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Nature Trust Read Me First file:

The Nature Trust of West Vancouver, B.C. Canada is a Charitable
Corporation (#0398650-53), which is dedicated to conserving areas of
ecological significance in British Columbia. 

The Nature Trust has posted several articles at the same time as this file:

* Nature Trust focus of Jedediah Island donations
* Brief Letter triggers Fraser Valley conservation project
* Co-operating helps Cheam Lake come alive again
* Wendy Ann Thompson trust fund established
* Federal Budget expands Trust's conservation capability
* The Nature Trust people winning awards recently
* Dr. Alastair McLean steps down after 23 years as a director of The
Nature Trust
* What The Nature Trust is and How to Help
* Compendium of Nature Trust articles

The Compendium file is all of the files, including this Read Me First
file, as one message, if that would make downloading simpler for you.

Since 1971, The Nature Trust and its partners in conservation have
invested more than C$25 million to secure over 200 acquisitions in British
Columbia. These cover 13,055 strategically located hectares (32,259
acres), thus creating a legacy of grasslands, marshes, forests and
mountains that protect the plan and wildlife species they nurture.

If you wish to make a donation, please call (604) 925-1128.

If you wish to write to us, address your letter to:

The Nature Trust of British Columbia, 
808-100 Park Royal South, 
West Vancouver, B.C., V7T 1A2
Canada

E-mail should be addressed to: nature.trust@morgan-news.com 


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NATURE TRUST FOCUS OF JEDEDIAH ISLAND DONATIONS

The Nature Trust of B.C. worked quietly behind the scenes, collecting
private donations to help purchase Jedediah Island, one of the few Gulf of
Georgia islands to remain pristine.
 
The Nature Trust assisted the B.C. Government�s Ministry of Environment,
Lands and Parks (MOELP) as it and others helped raise the $4.2 million
purchase price. 

A total of $500,000 in private donations poured in as part of the
fund-raising effort; more than 400 individuals contributed. 

�This is an excellent example of how conservation agencies, working with
like-minded people, can achieve a wonderful addition to B.C.�s natural
heritage,� said The Nature Trust�s Executive Vice-President, Ron Erickson.


Here�s how the contributions came in (from those whose names could be
publicized):

* The provincial government contributed $2.6 million as part of its
Protected Area Strategy program;

* $1.1 million to come from the estate of Dan Culver, a B.C. mountain
climber and wilderness guide who was killed descending the slopes of
Pakistan�s K2, the world�s second-highest mountain, in July, 1993 after he
and Jim Haberl became the first Canadians to conquer the peak; 

* Mountain Equipment Co-op gave $100,000. That was reported elsewhere to
be ten times the amount solicited;

* Marine Parks Forever Society: $100,000;

* Marine Trades Association: $50,000;

* EJLB Foundation, a Quebec-based charity for the Low-Beer family, donated
$25,000 to The Nature Trust specifically for the project; and,

* Canada Trust: $10,000.

The balance of $215,000 came from many personal and smaller donations to 
the B.C. Government and The Nature Trust.These included donations from:

* Connor, Clark and Lunn, an investment company whose partners knew Dan Culver;

* $1,500 from Canadian Airlines�s recycling program and 

* $1,000 from the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. 

Fund-raising efforts included the proceeds from a special concert given by
west-coast singer Shari Ulrich.

The 243-hectare (600-acre) island, located in Sabine Channel between
Lasqueti Island and Texada Island north-west of Vancouver, is part of a
chain of islands recognized by MOELP and Parks Canada as a high-priority
conservation area. 

The island contains an old-growth forest of Douglas fir and Arbutus trees.
Wildflowers abound. It contains four registered archeological sites and it
has several shellfish-filled beaches. 

The island was owned by Al and Mary Parker, a retired couple who agreed to
sell it for about two-thirds of its value on the condition it become a
park. 

The change of ownership ceremony was held March 7.

