Denman Conservancy Association

P.O. Box 60 Denman Island BC CANADA V0R 1T0

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Bald Eagle Nest-tree Survey and Stewardship Program 2009

Photo by Jenny Balke

Twenty-six Bald eagle nest-trees were identified in a survey of Denman Island in 2009. Denman eagle nest-trees are large and probably greater than 200 years of age. All nests were in Douglas-fir old-growth veteran trees, except for one in a large cottonwood. All but one tree was alive and most trees were in reasonable condition, although 48% had broken tops. The diameter at breast height averaged 1.35m.

Photo by Jenny Balke
The 2009 DCA Bald eagle stewardship program offered nest-tree stewards a package consisting of the recent Hornby Island Eagle book, a wildlife tree sign and record-keeping materials, if they agreed in future years to conduct the minimum of 2 productivity surveys per year and to look after their nest-tree. Nine landowner stewards agreed to participate and 10 adoptive-stewards agreed to monitor the remaining nest-trees.

Monitoring by stewards is particularly important to obtain data from the 27% of nest-trees visible only from private land. Although data from the 2009 survey is insufficient to determine the overall eagle territory productivity for Denman, the nest-tree stewardship program should provide these data in future years

For detailed information see “Bald Eagle Nest Tree Survey on Denman Island”

Rare Meadow Stewardship

Starting in 2008 and continuing through 2010, Denman Conservancy is reaching out to Denman Islanders for support in maintaining meadow habitat for several rare species found on the Island. The project is supported by funding from the Government of Canadian Habitat Stewardship Program.

In the first year landowners of 1059 acres, (over 8% of the island) have committed to stewardship of their meadows.

The project has four objectives.

to identify meadow-species at risk on private land
to create a rare-meadow-species awareness among landowners and the community
to gain information and share ideas about their ecology and habitat needs
to inspire and assist landowners in adapting their land use for the mutual benefit of all.

The 'Flagship' Species: Taylor's Checkerspot Butterfly

Taylor's checkerspot butterflies, affectionately known as Cspots, once occupied Garry oak meadows and open areas of SW Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Populations dwindled to a last stand on Hornby Island before being declared "extirpated" or gone from Canada about 2001. Thus, their emergence in Denman Island clear-cuts in 2005 was greeted with both joy and amazement. The wet shrubby sites where the butterflies thrived didn't look much like Garry oak meadows, but this focused additional conservation attention on those 'vernal pools' of the south coast meadows.

For a full discussion of the project see "Meadows Matter on Denman" by Jennifer Balke RPBio. See also "An illustration of the Lifecycle of Checkerspot Butterflies" and "Stewardship needs of Checkerspot Butterflies"

Denman Stewardship Project 1997 - 1999

The first Denman Stewardship Project was a landowner contact stewardship program which worked to encourage landowners to preserve valuable natural areas on private lands. The project was active on Denman Island, British Columbia's northernmost Gulf Island, from June 1997 to March 1999. Project activities included landowner contact, site visits, preparation of stewardship plans for each property visited, wildlife monitoring, participation in community events and delivery of an extensive education program.

The objectives of the project were twofold. The primary objective of the project was to secure 600 ha (1482acres) of private land for protection by obtaining stewardship commitments from landowners. 600 ha represents 12% of Denman Island. The second objective was to involve land stewards in wildlife and habitat monitoring projects in order to assess stewardship's success in protecting wildlife habitat.

The project conducted site visits with the landowners of 114 properties resulting in the protection of 1157.99 acres of private land. Stewarded lands cover the island from its northernmost bay to the border of Boyle Point Provincial Park on Denman's southern tip. Denman Island's wetlands and salmon-bearing streams have been particularly well woven into the network of protected lands.See Table 1

The Denman Stewardship Project also involved land stewards in wildlife monitoring in order to assess the success of stewardship in protecting wildlife habitat. In addition, the project worked with the provincial Urban Salmon Habitat Program to assess the habitat quality of two Denman streams. Data collection regarding Denman's two salmon-bearing streams, Beadnell Creek and Valens Brook was completed in Summer 1998. In February 1999, neighbourhood meetings were convened to discuss the findings regarding each of the creeks and to ascertain public willingness to resolve the problems identified.

The extensive education program implemented by the project increased awareness and appreciation of stewardship values. The project delivered 15 wildlife workshops and, in partnership with the Denman Island Community School, presented two summer science day camps for children and adults and sponsored a school based wetland program delivered by the Vancouver based Friends of Boundary Bay. The project also hosted a West Coast Environmental Law Research Foundation Conservation Covenants workshop in order to provide pertinent information to islanders interested in legally binding forms of land protection.

As a result of the Denman Stewardship Project, a network of stewarded lands was established across the entire island landscape. see map below. The project developed a sound foundation for the continued support and growth of stewardship on Denman. Landowners not only responded positively to site visits, stewardship plans and workshops but they were also enthusiastic about the development of stewardship neighbourhoods across the island.

Ecosystem & elements	Number of Properties
TABLE 1 Ecosystem Components among Stewarded Properties
Bluff	51
Rock Outcrop	39
Forest	98
Mature Second-Growth Trees	111
Old-Growth Trees	54
Large Snags	74
Meadow (Wildflower)	10
Sand Flats	1
Ocean Shoreline	28
Creek 13 on salmonid creek with Coho 9 on salmonid creek with Cutthroat Trout	71
Riperian Forest	51
Wet Meadow	5
Forested Marsh	36
Non-Forested Marsh	26
Open Water Marsh	15
Lake	6

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Click for Large Map (96 KB).

DENMAN ISLAND VOLUNTARY STEWARDSHIP PLEDGE

Denman's Stewardship Pledge is a commitment to the future - a commitment that broadens Denman's sense of community to include the natural world and the natural features that sustain all life.

As part of the Denman Stewardship Project, we pledge:

to respect the biological diversity of Denman Island by showing sensitivity to the wildlife and plant species that inhabit our property.
to recognize the vital role of clean fresh water and uncontaminated soil by working towards the conservation of water and soil on our land.
to sustain the stewardship plan we describe for our land by seeking the Project's advice when major changes are planned in the use of the land, and notifying the Project of any potential threats to the area (e.g. draining of wetlands).
to support the continuity of the Stewardship Project by informing subsequent owners of our property of the Stewardship Pledge.
Specifically, on our land, we pledge to protect the natural features we describe in our stewardship plan.

DENMAN CONSERVANCY ASSOCIATION, BOX60, DENMAN ISLAND, BC CANADA, VOR ITO