Winter 2010 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

8/8/2019 Winter 2010 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

1/12

Acornthe

he Newsletter o the Salt Spring Island Conservancy Number 43, Winter 2010

http://saltspringconservancy.ca/events

Inside:Presidents Page .................. 2Directors Desk .................. 3Carbon Footprint................3

Inside SSICSchool Program................4

EventsWhats On........................5Gwynne Dyer..................6

Volunteer Profle..................7Natural History: Rhubarb....9Stewardship

Western Painted Turtle..10Owls............................10

SSIC Essentials...................11

Stretching Your Donation Dollars

So youve decided you want make a donation to help the SaltSpring Island Conservancy preserve critical natural habitatson the island. First, thank you! Now, what i there were airlysimple strategies available that would help you boost thedollars received by the Conservancy or ewer dollars out o

your pocket? I this sounds too good to be true, I can assure

you its not. Tere are several options when it comes to making

donations to the Conservancy. Te most straight-orwardis simply writing a cheque. Keep in mind that as with anydonation, you get the biggest tax credit (about 44% o thedonation) when your annual donations total $200 or more.

While cheque-writing is undoubtedly the simplest donationmethod, it may not be the best. Te most common alternativeto giving cash is giving stu, specically securities or otherproperty. By securities, I mean publicly-traded investments,like stocks, mutual unds or income trusts (more on thespecial case o income trusts below). Property can be realestate or art, or other valuable capital assets. O these, givingsecurities is the most common, and or good reason: thedonor receives the ull tax credit or the donation, but avoidsall the capital gains tax. Lets look at an example.

Continued on page 8

Say you are in a postion to donate some stocks valuedat $10,000, or which you originally paid $3,000. Lets alsoassume you are in the middle tax bracket in BC, about 30%,

which means your income is roughly between $40,000 and$70,000. I you sold the stocks, you would have to pay taxon the capital gain o about $1,050. By donating the stocks,

youll save this capital gains tax.

What ollows in the above example is that someone whodonates cash but keeps any shares with embedded capitalgains like the above, their ater-tax cost is 19% higher. Tedonor is eectively giving up on a little more than $1,000 intax savings, or conversely, could donate 19%, or $1,900 moreto worthy charities like the Conservancy, or the same out opocket cost. Now a donor may object that they already haveenough cash in their bank account to make a donation now

without having to sell any investments, or maybe they wantto keep holding their shares because they believe them to bea good investment. Tat may be true, but it misses the point

cue the death and taxes mantra eventually all shares wilbe sold, and eventually tax will be paid on any that are worthmore than their original cost. A better solution in this case isstill to donate the securities to reduce your current or uturecapital gains tax. I you still want to own the shares, you canbuy them back with a current (higher) cost price which wilmean less tax when theshares are eventually sold.

Te Conservancy nowhas a brokerage account

with which to receive

stocks, bonds and othersecurities, so contact theSSI Conservancy oce i

you would like to considera donation o securities.

Te notion odonating securities shouldbe o particular interest toholders o income trusts,especially in 2010. Income

By Frank Arnold, BSc, CFP


2/12 The Acorn - Newsletter of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy

Presidents Page

Presidents Message

Naturalists Wanted

Te Stewardship Committee is compiling a list o Salt Spring naturalists willing to be consulted on occasion to identiyspecimens or provide other advice. Te list will be used by Conservancy sta on a reerral basis in dealing with naturalhistory queries rom the public. Most needed are people knowledgeable o invertebrates, amphibians, sh, algae, mosses,lichens, mushrooms and other ungi.

I you have an interest in any o these groups, and are willing to have your name listed, please contact Peter Ommundsen,250-537-9515 ([email protected]).

A Years Worth of Thank Yous

Among the hundreds o volunteers who contribute

so much to the workings o the SSI Conservancy, aspecial thank you goes to the ollowing olk or theirextraordinary service in 2009. Te list includes wardensor our Nature Reserves, photographers, oce helpers,

wildlie data collators, GIS specialists, bird box builders,school program volunteers and student undraisers, ourAcorn editor and many others, so here they are in noparticular order:

Dick Willmott, Paul Linton, erry Ridings, LarryAppleby, Charles Dorworth, Simon Hensen, RodneyPolden, Brian Hayward, Margaretha Nordine, KarenFerguson, Catherine Griths, Kinkade Matthias, EmilyAdam-Oro, Gavin Johnston, Jessica Speed, JasmineClit, odd Harmer, Elizabeth Nolan, Arnold & SherriBerkowitz and many, many others.

And we want to thank another whole groupo generous individuals and businesses, again in noparticular order, who have been so generous donatingtoward our undraising events in the past year: IanGidney, Michael Levy, Michael Ableman, Donna &Mike Martin, Samantha Beare, Salt Spring Air, NoraLayard, Blennerhassett Equestrian Centre, the lateBarbara Hicks, Bob Weeden, Linda Quiring, Susan

Hannon, Lyle & Jane Petch, Ruth araso, LeezeePorter, Linda Gilkeson, Maureen Bendick, ArtSpring,Derrick VanderVliet, Donna Martin, Susan Evans, JeanGelwicks, Deborah Miller, Salt Spring Books, Bruce

Wood, Janas Bake Shop, Salt Spring Cheese, Mouatsrading Company Ltd., Harry Burton, Country Grocer,Paul Linton, Ashley Hilliard, Victoria Olchowecki.

