by Janet Alred

Almost everything we do reshapes the earth to accommodate human needs. Whether building a forest trail or a concrete parking lot, we are changing what was there.

We might cut down a tree, fearing it may fall upon the house; we might dig a vegetable patch for organic greens; we might choose to drain wet land for some other use.

Under current zoning bylaws, whoever owns the land has the power to decide what happens there. If we do not own the land, although we might petition the owner and reach an agreement, we have no right to dictate what land owners can do. If we want to preserve land on which we depend in some way, we can do that with a land conservancy—and one has just been formed in the Powell River region.

The Malaspina Land Conservancy Society is a non-profit organization formed in the summer of 2008 to assist land owners in preserving land. We cover the whole Powell River region, from Jervis Inlet to Sarah Point, and include our local islands. MLCS has a broad mandate to preserve land that is of natural or scenic beauty, historical or scientific significance, or agricultural or recreational value. We also help preserve areas that are home to species at risk or part of Canada’s natural heritage.

People can use our services in several ways. We can receive donations of land or funds, raise funds to purchase land, place conservation covenants on a part of the land, teach habitat restoration and remediation, raise public awareness, and more. Once MLCS obtains charitable designation, we can issue tax receipts to property owners to offset income tax.

British Columbia boasts more than 30 land conservancies, most quite local to their communities like our own. One, The Land Conservancy (TLC), is provincial and a couple, like The Nature Trust and The Nature Conservancy, are national organisations. Each has its own set of purposes specifying the nature of the land that it is most interested in protecting. In BC, we all operate under the umbrella of the BC Land Trust Alliance, an organisation that provides networking for land conservancies as well as valuable information for the general public.

For $10 per person, you can show your support of MLCS’ endeavours and become a member. Become involved, if you wish, as a volunteer. Come to our first quarterly members’ evening on Monday, February 9th, 7:00 p.m. at Vancouver Island University for information about land conservancies, conservation covenants, the Environment Canada Ecogift program, MLCS goals for the future, and how you can be involved. If you would like to know more, call (604) 483-3683, visit our website at www.malaspinaland.ca, or just come along to the meeting to find out who we are.

Look around you. Is there something about your land you’d like to preserve forever?