nature studythrough school field trips to the California coast. After obtaining a degree inorganic chemistry, he joined his high school biology teacher, Bruce Russell, inmaking films for biology education. Thirty years later the two are still teamedup producing multimedia for biology through BioMEDIA ASSOCIATES (onthe web at www.ebiomedia.com).

David is particularly interested in the living world of the small. He claims thatover 99% of all living organisms, and 90% of all species, are smaller than adime. Among his goals are to reveal that world of microlife in dramatic images,and to educate people about the beauty, natural history and evolution of allliving organisms.

As a naturalist, he is largely marine-oriented. He was public educationcoordinator at Bamfield Marine Station for 4 years, and he has been on-boardnaturalist for sailboat ecotourism all along the BC coast as well as in Belize andthe South Pacific. He is always flogging the merits of an obscure group ofanimals called Bryozoans, and he loves nudibranchs. Another pet project is toexplore the fascinating surfaces of sea stars and other echinoderms, as thephotos on this page reveal.

A resident of Saltspring Island for nine years, David enjoys kayaking with hispartner, Deborah Miller, from their front doorstep on Booth Canal. You mightsee them in a white double kayak accompanied by their boat-loving Jack Russellterrier, Ginger.

Office itemsErgonomic Chairs56 k. modemComputer desks

Household ItemsVacuum CleanerSmall refrigerator

Other ItemsGPS UnitDigital CameraLaptop Computer

David Denning is the most recent in an impressive series of artists who havedecorated the Conservancy’s Acorn with sketches and photos. Since thefeature began with Vol. 7 in September 1998, we have enjoyed the creations ofJack Avison, Robert Bateman, John Curran, Peter Eyles, Peggy Frank, HowardFry, Jonathan Grant, Donald Gunn, Fenwick Lansdowne, Rosemary Partridge,Briony Penn (twice), Doug Penhale, Osman Phillips, Glen Smith, and DianaThompson. They have all helped us to celebrate life and lively environmentswe try so earnestly to save.

15

Membersh ip App l i ca t ion

Individual $15

Family $20

Underemployed $10

Name:

Address:

Postal Code:

Phone: Fax:

email:

Dona t ionsTax deductible receipts are provided for every

donation over $20.

In addition to my $15-20 membership fee, I have

enclosed my donation in the amount of:

$25 $50 $100

Other________

P a r t i c i p a t i o nI would like to participate in the work of the Conserv-

ancy by volunteering in the following way(s):

� Research

� Land restoration

� Office work

� Site evaluation and habitat identification

� Computer work

� Mapping

� Fund raising

� Specific educational programs (your ideas

welcome)

� Joining the Board of Directors (this Board is

active, not passive)

� Other (your suggestions)

Please email the Acorn to me.

printed on recycled paper

the Acorn is the newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, a local, non-profit society supporting and enabling voluntary preserva-tion and restoration of the natural environment of Salt Spring Island and surrounding waters. We welcome your feedback andcontributions, by email to ssiconservancy@saltspring.com or by regular mail. Opinions expressed here are the authours’, not subject toConservancy approval.

the Salt Spring IslandConservancy

#203 Upper Ganges Center,338 Lower Ganges Rd.

Of fice hours: Mon/Wed/Fri,9am - 11am

Phone: (250) 538-0318Fax: (250)538-0319

Email:ssiconservancy@saltspring.com

Web site:saltspring.gulfislands.com/

conservancy/

o n s e r v a n c ythe Salt Spring IslandC

Ganges PO Box 722Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3

Editor (this issue): BobWeedenLayout: Rachel Bevington

Board of Directors:Samantha Beare (Treasurer)Maureen Bendick (Vice-President)Charles DorworthJean GelwicksPeter LambRuth TarasoffJill Thomas (Secretary)Doug WilkinsBob Weeden (President)Maggie Ziegler

Bob Weeden

The river gathers itself along the outer arcof a graceful swing past low ridges and limeycliffs. Paddles at rest, we let the strong watercarry us. We are as quiet as the day, drinkingevery smell, every audible or visible thing.

“Why do we love to do this kind of thing?”As I ask, I have no answer in mind. Looking

again at the cliffs, the emerald plants, I try outan answer.

“This wild country is so elemental,” I say.“Enduring rock. Sun. Air. Water. Soil. Life,green and brown.”

Then I contradict myself: “But it isn’tsimple,” I say, “Or not only simple. It is reallyso complicated that no life, no sum of humanlifetimes, can know it completely.”

And, finally, I add this: “I guess I like theorder, which lets me hope I could understandit, and the complexity that makes it ultimatelymysterious.”

Judy has been quiet. Then she says, “I love

the beauty. That’s more to me than how itworks.”

We talk some more. Judy talks about thedifferent scales and kinds of beauty she sees here.The subtle lines of horizons. The arrangementof middle landscapes. The play of grainin a stump, the agony of a tree rooted inrock, the color of beach stone.Reminded by me of our smallcompetitions over names of plants andbirds, she admits the scientist in herself.

Reminded by her, I confess to timeswhen my eyes mist and my breathcatches at the sheer loveliness of thisEarth.

Two answers:“Mystery,” I say, “and beauty.”“Beauty,” she says, “and mystery.”

Note to Readers: This is the third vignette fromBob and Judy’s 2001 canoe trip down the HortonRiver, NWT to appear in the Acorn.

Two Answers

16

o n s e r v a n c ythe Salt Spring IslandC

Ganges PO Box 722Salt Spring Island, BC

V8K 2W3 40026325