Valens Brook Management Plan

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Valens Brook Nature Reserve Management Plan  
Denman Island, British Columbia 
 
 
 
PREPARED FOR: 
 
 
 
 
PREPARED BY: J. Balke, Ecofocus Environmental Consultants, Denman Conservancy  
                           Association, Islands Trust Conservancy 2020 
  
APPROVED BY: Islands Trust Conservancy, May 26, 2020 by Resolution Number:  
                            ITC-2020-015   
 Denman Conservancy Association, July 20, 2020 

ITC Management Plan for Valens Brook Nature Reserve 2020 
 
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Executive Summary 
The Islands Trust Conservancy acknowledges and respects that Sla-dai-aich/Ihaytayich 
(Denman Island) is within the traditional territory of multiple Coast Salish Peoples and 
the Kwakwaka’wakw, whose historical relationship to the land, culture, and spirit of this 
place continues to this day. Islands Trust Conservancy is committed to honouring the 
rich history of Indigenous stewardship in the lands and waters of the Islands Trust Area 
and to building mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-
Indigenous partners in conservation. Therefore, this Management Plan for Valens Brook 
Nature Reserve is a living document that will evolve as opportunities for knowledge 
sharing arise and understanding grows
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Valens Brook Nature Reserve consists of two donated land parcels along Denman 
Island’s second-largest salmon spawning stream, Valens Brook, for which it is named. 
The Reserve protects 170 metres of this salmon-bearing creek, as well as two small 
wetlands and mature Douglas-fir forests with huge veteran old-growth trees over two 
metres in diameter. Two rare species and four rare ecological communities were 
identified in the Reserve during the recent inventory and an additional 14 rare species 
may use the Reserve based on previous information.  The conservation of these lands 
provides a model for creating a continuous Valens Brook Greenway to protect both the 
creek and surrounding forests and to provide a refugia and travel corridor for native 
species on Denman Island. 
 
The Reserve is held by the Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC). The 6.2-hectare (15.3-acre) 
property comprises two long, narrow parcels and is located approximately 4.8 km from 
the south end of Denman Island. The 3.74-hectare (9.2 acre) northern parcel was 
donated to ITC in 2012 by Kal Holsti and Marilyn Wan; the 2.55-hectare (6.3 acre) 
southern parcel was donated to ITC in 2018 by David Innes and Luise Hermanutz. The 
Denman Conservancy Association (DCA) will act as the local management group and in 
the future may hold a conservation covenant on the land, adding another layer of 
protection to the Reserve.   
 
Initial management priorities include designing and installing signage for the Reserve, 
managing invasive English holly (Ilex aquifolium) in the newest land parcel, and 
developing monitoring and conservation strategies for the salmon-bearing creek. Other 
recommended management actions include establishing a volunteer war

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