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BRIEF LETTER TRIGGERS FRASER VALLEY PRESERVATION PROJECT

It was a simple, heart-felt, three-paragraph letter that Mikhail
Kournossoff, 90, wrote a year ago that led to one of The Nature Trust�s
latest projects--and the fulfillment of Kournossoff's dream.

�I have a beautiful piece of land that borders the Hope River near the
east end of Mount Shannon in Chilliwack,� it starts. �...It is 21.6 acres
[8.7 hectares] in size. I would like to give this land to The Nature Trust
to keep in a natural state for wildlife forever.�

�It was one of those rare letters that seems to have an entire story
between the lines,� says The Nature Trust Director Dr. V.C. �Bert� Brink.

The one-page letter from the elderly Fraser Valley farmer and academic
arrived at The Nature Trust�s West Vancouver headquarters just over a year
ago. The Nature Trust, after meeting with Kournossoff and inspecting the
property with him, met with representatives from the B.C. government, the
District of Chilliwack, Environment Canada and the Fraser Basin Action
Plan to work out how the land could best fit with conservation plans in
the area. 

Last December 19, the B.C. Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks
officially dedicated the property Kournossoff donated to The Nature Trust
as a wildlife area. The Nature Trust, as it usually does, leased the land
for 99 years to the Ministry, which is managing it under a stewardship
agreement with the Chilliwack Field Naturalists Club. 

The lease arrangement ensures the property can be managed by local people
with government support, yet remains owned by The Nature Trust.

�The provincial government is thinking about taking greater protection
measures for the wetlands in this area,� says Dr. Brink. �This generous
gift to us is an opportunity for conservationists to re-establish plants,
trees and shrubs that were once native to this type of land, but which
have virtually disappeared because of development and farming throughout
the Fraser Valley. The general plan is to enhance the property�s natural
values.�

The gently rolling property, once farm land, borders the Hope Slough on
Camp River Road, and contains nearly 850 metres (2,800 feet) of river
bank. 
It�s near where the Hope and Camp rivers meet. Large cottonwood trees line
the waterway which, combined with two natural springs, provide a diverse
habitat for a number of fish and wildlife species.

Though he�s bought and sold several pieces of property in the area over
the years, he always treasured this piece because it reminded him of the
wilderness that once existed throughout the Valley. 

�It�s an absolute paradise for birds,� Kournossoff says of the Camp River
land. A cairn near a cottonwood tree on the property dedicates the new
wildlife area to Kournossoff's mother, Nina, and his two wives, Gwendolyn
and Anya, all of whom are no longer living.

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CO-OPERATING HELPS CHEAM LAKE COME ALIVE AGAIN

Over the past five years, a keystone property only 4.86 hectares (12
acres) in size has allowed The Nature Trust to take part in the re-birth
of a pretty lake in the Fraser Valley near Chilliwack.

Cheam Lake--pronounced Chee-ahm and named after a similar sounding Sto:lo
Indian word meaning �wild strawberry place�--is just east of Chilliwack.
It was drained in the 1950s so its rich deposits of marl, a kind of lime,
could be mined for spreading on farm fields. 

Ironically, a water plant called chara, locally known as green stonewort,
helped form the marl beds over centuries of interactions with the lake
water. Logging operations earlier this century also affected the lake�s
marge.

Now, through the co-operation of The Nature Trust, Ducks Unlimited Canada,
the Regional District of Fraser-Cheam, the B.C. Ministry of Environment,
Land and Parks, plus the federal government�s Department of Fisheries and
Oceans, 101 hectares (250 acres) of lake and marsh is in the process of
being restored. The Regional District manages The Nature Trust�s land.

When the long-term project is finished, the lake will once again be an
important nesting, migration and wintering area for ducks and geese, and
it will be home for juvenile Coho salmon and Cutthroat trout. Ospreys,
Bald eagles, herons and various types of shorebirds are already using it
again.

------

AWARDS GIVEN RECENTLY TO PEOPLE OF THE NATURE TRUST

Nature Trust Executive Vice-President Ron Erickson is the first Canadian
to win The Nature Conservancy�s prestigious President�s Conservation
Achievement Award. 