And last, but certainly not least, our heartelt thanksgo out to all o our members and donors. Your generouscontributions helped keep us in the black through thisdicult economic year and we are very grateul or yoursupport.

When one tugs at a single thing in nature she nds it isattached to the rest o the world.

When a small group o women on SSI got together 14 years

ago to establish our Conservancy, even they probably did notoresee its evolution to this point. But they did believe thatthe community would support local conservation eorts andthat such eorts were needed. Human activity is causing thediversity o lie on Earth to be lost at a greatly acceleratedrate, states the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.And no less here on our island than elsewhere.

It is heartening, though, to be involved in an organizationthat osters the eorts o so many people who are tryingto promote a healthier environment and to protect thebiodiversity that still exists. We have the strength o a stathat works long and hard and a cadre o volunteers whosecommitment is remarkable and steady. Tis work is possiblebecause o the nancial support given to us through thedonations o concerned members o our community andthrough very hard-won grants developed by our sta.

All the donations we receive are accurately accounted orand allocated and spent careully. I would like to thank everysingle one o you or your membership and your support.Our programs require the ongoing backing o our donorsand volunteers.

And we are ortunate indeed in having dedicatedvolunteers who do so much or the island: they daily walk

our land reserves, map the land and its eatures, ght invasivespecies, bake pies to raise unds, negotiate to help protectnature. We have volunteers who build, erect and maintain bluebird nesting boxes, who write articles or publication, whoorganize und-raisers, stamp envelopes, monitor covenants,teach our children about the importance and wonders o thenatural world, help protect painted turtles, bring in speakersto educate and inspire, respond to conservation issues andabove all - and in so many diverse ways - cherish this ragileearth.

Our thanks go out to all o you and we hope that youwill encourage others to join us and to support this vital, lie-

supporting work.


3/12Winter 2010

Directors Desk

Directors Desk

A Financial Review of the YearIn common with other charitable organizations, 2009 or theSSI Conservancy was a bit o a roller coaster o nancialuncertainty. We went rom the disappointment o losingthe unding or our Stewards in raining school program

(rom provincial gaming grants) to the pleasant surprise oreceiving 50% more in annual appeal donations by the end othe year rom our members and supporters. We also receivedan extremely generous single donation o $20,000, which

was instrumental in helping us balance our 2009 budget. Wehavent been able to nd unds to entirely replace the grant

we received in past years or the school program; however,the many wonderul donations that were given expresslyto support the school program are helping to bridge theunding gap or 2010. As in past years, sta and volunteersare continuing to pursue every possible unding source romgrant agencies or which we might be eligible.

With the aim o ensuring long-term nancial stability,our Financial Foundations Committee has been working oninorming people o the tax benets o planned giving to theSSI Conservancy. You might have seen a copy o our Givingor the Future brochure at one o our workshops or in yournancial planners oce. Tere may be many people that

would like to support our work nancially, but cant manageit at this time. Tey might want to consider leaving a bequestin their will, which would be a wonderul way to leave a legacyon Salt Spring. We are indebted to Raymond James, Inc. whohas opened a trading account or us ree o charge so that

we can receive and sell donations o securities. Tis type odonation o stocks and bonds can provide good tax benetsto the donor. Since this tax benet was allowed by RevenueCanada several years ago, it has become an important sourceo unding or charitable organizations in Canada (or moreon the tax benets o this type o donation, see the article byFrank Arnold on page 1.)

Tis year, we have also made it easier than ever to donateon-line (click on the CanadaHelps icon on any page o our

web site) and to donate on a monthly basis, either on-line witha credit card or through an automatic account transer at thebank. Just contact us or the orm authorizing withdrawals i

you would like to make monthly contributions rom a bankaccount.

Tis year we heard rom people with great undraisingideas, such as the member whose donation o $365 was basedon the idea that a dollar a day is not too much to ask to helpprotect such a beautiul place. And thanks to Donna Martinand Susan Hannon, we were able to raise unds in Decemberto support our bluebird nest box program by selling beautiulAdopt a Bluebird Box git cards. Tese unds go to supportbuilding and installing boxes as well as monitoring andcleaning them.

~ Linda Gilkeson

An Idea for Offsetting Your Carbon FootprintVarious organizations will accept your donation to oset

your carbon ootprint, but you may preer to donate to yourlocal SSI Conservancy. Te ollowing are my calculations ordetermining such a donation.

aking into account appliances, heating/cooling antravel, the average British Columbian is responsible or11.5 tonnes o GHG emissions each year (according toLiveSmartBC). You can estimate your own GHG emissionsby completing the Carbon Calculator at www.livesmartbc

ca/homes/h_calc. (Dont orget to include all the airlinefights taken by your amily). Carbon osets vary widely incost, but a value o $15 per tonne is typical. So a donation o$172.50 to SSIC would help to oset 11.5 tonnes o GHG

Te Salt Spring Island Conservancy acquires anpreserves land in its natural state, as well as holding covenantsthat preserve other lands. For every hectare o mature oreston Salt Spring Island saved, you are preventing between300 and 500 tonnes o carbon emissions going up into theatmosphere over that period o time that the land wouldbe typically logged, developed and the carbon in the soiland wood released into the atmosphere. And on an annua

basis you are preserving the capacity o a hectare o orest orwoodland to draw one tonne o carbon out o the atmosphereper year.

