November 17, 2022 - Islands Trust Conservancy provides $5,400 Opportunity Fund grant to support a new nature stewardship program on Thetis Island

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Protecting Islands in the Salish Sea  
 
 
 
 
News Release  
200-1627 Fort Street, Victoria, B.C., V8R 1H8 
Telephone: 250-405-5186;  
itcmail@islandstrust.bc.ca     islandstrust.bc.ca/conservancy 
November 17, 2022.    
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
 
Islands Trust Conservancy provides $5,400 Opportunity Fund grant to support a new nature stewardship program on 
Thetis Island 
 
Lək
̓
 ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C.  - The Islands Trust Conservancy has granted $5,400 to Thetis Island Nature 
Conservancy for a new nature stewards program on Thetis Island. 
 
The Opportunity Fund grant will support Thetis Island Nature Conservancy’s Nature Stewards Program. Since launching 
the program in late 2021, Thetis Island Nature Conservancy has developed its program with the Habitat Acquisition 
Trust and the Gabriola Lands and Trails Trust. Grant funds will enable Thetis Island Nature Conservancy to continue to 
work with these partners to train program volunteers and conduct site visits in collaboration with Traditional Ecological 
Knowledge holders from Penelakut Tribe and with members of the Structural Protection Unit of the Thetis Island 
Volunteer Fire Department.  
 
“Supporting voluntary programs like the Thetis Island Nature Stewards is so important. To prevent further biodiversity 
loss on the islands we need community members who care deeply for the land to know the right actions to take,” said 
Kate-Louise Stamford, outgoing Chair of Islands Trust Conservancy Board. “Thanks to the generosity of donors to the 
Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund we are able to support Thetis Island Nature Conservancy in these 
efforts.” 
 
“We are immensely grateful for the financial support from Islands Trust Conservancy. Our Nature Stewards Program 
encourages residents to play an active role in habitat restoration, rewilding, and preservation,” said Ann Eriksson, 
Thetis Island Nature Conservancy Board Director. “In particular, the Opportunity Fund grant will support the sharing of 
knowledge from Indigenous elders and other knowledge holders.”  
 
More than 90% of land in the Thetis Island Local Trust Area is privately owned or managed - making voluntary actions 
critical for conservation efforts to succeed. Residents and property holders who are interested in learning more about 
Thetis Island Nature Conservancy ‘s Nature Stewards program are encouraged to visit 
www.thetisislandnatureconservancy.org/nature-stewards-program  
 
About the Islands Trust Conservancy Opportunity Fund Grant 
 
Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund supports timely opportunities to protect biodiversity in the Islands Trust 
Area. The Opportunity Fund is intended for ‘hard to fundraise’ costs associated with land protection. It can also be 
used to leverage increased donations to land acquisition projects or for other programs as directed by the Islands Trust 
Conservancy Board. Since 2005 more than 200 donors have contributed $200,000+ to the Opportunity Fund, enabling

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