The award is given annually for �exceptional support by an individual...
[who] worked in partnership with TNC [The Nature Conservancy] to advance
biodiversity protection.� 

Erickson won the Award for a variety of work, according to the TNC, including:

* His central role in raising nearly $300,000 in private funds to
establish the B.C. Conservation Data Centre he helped create; 

* His role as Chair of the Pacific Coast Estuary Conservation Program,
which unites seven agencies and $12 million to protect key Pacific-coast
wetlands; 

* For his work in protecting Bluebunch grasslands; and for

* His continuing work at The Nature Trust.

Meanwhile, Erickson and Rod Silver, a good friend of The Nature Trust and
the Manager of Special Projects for the B.C. Wildlife Branch, each
received awards from the Ministry of Environment, Habitat Conservation
Fund and The Nature Trust  for their conservation achievements.

-----

Former chairman of The Nature Trust, Bert Hoffmeister, has won the 1995
Murray A. Newman Annual Award for Excellence in Aquatic Sciences.

The award, presented during a fund-raising dinner for the Vancouver
Aquarium at the Pan Pacific Hotel, was given to honour Hoffmeister�s
�significant achievement in aquatic conservation.�

-----

Nature Trust director �Bert� Brink received an honorary Doctor of Science
degree at the University of British Columbia�s convocation.

The D.Sc. is in recognition for his long and distinguished career and his
lifelong efforts on behalf of nature and conservation, according to the
Tributes Committee. 

Dr. Brink, who also holds a PhD and is a member of the Order of Canada, is
a director of The Nature Trust as well as a former professor and head of
the plant-science department of the Faculty of Agriculture at UBC.

-----

MCLEAN STEPS DOWN AS A DIRECTOR OF THE NATURE TRUST

Doctor Alastair McLean, 74, stepped down from the Board of Directors of
The Nature Trust at the 1995 Annual General Meeting.

�We accepted his resignation with considerable regret,� said Board
chairman Ed Moul. �Alastair was one of the first directors appointed to
The Nature Trust more than two decades ago. And it�s fair to say that, as
an active member of the Board and our Planning Committee, he�s left a
lasting natural legacy for British Columbians�and all Canadians.�

A retired research scientist, Dr. McLean�s career with Agriculture Canada
focused on plant ecology, forage crops and range-management techniques.
He�s published 78 scientific, and 58 other documents in the fields of
range management and forage. 

During his 23-year tenure with The Nature Trust�s Board, he was also a
director of the Agricultural Institute of Canada�s National Council, the
B.C. Institute of Agrologists�s Provincial Council, and the Society for
Range Management�s National Council--as well as it�s Pacific Northwest
Section president. 

He�s also been involved in various Plant Science and Animal Science
committees appointed by the B.C. Deputy Minister of Agriculture to aid in
guiding plant and animal research programs.

------

FEDERAL BUDGET EXPANDS TRUST'S CONSERVATION CAPABILITY

The 1995 Federal Budget contained a piece of good news--in principle--for
people interested in helping The Nature Trust achieve conservation goals.

Canadians who donate land for conservation purposes may currently claim a
deduction which can amount to more than 50 cents on each dollar donated.
Other tax rules allow this amount to be spread over five years. However,
"ecologically sensitive" land donations to charities like The Nature Trust
were, until now, capped at 20% of the donor�s net income. 

The new Budget proposes to exempt any "land, covenants, servitudes and
easements" from the cap if: it has federal Environment Ministry
registration showing its ecological value, and the donation is made to a
charity like The Nature Trust. There�s a hefty tax penalty if such land is
subsequently re-sold or used for non-ecological uses without Environment
Ministry approval. 

The Budget document says the change applies to any such land donated after
February 27, the date of the Budget, even though the legislation and
regulations authorizing the change are not yet law.