Please consider donating an amount to SSIC related toyour annual carbon ootprint. You can donate to the SSICOperating Fund, which will ensure a long-term stable utureor the organization or the SSIC Land Acquisition Fundto be used specically or acquiring and preserving lands intheir natural state.

You might also want to consider putting your oworested hectarage under a conservation covenant as a way to

oset your lie emissions. I you preserve your land under theNatural Area Preservation ax Exemption Programme, thennot only are you osetting your own personal emissions, andgetting a tax break, but you are giving the best present to

your amily and the earth that you can possibly give.

Tanks to Briony Penn or comments and suggestions.Disclaimer: SSIC does not rigorously validate the carbonosets achieved.

~ Nigel Denyer



School programStewards in Training Update

Te Conservancys Stewards in raining program had somegreat news this all when it received an Islands rust awardhonouring the tremendous volunteer eort that supportsoutdoor adventures or the students o Salt Spring Island.

Ater successul spring programs at Ford Lake andBurgoyne Bay in the spring, we were so pleased to be ableto enjoy the sunny days o late September and early Octoberat Cusheon Cove with Grade 4 & 5 students. Tanks to thegenerosity o Chris Hateld we were able to take seven classesto this beautiul and historic spot where we whittled, learnedabout the cultural history o this site, studied arteacts andspun nettle twine. Access to Cusheon Cove or the Stewardsin raining program has now been written into the BC ParksManagement plan, so we will be able to continue to bringstudents here in the uture!

Unortunately, we had some disappointing news in theall. We are one o the many organizations aected by theBC Governments decision to cut unding o programs. Ourcommittee chair and Conservancy sta have been workinghard to secure unding so that our spring programs cancontinue as planned. We are also very grateul to individuals

who have come orward with donations to our program. Wehope to contact all volunteers as soon as we hear about

various grant applications.Tis spring we are planning three programs:

March: Grade 8 Students Water Systems

April: Grade 2/3 Students Wetland EcosystemsMay: Grade 6/7 Students Garry Oak Ecosystems

We are able to provide these ull day eld programs toeach class at each grade level because o all o the wonderulConservancy volunteers who come out to help. I you lovebeing outside and enjoy working with children, this is aperect volunteer opportunity or you! You can contact theConservancy oce at [email protected] or 250-538-0318.

School program photographs soughtGreat News. Te Stewards in raining School Program hasreceived a grant rom Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC)to organize our hundreds o photographs. Tis grant willallow us to get organized by putting all our photographs intoone computer, organize them, and create shows o each oour programs.

We think these shows will be useul to parents andteachers, as they will be able to go to our web-page and seeimages o the eld trip students will be attending. We hopethis will generate great enthusiasm or the outing and also

help ensure that students come dressed appropriately. Teseshows will be available or our coordinators to use duringtheir pre-trip presentations in the classroom that they dobeore every eld trip.

Tis will also allow us to make a Volunteer Recruitmentshow and a general Stewards in raining School Programshow. All o this will make the job o the coordinators andSchool Committee that much easier and more eective.

I you have any photographs o the Stewards in rainingSchool Program that you have not already given to us, pleasecontact Sarah Bateman at 250-653-4675 ASAP. We hope tonish this project by our Spring programming which startsin March.

Tis is the second generous Capacity Building granMEC has given our school program. We put together ourbrilliant new Stewards in raining School Manual with theirlast grant. Out o 38 applications submitted this roundMEC unded a total o only seven organizations in theirCapacity Building category. We eel extremely ortunate tobe one o those seven organizations.

~ Jean Gelwicks

Nature journaling workshop

Te School Program held their rst min-workshop orschool volunteers in November. We learned the ne art operorming with puppets rom Ron Chamney who has usedpuppets extensively and successully in park interpretiveprograms. We have been using puppets in a some o ourlibrary presentations to kids, Big Birds o SSI and SSImammals who live in/around water and we hope in theuture to visit kindergarten classes to talk about some othe special animals we all love, and how to protect them bypreserving the places where they live.

Our next mini-workshop is going to be about Nature Journaling. Very experienced nature journaler, Paul Burkewill lead this workshop in April. We have not tied down thedate but we hope to have it airly early in April so it willcoincide with the talk by Robert Bateman (another longtime journaler).

Nature journaling is an activity we expose all SSIstudents to in the Stewards in raining School Program

Tis workshop will help make our volunteers eel morcomortable teaching this station. Nature journaling is veryrewarding or those that do it and volunteers may want tolearn more it or their own personal use.

Please contact Jean Gelwicks at 250-537-4859 i you areinterested in signing up or the Nature Journaling Workshopor would like to volunteer to visit kindergarten classes withpuppets or i you have any other ideas or a mini-workshop.


5/12Winter 2010

Conservancy Events

Upcoming EventsFeb. 5th (Friday) - Salt Springs own David Fraser,BCs Endangered Species Expert. Biodiversity in BC:

Te Last Place on Earth. Community Gospel Hall, 7pm.

April 8th (Tursday)- Robert Bateman. Apresentation on how nature conservation hasinfuenced his art and vice versa. ArtSpring. 7:30 pm.

April 23rd and 24th (Friday and Saturday)- GlennMillerwill present an invasive plant species talk and

workshop on broom, blackberry, etc. Lions Hall. 7 pm.

April 25th (Sunday) - Gwynne Dyerwill speakon Climate Wars, the geopolitics o climatechange. ArtSpring. 7:30 p.m. See article on page 6.

