🚀 go-pugleaf

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.

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

This article is 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.

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.

This article is 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