�We�re in the process now of asking the Environment Ministry for details
on exactly what qualifies as �ecologically sensitive�,� says The Nature
Trust�s Executive Vice-President Ron Erickson. �If anybody wants to know
what we find out, just drop me a line asking to be placed on our regular
mailing list for the information.�

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WENDY ANN THOMPSON MEMORIAL TRUST FUND ESTABLISHED

The family of Wendy Ann Thompson has set up a memorial fund at The Nature Trust.

At the age of 33, Wendy was a member of the air-medivac team lost during a
mercy flight when their jet crashed near Masset on the Queen Charlottes
last January 11. 

Wendy loved the outdoors and was most familiar with the Whistler area,
where she hiked, biked and avidly skiied. 

She worked with the ski patrol as well as the RCMP, and became a
paramedic, graduating as an EMA II in 1994. 

In setting up the fund, parents Michael and Shirley Thompson specified
that donations sent to The Nature Trust in memory of Wendy be used to
�enhance the conservation of wildlife in the Whistler area�, where the
family lives.

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How To Help The Nature Trust of British Columbia

The Nature Trust is a charitable corporation dedicated to conserving areas
of ecological significance in British Columbia, a province of remarkable
natural diversity which far exceeds that of any other in Canada. 

Sixty-two percent of Canada�s forest types, and 75% of the country�s bird
and mammal species, occur in British Columbia. 

Our Legacy: In 1971, the Federal Government granted $4.5 million to The
Nature Trust, and the income is used to conserve areas of ecological
significance in the province. 

The Nature Trust and its partners in conservation have invested more than
$25 million since 1971 to secure over 200 acquisitions covering 13,055
strategically located hectares (32,259 acres), thus creating a legacy of
grasslands, marshes, forests and mountains that protect the plant and
wildlife species they nurture.
 
Our Work: We identify important areas of the province, alone or in
co-operation with individuals, groups or government--we welcome proposals
from anyone who believes an area deserves protection--then acquire key
lands through gift or purchase. 

We then lease the land under 99�year agreements for nominal charges to
government or private agencies on condition the property is preserved and
protected as a site of ecological interest--and we retain ownership to
ensure this is so. 

We also encourage private and government sectors to set aside important
areas as well. 

The Nature Trust encourages public use of our lands, where it�s consistent
with our objectives.

Donations: Our funds come from a variety of sources, primarily from the
donations of individuals, foundations, corporations and
governments--people like you who also see the importance of our work. 

The Vancouver Foundation also maintains The Nature Trust Open Fund for
those who wish to make donations in that way. 

We make it as easy as possible for you to work with us. Donations can be
made by Visa or MasterCard, simply by phoning us at (604) 925-1128 and
providing information for your receipt. 

If you wish to discuss a Charitable Lifetime Term Deposit or other forms
of donations, please contact our Executive Vice-President, Ron Erickson.

-------

The Nature Trust Board of Directors

Each member of our Board of Directors is a significant contributor to The
Nature Trust�s goals in their private and public lives. 

G. Edward Moul, FCA -- Chairman
Edward D.H. Wilkinson, QC -- Vice Chairman

Vernon C. Brink, OC, OBC, PhD
Ian McTaggart Cowan, OC, OBC, PhD
Hugh A. Magee
Carmen C. Purdy
George C. Reifel
R. L. (Dick) Richards
The Honourable Robert G. Rogers
A. Arthur Stauble
John N. Woodworth, CM, MRAIC

Ron Erickson, MSc.Ag -- Executive Vice-President

**************

These articles are posted as a public service by The Nature Trust of West
Vancouver, B.C. Canada. The Nature Trust is a Charitable Corporation
(#0398650-53), which is dedicated to conserving areas of ecological
significance in British Columbia. If you wish to make a donation, please
call (604) 925-1128.

These articles are copyright, (c) 1995, by The Nature Trust of British
Columbia, 808-100 Park Royal South, West Vancouver, B.C., Canada, V7T 1A2.
All rights reserved. 

E-mail should be addressed to: nature.trust@morgan-news.com