June 4th (Friday) - Colin and Julie Angus. Julie is therst woman to row across the Atlantic. Her husband,Colin, rowed with her. Tey received the Adventurero the Year award in 2006 rom National GeographicAdventure. Te presentation on Salt Spring is calledRowed rip. Join bestselling authors Julie and ColinAngus as they share tales o their latest adventure andscreen their new lm to celebrate the launch o theirbook, Rowed rip. Te Canadian husband-and-wieteam spent seven months rowing rom Scotland toSyria through a maze o canals, rivers, seas and lakespassing through 12 countries and two continents in a

journey connecting their ancestral homelands. Fromgetting stranded in mud in the Tames Delta tohaving their trailer stolen in France this is an inspiringan oten hilarious account o extreme husband-and-

wie vacationing. Community Gospel Hall. 7 pm.

Robert Bateman lecture

I cant conceive o anything being more varied andrich and handsome than the planet Earth. And its crowningbeauty is the natural world. I want to soak it up, to understandit as well as I can, and to absorb it...and then Id like to putit together and express it in my paintings. Tis is the way I

want to dedicate my lie.- Robert Bateman

Tis is the way Robert has dedicated his lie....almost 80years o it. Come hear Robert speak about his art, nature andother passions on April 8, 2010. ickets will be available atArtSpring.

Speaker Glenn Miller takes on Invasive

Species

Its easy to get discouraged when aced with a dense eldo broom where to begin? Cut or pull? Pile and burn orscatter? We have been aced with this challenge on our ownnature reserves, and decided to start by making a map o theextent o broom on the Andreas Vogt Nature Reserve. erryRidings, volunteer warden o the reserve, spend many hourslast spring crashing through the bushes to make this map.

Tis has allowed us to estimate how long it would taketo clear the whole reserve o broom, and to be strategicabout which areas we will tackle rst. We are considering

the possibility o installing some encing to prevent grazingand allow some o the native plants to recover and also havemany questions about whether to replant with native speciesonce we have removed the broom.

Glenn Miller, invasive species manager in the state oOregon, will be the guest speaker at an SSIC educationalevent on April 23. He has many years experience in managinginvasive species on public lands, and we look orward tolearning more rom him. I you would like to learn moreabout the best strategies or tackling invasive species on yourland, be sure not to miss Glenn Millers presentation! Glenn Miller gets ready for hogweed



events

Some times wishes come true and we do get what we askor. We invited Gywnne Dyer to be our guest and GywnneDyer accepted. He is coming to Salt Spring in April. Peaceactivists will know Gwynne well because o his numerousbooks, documentaries, radio and V series on war. He has

been one o my heroes and one o my avorite speakers, andhe is coming to Salt Spring Island, Sunday, April 25, 7:30p.m. at ArtSpring. Put this date in your calendar and get

your tickets now, as we are going to pack the house.Gwynne was born in St. Johns Newoundland and joined

the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve at the age o sixteen.While still in the naval reserve, he obtained a BA in Historyrom Memorial University o Newoundland. He went onto get a MA in Military History rom Rice University, andnally received his PhD in Military and Middle EasternHistory at Kings College London. In 1973 (he was only 30by this time) he began writing articles or leading London

newspapers on the Arab-Israeli confict. He soon decided toabandon academic lie or a ull-time career as a journalist,broadcaster and lecturer.

In 1980, Gwynne and ina Viljoen collaborated on aseven-part television series or the National Film Board oCanada. It was call War and rst telecast in 1983. Eventually,

War was shown in 45 countries and one episode, TeProession o Arms, was nominated or an Academy Award.

Tis is the series that made him even better known.Gwynnes more recent television work includes the

1994 series the Human Race and Protection Force, both

o which won Gemini awards. His award-winning radiodocumentaries include Te Gorbachev Revolution, a seven-part series based on his experiences in Eastern Europe andthe ormer Soviet Union, and Millenium, a six-hour serieson the emerging global culture.

He has written nine books to date and his latest isClimate Wars, which deals with the geopolitics o climatechange. Tis is the topic we have asked him to speak about

when he comes to Salt Spring.We are hoping this event will be a undraiser or the

Conservancy. We are looking or a ew sponsors. I youwill help us sponsor this event nancially, you will get one

o the best seats in the house or his talk and dinner withGwynne beore the event. Please call Deborah Miller, Chairo the Education Committee at (250) 537-4797 i you areinterested in being one o our angels. See you there.

~ Jean GelwicksEducation Committee member

Gwynne Dyer appearance

2009 Christmas Bird Count

On Dec. 28, 143 birdwatchers across the island spread outthrough neighbourhoods, elds, and beaches recording our

winter bird lie in a 23-year-old Salt Spring tradition, and

one that has a 110 year history in North America. While your Conservancy plays no ocial role in the

Christmas Bird Count, many o our members and ocersplay pivotal roles in organizing and staging this event every

year. Indeed, some o our ounders and some o the mostenthusiastic members o the Conservancy were active in theCBC beore the Conservancy was established, and broughttheir understanding o and concern or the environment withthem to our organization.

