Conservation Covenant Newsletter - Winter 2024

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Conservation CovenantConservation Covenant
WINTER 2024/25
In some ways the 2024 field season seemed “back to
normal” for us here at Islands Trust Conservancy.
Without pandemic restrictions and travel delays, we
finally enjoyed the full breadth of the field season and
in-person visits with many of you (and with 78
covenants to visit, more time is always welcome!).
These visits gave us an opportunity not only to discuss
the important business of caring for the land, but also
to strengthen connection and just get to know each
other better. Another source of this sense of normalcy
came with the near-average rain in May and June,
which provided some respite to vegetation and
wetlands amidst a multi-year drought.
In another important way, this year felt very different.
We lost three remarkable individuals from within our
conservation community. In April, Doug Nelson of the
Cottonwood Creek Covenant on North Pender Island
passed away, far too young. Doug was inventive,
enthusiastic, and had boundless energy for
conservation work. He will be dearly missed. In May, we
lost Nina Raginsky of Walter Bay NAPTEP Covenant on
Salt Spring Island. Nina was one of our first NAPTEP
covenant donors, and to her last days she was a spirited,
outspoken advocate for conservation on Salt Spring
and across the Salish Sea. Nina is remembered on page
5, alongside Rose Longini, donor of the Green Frog Farm
and Longini covenants on Galiano Island, who passed
away in September. Like Nina, Rose was an early
proponent of conservation covenants and a pillar of the
conservation community on the island she called home. 
This year we were lucky to have University of Victoria
Biology Co-op student, Emily McLean join our field
team in the role of Conservation Technician. Emily’s
positive attitude, enthusiasm for learning, and curiosity
about all organisms was infectious. I hope you enjoy
Emily’s article about the “weird” plants of our region on
pg. 2-4 of this newsletter. 
We were also very grateful to team up with the Habitat
Acquisition Trust’s (HAT) Restoration Crew, who
helped us tackle a variety of challenging invasive species
infestations in seven covenants on three islands. You
can learn more about the fine work of this crew on their
blog: https://hat.bc.ca/blog. We hope to continue
working with HAT to expand our stewardship efforts
next year.  
Looking ahead, we will be reaching out early in the new
year about an effortless but meaningful way you can
further support species at risk in covenanted lands. 
Stay tuned!
Wishing you a happy solstice and peaceful winter,
Reflections from the 2024 Field Season
Jemma Green
Covenant Management & Outreach Specialist
A newsletter for Islands Trust
Conservancy Covenant Landholders
Caring for your Caring for your 

Most plants are considered photoautotrophic, meaning that they use
photosynthesis to harness light from the sun to produce the energy necessary
for their survival. However, some plants have evolved into heterotrophs,
meaning they 

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