June 18, 2026: Islands Trust Council Announces Recipients of the 2026 Community Stewardship Awards

Extracted text (beginning)

Bowen, Denman, Gabriola, Galiano, Gambier, Hornby, Lasqueti, Mayne, N. Pender, Salt Spring, Saturna, S. Pender, Thetis 
 
 
 
June 18, 2026 – for immediate release 2026-08-IT 
 
Islands Trust Council Announces Recipients of the 2026 Community Stewardship Awards 
 
Lək̓ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Vancouver, BC – Islands Trust Council announced the recipients of the 18
th
 Islands Trust 
Community Stewardship Awards during its quarterly meeting, held virtually June 16 – 18, 2026. Islands Trust 
Council recognized five individuals and two organizations for work that supports the Islands Trust’s mandate to 
preserve and protect the Islands Trust Area and its unique environment and amenities.  
 
“The future of the Islands Trust Area is shaped by people who step forward to protect what makes these islands 
extraordinary,” said Laura Patrick, Chair of Islands Trust Council. “This year’s recipients have shown remarkable 
leadership, commitment, and vision in caring for these lands, waters, ecosystems, and communities. Their 
contributions leave a lasting legacy, and Islands Trust Council is proud to recognize and celebrate their 
achievements.” 
 
Recipient activities include land conservation initiatives, the sharing and documentation of island conservation 
stories, island-wide community clean-up efforts, biodiversity planning and stewardship work, and initiatives that 
strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members. 
 
The recipients are from communities on Bowen, Gabriola, Keats, and Lasqueti Islands.  
 
Individual Recipients 
 
• Sheila Harrington, Lasqueti Island, is recognized for her book Voices for the Islands: Thirty Years of Nature 
Conservation on the Salish Sea 
• Dan Rogers, Keats Island, is recognized for ongoing community leadership in the Keats Island and Howe 
Sound region 
• Douglas Leatherdale, Keats Island, is recognized for his enduring achievement of island-wide clean-up 
initiatives on Keats Island 
• Dr. Wendy Palen and Dr. Tom Sisk, Bowen Island, are recognized for their leadership in biodiversity 
protection in the development of the Nex̱wlélex̱wm /Bowen Island Biodiversity Plan 
 
Organizational Recipients 
 
• Bowen Island Conservancy, Bowen Island, is recognized for its work to protect the Cape Roger Curtis area 
• Breaking Bannock, an initiative of Gabriola Arts Council, Gabriola Island, is recognized for its Building 
Bridges initiative 
 
Recipients of the Community Stewardship Awards will be recognized locally at local trust committee and Bowen 
Island Municipality meetings over the coming months. 
 
The Islands Trust’s Community Stewardship Awards program recognizes nominees and recipients who 
demonstrate leadership in preservation and protection of the Islands Trust Area. Since its inception in 2002, Islands 
Trust Council has recognized 104 individuals and organizations in the Islands Trust Area. When reinstating the 
program for 2022, Islands Trust Council updated the program to better align 

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