Many o us believe that bird watching and identicationare potent tools to teach young people environmental

awareness and to reverse the rising tide o Outdoor DecitDisorder (ODD) that so alarms Robert Bateman and othersInstead o missing the CBC one year because its so busy

with the grandchildren here, a tramp around a local park orthrough your own neighbourhood with a simple bird bookand a pair o binoculars would do wonders or environmentaawareness, as well as being great amily un. We werent allas ortunate as author and birding guru David Allen Sibley

who, at age 7 was helping his ornithologist ather band birdsbut every birder has stories about the people who encouragedand inspired them.

Te birders at the Salt Spring Island Conservancy

would like to ask you to encourage and inspire someone inyour amily. And we can help. Many competent and expertbirders would love to take a bright eyed newcomer alongor an hour or so on the Christmas Bird Count, to sit bya window monitoring a bird eeder, or to answer questionsabout bird behavior. We can ght ODD and keep the pool otalent and enthusiasm or the Conservancy deep and wide.

For results o this years Christmas Bird Count, see theSSI rail & Nature Club website: www.saltspringtnc.ca.

~ John de Haan

Rufed grouse photo by Simon Henson


7/12Winter 2010http://saltspringconservancy.ca/events

inside ssic

Volunteer Profile: Donna McWhirterEvery organization thanks their lucky stars when they geta volunteer like Donna McWhirter. Te ConservancysStewards In raining School Program owes a debt ogratitude to Donna.

Donna is a lie long, dedicated teacher. eaching is in

her blood. She cant help it. She was teaching beore shehad her own class and retirement has certainly not slowedher down on bit. Her love o nature and her love o kids,combined with her enthusiasm to teach and help students tobe excited about learning make her, wellPERFEC, as aschool volunteer. She is a teachers teacher.

Donna graduated rom Nechako Valley High Schooland attended Victoria College, later to become the Universityo Victoria. Her rst teaching assignment was with SD59[South Peace] where she taught in Little Prairie, now knownas Chetwynd. In 1965 she moved to SSI. She started a amilyand worked with School District 64 until her retirement 11

years ago. She was involved in all SSI schools as a primary/intermediate teacher and or a time was the hospital andhomebound teacher. She is now involved with the retiredteachers association.

Donna enjoys taking her our grandchildren on hikes orto the beaches. She takes a great deal o pride in identicationo the fora and auna o this area as well as the birds and sealie.

I you join us on one o our nature eld trips, you mighthear Donna explaining the not so easy task o how to use acompass to grade threes and then taking them on a treasurehunt using their compasses. You might learn about theimportance o eel grass meadows as the nursery or critters in

the ocean or learn the importance o Wildlie rees, or howto judge the health o a stream or how to use a dichotomoukey to identiy plants. Or, i you are really lucky, you mightcatch her spellbinding kids with the story o Sheshuqum andhow Mt. Maxwell got its rst name Hwmutetsyn (bent overplace) and become spellbound yoursel.

Not only is Donna one o our best teaching volunteersbut she also sits on the School Planning Committee and shehelped to write/produce the new School Program Manuaand the Conservancy Calendar (all proceeds went to theschool program). Donna can be relied on to do what ever ittakes to make our program successul. Tis means making

sure students have a positive experience and all in lovewith nature, enjoy being outdoors and understand why it isimportant that we all take care o our ragile ecosystems.

On behal o the SSI Conservancy and all the studentsand teachers on Salt Spring, thank you Donna.

~ Jean Gelwicks

Hannahs Odyssey

Hannah Munroe, 2005 winner o the Conservancys W.David Dexter and Marilyn Taden-Dexter Scholarship,island-hopped to the ar reaches o today this past summer,squirmed into caves ull o bird dung and experienced the

joys o mouldy shirts, all in pursuit o her Masters in biologyat Queens University.

Airplanes took her early in May rom Victoria toAnchorage to Adak: rom tea to beer to barrelled rainwater.

Tirty-one hours on a small boat took her and some o herstomach contents to Buldir Island where, i she tied themdown well enough, she could enjoy the comorts o tents and

wooden huts or two months. Tese ineable pleasures were

shared with three Breeders (US ederal biologists monitoringseabirds), two Goosers (lads rom Humboldt State University

watching Aleutian Canada geese) and two assistants o herscomprising the Tree Aukleteers. Te sine qua non in suchsituations is or olks to get along, and they did. In actHannah, a sort o designated teasee, became known as theChocolate Dancer, about which we wont inquire urther.

Hannahs days, unique when compared with those o6.9 billion other people, became routine. Part o every dayshe huddled in the normal morning gale inside a permanent

blind, watching crested and least auklets watch each otherand Hannah. Some had been banded and color-coded inpast seasons, others not. She and her assistants caught asmany as they could, dusted the birds to collect ticks and feasand weighed and measured the captives. Te other aspect oher day involved crawling into holes where auklets could begrabbed and hauled out or study. (Her reasearch questionis: Are ectoparasite burdens refected in auklet health?) oget an idea o the inherent pleasures o the work, Hannahreports that she devised a Slipperiness Scale or the steepboulder slopes where the birds nested, with Slippery As Snotbeing the best you could nd. Te crevices had names: Garlic

Press. Butt Plug. Stinky Pannini. Te bottom o each holewhere hands, nose, elbows and knees go, has a foor o 2 to 7cm o rotting auklet eces. When you and a struggling birdollow your backing-up butt into daylight the bird panicsand regurgitates digested krill onto sleeves and rocks. Tisis collected to help the Breeders. A stinky job, Hannahreports, but lots o un.

Te Conservancy isnt yet sure whether we will bthanked or sued.

