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 1
In this Issue
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Message from thePresident
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VolunteerAppreciation
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Green Day
?
Stewardship Support
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Upcoming AGM
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New Eelgrass sign
 
C
OWICHAN
C
OMMUNITY
L
AND
T
RUST
S
OCIETY
N
EWSLETTER
 – 
 
S
UMMER
2007
A Message from the President
H 
ard to believe it has been almost a year since I agreed to take on the role of President ofthe Cowichan Community Land Trust (CCLT). This year has seen a few changes to theCCLT Board - we have a new past-president, Jim Ayers, who thankfully is still involved incovenant work; we have lost our long-time treasurer, Charles Poole, whose health has notallowed him to take on this responsibility for us any longer; and we have gained a new andenergetic board member, Cindy Carleton.CCLT has been working hard this past year. You may have seen CCLT mentioned in thelocal papers recently because we were honored with the Silver Award from the HabitatConservation Trust Fund for the work CCLT staff, members and the community have done tore-establish sub-tidal eelgrass meadows in Cowichan Bay. For now, that project haswrapped up. But stay tuned; the interest is out there to continue eelgrass restoration in ourlocal marine waters.Speaking of Cowichan Bay and newspapers, earlier this month aNews Leader headline read “National Marine Park in the works”.According to the article, public feedback has redrawn the originalproposed reserve boundary to include Cowichan Bay and MapleBay in the National Marine Conservation Area Reserve (NMCA)proposed for the Southern Strait of Georgia. As part of theTzouhalem Project several years ago, CCLT met with Bill Henwoodof Parks Canada to ask that Sansum Narrows be included in theNMCA. The potential addition of Cowichan and Maple Bays wouldmean Sansum Narrows would receive marine conservation status,and all our hard work on eelgrass in Cowichan Bay could beafforded additional protection.We are just beginning our next project - Stewardship Support andwe have also welcomed the Friends of Quamichan Lake as ournewest committee.Well, my experience this year has been a full one, and I haveenjoyed it immensely. Ann and the CCLT Board are wonderfulpeople to work with. I look forward to meeting more of our membersin the coming months while helping with Stewardship Support.
Best regards,Tracy Fleming
Steward
The
 
 2
CCLT Volunteers and Members:
‘
WE 
Appreciate
YOU 
’ Day…
 Join us at Hecate Park in Cowichan BaySaturday, August 18
th
at Noonand let us buy you lunch!
To show you how much we appreciate you we are celebrating our Volunteers and all the goodwork that we can accomplish with your help. This will also give everyone a chance to see thenewly installed Eelgrass sign that recognizes the great community effort that went into makingthe project such a success.
Please bring along a plate, glass and utensils and a folding chair for yourcomfort… and R.S.V.P. to 746-0227.
 Hope to see you there!
Green Day!
 
By Alexis Baker
A
s the Business Outreach Representative I will be organizing events and fundraisersthroughout the summer for the Cowichan Community Land Trust Society.Green Dayis a fundraising event that creates awareness and support for land conservationin the Cowichan Valley and can be held at your convenience.To participate, each business or office will choose a day where employees donate money towear green on their chosen ‘Green Day.’Clients or customers will be asked if they would liketo make a donation to support the CCLT with all proceeds going to protecting the CowichanValley.Supporting businesses will receive a window decal that shows you are a localGreen Day supporter. A link for your business is also available through our Nature Cowichan website atwww.naturecowichan.netwhere ourGreen Daybusiness directory will promote your business and recognize your commitment to protecting the natural beauty of the CowichanValley.I would like to acknowledge the Canada Summer Jobs Program through Human ResourcesDevelopment Canada for sponsoring me to work for a great cause this summer.
 
 3
Stewardship Support Project
By Amanda Dodd
A
pproximately 90 percent of the land base in the Cowichan Valley is privately owned and iscurrently under significant development pressure or impacted by recent developments. Thismakes land stewardship essential for the preservation and protection of natural habitat in theCowichan Valley. The Stewardship Support Project is a two-year environmental programthat will allow us to support landholders interested in conserving and protecting ecologicallysensitive areas on their land.Land Stewards will be contacted and supported with networking opportunities and beencouraged to create or join a stewardship group around a local natural feature, like astream or natural area, and to continue their voluntary commitment to the natural areas ontheir land.Landholders who are new to land stewardship will be encouraged to commit to a voluntaryStewardship Agreement. Many local ecologists volunteer their time and expertise to assistus in helping landholders with concerns about the natural areas on their property. LandStewards can also take advantage of our resources and can receive a site visit to their landto help with issues that affect them and the health of natural areas.If you are interested in learning more about the Stewardship Support Project give our office acall, or you can stop by for a visit.
Check out the New Eelgrass Sign!
By Ann Archibald
O 
ur Eelgrass project recently wrapped up with a newaddition to Hecate Park. A new Eelgrass Interpretive signhas now been installed at the boat launch location inCowichan Bay where most of the eelgrass volunteersworked during our transplanting events. Hecate Park hasalso been undergoing some changes with a newer design,benches and viewing areas that our Eelgrass sign fits intovery well.Over 6,000 eelgrass shoots have been planted in the Cowichan estuary and so far thetransplants are growing. Some of the good indications for the return of eelgrass are three‘natural’ beds of eelgrass found near the transplanted sites. These small beds are no morethan a foot across but may show that this area is ‘naturally’ recovering now that there areadjacent transplants.Some challenges to the eelgrass habitat remain with the large amount of sediment broughtinto the estuary from the Cowichan River system. While the eelgrass plant and itsrhizomatous growth pattern is well adapted to the sediment settling that makes up estuarineconditions, it is unclear at this point whether the sediment conditions in the Cowichan estuaryis limiting to the transplants. During the early spring monitoring we found that the eelgrass
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