A 42-hectare waterfront property on Galiano Island has been turned into a nature reserve.
Dubbed the Talking Trees Nature Reserve, the parcel includes old-growth Douglas fir, 600 metres of undeveloped rocky shoreline, coastal bluffs, Garry oak woodlands and wetlands.
It’s one of the last intact tracts of mature forest on Galiano Island, said Chessi Miltner, executive director of the Galiano Conservancy Association.
Among the at-risk species within the reserve are the northern red-legged frog, great blue heron, olive-sided flycatcher and common nighthawk.
Talking Trees is one of eight projects covering an overall total of 316 hectares selected for financial support through the Old Growth Nature Fund, established by the provincial and federal governments.
The fund provided $1.77 million to the conservancy, which used $1.75 million to purchase the land with the remainder going to legal fees and other costs.
The conservancy acknowledged the previous owners of the reserve land, Gundy and Andrew Macnab, “for their generous contribution to a land stewardship endowment to ensure management and restoration activities can continue on the Talking Trees Nature Reserve into the foreseeable future.”
It called the Macnabs “careful stewards” of the Talking Trees property for more than three decades.
It said the property has been a priority for preservation for many years, and formal discussions with the family on acquiring the parcel began two years ago.
The reserve is expected to open to the public in 2025 once a management plan has been completed, signage is in place and new trails are developed.
Existing community trails north of Porlier Pass Road and between Porlier Pass Road and Ganner Road can still be used in the meantime.
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