~ Bob Weeden



feature

Donation DollarsContinued from page 1

trusts are securities that pay out large amounts o income,usually with some or all o it being classed as return ocapital. You dont need to worry about the mechanics oreturn o capital, except to know that it reduces your cost

price over time, which means a lower tax bill or as longas you have held it, but a higher tax bill when you sell it.O particular concern to income trust holders should bethat 2010 marks the nal year beore trusts are subject toa rather punitive tax by the ederal government. As such,all remaining income trusts are in the process o merging,converting to corporations, or going private. Tis means alot o capital gains will be triggered this year, which can ocourse be avoided by donating the trust units beore theyrestructure.

I you are eeling especially generous, and have a secondreal estate property like a rental property or a cottage that youno longer want or need, you can consider donating it to theConservancy. It need not have signicant ecological value,though this will enhance the tax-savings o the git all themore. Considering the real estate market over the past ew

years, any property held or more than a ew years likely hasembedded capital gains that are not insignicant. In other

words, i/when the property is sold you can expect a sizabletax bill. Donating the property will avoid the capital gainstax, and produce substantial tax savings to boot, probably or

years to come.Another common strategy involves old lie insurance

policies. Many people, who set up lie insurance policies inthe past, nd that their situation has changed and they nolonger require the insurance. For example, lets say you boughta lie insurance policy years ago when your children were

young because you wanted to be covered in case somethinghappened to you or your spouse. Years have passed, the kidsare now grown up, and you dont have any major need or theinsurance coverage. And yet, the policy is still valuable, eithernow or in the uture. I you dont need the lie insurancepersonally, why not assign it to the Conservancy? Tis caninvolve either transerring ownership o the policy, or simplychanging the beneciary, and youll receive a substantial tax

credit or doing so.Te above giving strategies require a little more planning

than simply writing a cheque, but dont let that dissuade you.I touched on the most common, but other avenues are openas well. You dont need to be a tax expert to make use othese - just be aware that there are options out there whenit comes to charitable giving. O course, prudently speaking,the other major consideration is determining how much

you are in a position to give. As such, beore making anymajor donation, it is recommended you talk to your nancialadvisor. One nal note: the past year and a hal has been

turbulent in nancial markets, to put it mildly. With markets

and portolios seemingly on a rollercoaster ride, manypeople have been let wondering where they stand and howmuch support they can now aord to give to their avouritecharities like the Conservancy. I you would like a relaxedindependent opinion o where stand and whether some othe above giving strategies might make sense or you eelree to contact us at the number below. Tank you once againor your support o the Salt Spring Island Conservancy.

~ Frank Arnold, BSc, CFP

Frank Arnold is the senior fnancial advisor with Te PinchGroup at Raymond James Ltd., a Victoria-based investmentand fnancial planning frm that ocuses on socially responsibleinvesting, retirement planning or seniors and enhancedcharitable giving strategies. He can be reached at 1-866-515-

2420 or [email protected]. Te opinions expressedare those o Mr. Arnold and not necessarily those o Raymond

James Ltd. Raymond James Ltd. is a member o the CanadianInvestor Protection Fund.

Value of Donation: $10,000

Cost of Shares: $ 3,000

Marginal Tax Rate: 30%

Donation

Charitable Tax Credit

Capital Gains Tax

After-tax Cost of Donation

Advantages of Donating

Shares in Kind ($)

Advantages of Donating

Shares in Kind (%)

Selling Shares and

Donating Cash

$10,000

$ 4,400

$1,050

$6,650

$ -

Donating

Shares in Kind

$10,000

$ 4,400

$ -

$ 5,600

$ 1,050

19%


9/12Winter 2010

Natural History

Islanders o the Salish Sea expect to be wet in the lee owinters solstice. We count on it. Without leaky clouds romDecember through March our gardens would be toast inMay and June. Some islanders even say they like rain. oomuch A. A. Milne, I think, remembering Eeyore, abandonedamong thorns, proessing a taste or gorse.

On this overcast February day it isnt raining. Imsauntering like a domesticated Toreau around our smallholding o hayeld, thicket, evergreen copse, orchard andgarden. Contrary signs on every hand argue alternately or

winter and spring. Last nights change-o-weather windstrewed branchlets rom three big Douglas-rs in our yard,leaving me with a amiliar winter chore. Golden-crownedsparrows in rose and blackberry tangles, and golden-crownedkinglets high in the coniers, keep in touch with short, simplecalls, nding no reason to sing. However, a tree rog stutteringin a rhododendron against the house oers a vote or spring,and in a narrow downwind band the ragrance o witch hazelhangs on the chilly air like honey on ice cream.

Te vegetable garden, dark and sodden, provides dailyor our table. Bedraggled, dirt-splashed, slug-chewed andaltogether o doubtul appearance, the leeks, Brusselssprouts, rutabagas, chard and parsnips nevertheless aretransmogried into sturdy ood all winter and into spring. Asormer Alaskans we enjoy the very idea o resh vegetablesin February. I coness that the idea is more enjoyable attimes than the reality o repeated meals carved rom verybig parsnips.

We planted rhubarb just inside the garden ence. (Our

suburban black-tailed deer have a rule: i it is in rows or has aprice tag, eat it.) oday little shows on the beds surace exceptmulch and the brown, skeletal ragments o last summersrampant leaves. I kneel, brush aside an inch o litter, nd thered nubbins o new lie. Reassured, I cover them again, like aparent untucking and retucking a sleeping child.

