Inner Island Management Plan

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Inner Island Nature Reserve Management Plan 
Denman Island, British Columbia 
 
 
 
 
PREPARED FOR: 
 
 
 
REVISIONS:  SECOND:  J. Balke, Ecofocus Environmental Consultants, Denman  
     Conservancy Association, Islands Trust Conservancy 2020 
                     FIRST:       Denman Conservancy Association, 2005  
 
INITIAL PLAN PREPARED BY: Joel Ussery, Victoria, B.C. 1994 
  
SECOND REVISION APPROVED BY: 
Islands Trust Conservancy, May 26, 2020 by Resolution Number: ITC-
2020-013 
Denman Conservancy Association, July 20, 2020  
Nature Conservancy of Canada, June 11, 2020 

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Executive Summary 
Islands Trust Conservancy acknowledges and respects that Sla-dai-aich/Ihaytayich 
(Denman Island) is within the traditional territory of Coast Salish Peoples, 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 Inner Island Nature Reserve is a 
living document that will evolve as opportunities for knowledge sharing arise and 
understanding grows
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The Inner Island Nature Reserve is a 9.4-hectare (23.2-acre) property located in central 
Denman Island, south of Chickadee Lake. The Reserve is made up of two pieces of land 
that are separated by a long, narrow wetland property held by BC Parks. This wetland is 
known as Pickles Marsh or Pickles Beaver Pond. The Inner Island Nature Reserve 
protects part of Pickles Marsh, as well as three connected creeks. Starting in 1970, the 
land changed hands several times while Denman islanders made ongoing efforts to 
protect the wetland and its surrounds. Landholders included private interests, the 
Vancouver Foundation, the Province, and then the Denman Conservancy Association 
(DCA), before the Reserve land was finally conserved and donated to the Islands Trust 
Conservancy in 1992. A conservation covenant, held by the Nature Conservancy of 
Canada, was placed on the Reserve in 1995. 
 
Located within 640 hectares (1580 acres) of protected forest land, the Reserve is a 
critical link connecting large areas of forest, wetland habitat, and the drainage system of 
a broad freshwater catchment area. The Reserve’s creeks and adjacent Pickles Marsh 
contribute freshwater to the year-round flows of Beadnell Creek, Denman’s largest 
salmon-bearing creek. This significant freshwater system is maintained by two beaver 
dams that are in and immediately adjacent to the Reserve. The mature Douglas-firs and 
western redcedars of the Reserve provide a buffer for the beavers’ wetland activities 
and for the young recovering forest within the north portion, which was logged in 1984. 
 
The Reserve has significant ecological and recreational value. Most of the forest within 
the Reserv

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