June 6, 2019 - Islands Trust Celebrates 45 Years of Preserving & Protecting

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Bowen, Denman, Hornby,  Gabriola, Galiano, Gambier, Lasqueti, Mayne, N. Pender, Salt Spring, Saturna, S. Pender, Thetis 
 
 
News Release 
200- 1627 Fort Street Victoria, BC  V8R 1H8 
Telephone  (250) 405-5151 FAX:  (250) 405-5155 
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver 660-2421.  Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867 
information@islandstrust.bc.ca     www.islandstrust.bc.ca 
 
 
June 6, 2019             2019-13-IT 
 
ISLANDS TRUST CELEBRATES 45 YEARS OF PRESERVING & PROTECTING 
Lekwungen territory, Victoria—June 5
th
 was the anniversary of the creation of the Islands Trust and the designation of 
the Islands Trust Area as a protected region. The Government of British Columbia took this important and progressive 
measure in recognition of the spectacular beauty, vital ecosystems, and island communities that make the region 
internationally renowned.  
 
“Looking back to the early seventies, I think about the people in British Columbia—particularly the island 
communities—who brought attention to the threat of overdevelopment that existed at that time,” said Islands Trust 
Council Chair, Peter Luckham. “Their campaigning subsequently led the province to create an agency with the specific 
mandate to preserve and protect this beloved region. Few in 1974 could have imagined the growth of the surrounding 
urban areas, the impacts of climate change, or the external pressures such as increased shipping through the region. 
Facing these new challenges, our work continues and is perhaps even more critical than it was 45 years ago. As we 
mark this anniversary, we do so with humility as we recognize that the opportunity we have now to protect these 
island ecosystems is possible because of the stewardship of First Nations over thousands of years that created a lasting, 
natural legacy throughout the islands.” 
 
The mandate of the Trust is defined as follows:  
  
To preserve and protect the trust area and its unique amenities and environment for the benefit of residents of 
the Trust Area and of the province generally, in cooperation with municipalities, regional districts, improvement 
districts, other persons and organizations and the Government of British Columbia. 
 
The Islands Trust achieves this mandate through three activities: 
 
Land Use Planning: the Trust Area is divided into fourteen different areas, each with an elected, local trust committee 
or island municipality that makes sure decisions about the use of land supports the preserve and protect mandate. 
 
Land Conservation: working with others, the Islands Trust Conservancy preserves and protects natural landscapes 
across the Trust Area. Through voluntary covenants and land donations, the Conservancy protects over 1,270 hectares. 
 
Advocacy & Regional Collaboration: through the regional Trust Council, the Islands Trust advocates and works 
collectively to preserve and protect the area for future generations, responding to the issues that unite the region. 
  
In March of this year, the Islan

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