Our rhubarb does seem like part o the amily. Likeour Christmas cactus, it is a cutting o cuttings traceable tograndparents and beyond. Genes are all well and good, butamily stories hidden in tangible things have the power touniy sprawling cohorts, link generations, and distinguishamily members rom outsiders, while connecting them as

well to a broader cultural history.Rhubarbs backtrail emerges rom China where evidence

o medicinal uses o its root predate our calendar by 3,000years. By the second century BC it was already an ancientand common practice to use, cultivate and even hybridizemany o the 60 species o rhubarb known in Asia. Emperor

Wu, it is written, was given rhubarb in 557 AD to ease aever, undoubtedly accompanied by nanno-sized disclaimersabout possible side eects. It isnt known that any rhubarb

was eaten, probably or the simple reason that it was too tart.However, when the peripatetic Marco Polo brought his trove

Rhubarbback rom central Asia in the late 1200s and early 1300she brought back one species, probably Rheum rhabarbarumthat wasnt intolerably sour. Hybridization improved it. Bythe 17th Century rhubarb was grown as a dessert ood eatenby people who tended honeybees or were wealthy enoughto buy that sweetener. Victorian horticulturalists discovered

that stems o rhubarb grown in the dark had higher ratios osugar to acid than garden-grown plants, and a small orcingindustry took hold in Yorkshire and other parts o EnglandDark barns might still produce rhubarb today, except orthe sudden access to cheap cane sugar rom the CarribeanGardeners everywhere planted rhubarb in permanent bedsand recipes or rhubarb desserts multiplied. Alas, whattechnology giveth, technology taketh away. In the 1950scheap petroleum and on-board rerigeration opened thefoodgates to northward movement o sweet tropical ruitsRhubarb plots began to be neglected. Its presence in homegardens today is due less to popularity than to habit (Tis

was my grandmothers absolute avorite rhubarb-and-raisinpie) and the work needed to get rid o it.

When my ather was a boy on a Massachusetts armrhubarb was in everyones garden. Roots, divided with sharpspades, were transerred casually among home growersand rom generation to generation. Im not sure where therhubarb plants o my boyhood originated. Tey might havecome in one o those brown and green boxes that arrivedevery mid-winter rom H. E. Harris and Co., gardensuppliers. More likely dad just dug roots rom his parentsarm in the next town and brought them in a burlap sack

dusty rom storing potatoes, to our backyard. Te rhubarbwas there or decades, outlasting every shade tree, lilac, roseor orsythia that temporarily outshone it. Outlasting, in actthe man who planted it, the woman who sauced it, the kids

who chased croquet balls under it.I can say this because, although our original amily

rhubarb was dug out to make room or a plant o greaterbeauty, I brought a root o it to Alaska soon ater starting anew amily home there in 1959. We cut an opening in ourpatch o aspen orest near Fairbanks, big enough or a homeand garden, big enough to eed our woodstove. We planted

vegetables where the sun is bright and cool air drains away

to give us the ull 100 rost-ree days the area is allotted. Terhubarb rooted quickly in its corner.

In the all o 1990, dusty ater the 2250 mile drive romAlaska, we rolled up the driveway o our new arm with catChristmas cactus and camp gear. Te arm had been hackedrom Douglas-r orest by the Whims amily ater they pre-empted the land in 1860, part o a contingent o Arican-Americans enticed to settle in southeast British Columbiaby a government anxious to rm up its sovereign claim.

Teir struggle with huge trees, patchwork soils ull o

Continued on page 10



stewardship

clay and stones, summer droughts and leaching winter rainsand with the constant driting away o children to otherplaces o work, ended when they sold in 1924 to a armamily rom England. Te Hedgers cleared more land andarmed well, but the worsening economics o small arms onsmall islands caught up with them. Te arm sold itsel inpieces. We got one.

We cant arm with an honest hope o prot, so we playaround the edges. We have vowed to leave the land in asgood or better condition as when we came, we grow our own

vegetables, and 175 newly-planted apple, pear and plum treesopen doors into the work and business lie o the communityRhubarbs time is late May to early August, the season whenbundles o red and green stalks are handed over to a bakerin exchange or coee and scones twice a week. As a nodto Revenue Canada we trade invoice or coin, but our gainis community. Gossip: ubiquitous and ree. Conversationchancy but priceless. When the rhubarb slides into dormancy

the wild blackberries begin. Ten comes the big harvest otree ruit, the convivial juicing parties, the lling o shelvesin our cold storage with 50 or more varieties o applesdelivered over the next months to groceries and customersin the village.

Tis, I know, is an odd story. It starts with vague spoorrarely ound, on a trail already old. I have ended it wherethere is no nish in sight: our rhubarb still grows, elsewhererhubarb will grow beside gardeners everywhere. But thenbeginnings and endings arent discovered, they are chosen.

~ Bob Weeden

Most o us dont spend much time outside at night, especiallyin the winter. But Conservancy sta and volunteers will bedoing just that when the yearly Bird Studies Canada OwlSurvey begins again this February.

On the south coast, owls begin their nesting season inFebruary. Tey start calling just ater sundown to advertise or

mates and establish nesting territories. Owls oten respondto a recording o their call by calling back. For this survey we

will be playing the recording o the Western screech owl inhopes o hearing responses.

