Conservation Covenant Newsletter Newsletter - Fall 2023

Extracted text (beginning)

Conservation CovenantConservation Covenant
FALL 2023
To those of you who were able to join us for the annual
monitoring  survey  this  year—thank  you.  We  always
appreciate  the  opportunity  to  catch  up,  share
observations about the land, and discuss any questions
or concerns.
This  year,  one  observation  we  made  across  all
covenants and islands was dryness. Record-low rainfall
last winter and spring meant that we saw lower-than-
normal  water  levels  and  an  exacerbated  summer
drought. 
This climate trend is visibly changing the composition
of pond and wetland plant communities, and shrinking
habitat for plants and animals that rely on an aquatic
environment for all or some of their life cycle. If you are
concerned about a pond or wetland in your covenant,
please let us know. There may be actions we can take
together  to  enhance  or  restore  these  habitats  for  the
species that depend on them.
Drought  also  continues  to  exacerbate  wildfire  risk.
Fortunately,  there  is  a  growing  number  of  resources
available to help property owners differentiate between
fire  prone  and  fire-resistant  landscapes  and  features,
and  local  research  into  strategies  that  can  reduce
wildfire risk while improving ecosystem health. We look
forward to sharing some of these resources with you in
a future newsletter. In the meantime, please reach out
to  us  if  you  have  ideas  for  fire  risk  mitigation
opportunities in your covenant. 
The first steps are to get a risk assessment by your local
fire department, if offered, and then to reach out to
your covenant holder(s) so we can make a plan
together.
On a brighter note, 2023 was a mast year [1] for Garry
oak acorns. This abundance has drawn out wildlife that
feed on these acorns, including species at risk we do not
often see. One of these is the Band-tailed Pigeon. 
You can identify Band-tailed 
Pigeons by the characteristic 
swishing sound of their feathers
in flight and the dark band 
across the underside of 
their tail.
Look out for our annual monitoring report, coming in
the mail later this year, which will include observations
and recommendations specific to your unique
conservation covenant.
Thank you for being our partners in conservation.
Sincerely,
Reflections from the 2023 Monitoring Season
Jemma Green
Covenant Management & Outreach Specialist
A newsletter for Islands Trust Conservancy
Covenant Landholders
Caring for your Caring for your 
[1] Every few years, certain tree species produce more nuts than usual. This evolutionary strategy, while energy intensive, produces more
nuts than wildlife can eat, ensuring that some will survive to grow into new trees. 
Band-tailed Pigeon © Doug Greenberg

Islands  Trust  Conservancy  manages  habitat  for  at
least  33  federally  listed  species  at  risk  (and  many
more provincially listed species) across its network
of 111 protected areas. 
In  2020,  ITC  received  a  boost  of  funding  from
Environment  and  Climate  Change  

First 3,000 characters. Open the original for the whole document.