Some o local owls are suering population declines. Itis important to nd out where they are, so steps can be takento protect them rom disturbance and habitat loss. Westernscreech, Northern pygmy and barn owls are all Species atRisk in B.C. We are ortunate to have all three o these owlson Salt Spring along with great horned, barred and NorthernSaw-Whet owls.

It is thrilling to hear the call o an owl coming rom thedark orest at night. I you are interested in volunteering orNocturnal Owl Surveys, please call or email the ConservancyOce and let us know. Karen Ferguson will be coordinatingthis years survey eorts.

Remember too, when you are outside in the eveningduring February and March, to keep your ears alert or thecalls o owls. You can listen to recordings o local owls bygoing to this Conservancy link: www.saltspringconservancy.ca/owls. Please call i you have conrmation that you arehearing a Western screech, pygmy or barn owl.

As part o our Habitat Stewardship program at the SaltSpring Island Conservancy, we have been looking or theendangered Western painted turtle on the island. With thehelp o numerous landowners and volunteers, we have hadgreat success in learning more about these turtles and theirneeds.

As many people know, there is a population o theturtles at Stowel Lake. Te turtles use the public access beachor their communal nesting grounds, laying eggs throughout

June. Tey dig nests in the sand where they deposit theireggs. Tis year, we placed cages over some o the knownnesting sites, hoping to alert beach goers o the presence othe nests and to protect the nests rom being disturbed. Wehad a number o keen local residents who helped to monitorthe turtles and who reported nesting sightings. Tese reports

were very helpul. Te turtles usually hatch at the end o thesummer, but may stay in the nests until spring. I you see

any hatchling turtles popping out o the sand, we are veryinterested in hearing rom you.

urtles also require undisturbed basking sites to get outo the water so that they can warm up in the sunshine andgain energy or other activities like eeding, mating, and egg-laying. Finding available basking sites is oten the one thingthat limits population growth or turtles. Many o our lakesand wetlands have been cleaned out o trees and foating

logs that turtles could use. Tese are important eatures toleave in place or turtles and many other critters. With thegenerous help o local landowners and volunteers, we wereable to install two cedar logs in Stowel Lake as additionabasking sites or the turtles.

As interest and knowledge o the turtles grows, we hopethat we will continue to see healthy populations o the turtlesat Stowel Lake and elsewhere on the island in the uture. I youhave other turtle sightings on the island, particularly nestingsites, please contact the Salt Spring Island Conservancy at250-538-0318 or [email protected].

Rhubarb continued from page 9

Western Painted Turtle Activities

Give a Hoot for Owls


11/1211Winter 2010

Membership Application Youth (Under 16) 1 yr @ $15 __

Senior or Low-Income: 1 yr @ $20 __ 3 yr @ $60 __

Regular Single 1 yr @ $25 __ 3 yr @ $75 __

Regular Family 1 yr @ $35 __ 3 yr @ $105 __

Group/School 1 yr @ $35 __ 3 yr @ $105 __

Business 1 yr @ $55 __ 3 yr @ $165 __

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This is a renewal for an existing membership

Please send me the Acorn via email.

(We NEVER give out members email addresses to anyone!)

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above, I have enclosed my donation in

the amount of:

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Become a Conservation Friend with a

donation of $250.

Tax receipts will be provided for

donations of $20 or more.

Baker Beach CottagesCedar Mountain StudiosDerek Crawford Architect

Inc.Institute for Sustainability,Education and Action

Daniel LeavittMichael Levy

The Pinch Group, RaymondJames Ltd.

Salt Spring Adventure Co.

Salt Spring BooksSalt Spring Island CheeseCo.

Stowel Lake Farm

Good Business ...Thank you to all of our business

members for your support!

Salt Spring Island Conservancy#201 Upper Ganges Centre,338 Lower Ganges Rd.Mail: PO Box 722,Salt Spring Island BCV8K 2W3Oce hours: ues/Wed/Turs10 am - 3 pmPhone: 250-538-0318Fax: [email protected]

www.saltspringconservancy.ca

Executive Director: Linda GilkesonBoard o Directors:Maureen Bendick (President)

Paul BurkeRobin Ferry (Vice President)

Jean Gelwicks (Secretary)John de HaanSusan HannonAshley Hilliard (reasurer)Donna MartinMaureen MilburnDeborah Miller

Jane PetchJohn SpragueBob Weeden (Past President)Doug Wilkins

Editor and Layout: Elizabeth Nolan

Te Acorn is the newsletter o the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, a local non-prot society supporting and enablingvoluntary preservation and restoration o the natural environment o Salt Spring Island and surrounding waters. We welcomeyour eedback and contributions, by email to [email protected] or by regular mail. Opinions expressed here arethe authors, not subject to Conservancy approval.

essentials

...and Our Fine FundersTo the granting and funding organizations that

support our work, many thanks!

Salt Spring Island FoundationCountry GrocerThrifty Foods Smile Card Program

Province of BC Direct Access ProgramTD Friends of the Environment FoundationNature Canada and Park Canada (Parks & People

Program)Mountain Equipment Co-opThe Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program

for Species at RiskPublic Conservation Assistance FundBC Transmission CorporationBC Ministry of EnvironmentCanadian Wildlife Federation

Common wood nymph photo by James Miskelly


12/12

Ganges PO Box 722Salt Spring Island BC

V8K 2W3

40026325

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Winter 2010 Acorn Newsletter - Salt Spring Island Conservancy

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