Together, we’ve preserved the Larmour lands

Thanks to a successful community fundraising effort, 34 acres of vital biodiverse wetland and forest on Beddis Road are now protected from logging and other development pressures.

Restoration has already begun on the valley-bottom portion. The wetlands and areas around large trees within the Agricultural Land Reserve portion — which are not eligible for covenant protection — are protected for a minimum of 80 years by a profit à prendre arrangement.

Project benefits

Protect forest & wetlands

Forested wetlands are natural sponges that clean and hold water, releasing it slowly to maintain water levels in creeks and groundwater aquifers. Natural filtration benefits groundwater in wells, critical sources of potable water for local residents. In this particular wetland, mature coastal Douglas fir and groves of Western red cedar help reduce peak flows along slopes, thus reducing erosion. Healthy, moist forests are fire resistant and moderate storm damage.
Conserve biodiversity

This property comprises a variety of ecozones providing habitat for Western screech owls, pygmy owls, night hawks, blue-grey taildropper slugs, Northern red-legged frogs, newts, salamanders, Mexican free-tailed bats, threaded vertigo snails, and Pacific sideband snails.
Reduce carbon emissions

A mature Western Red Cedar and Coastal Douglas Fir forest can hold 375 tonnes of carbon per hectare, and sequester about 4 tonnes annually. When the neighbouring 45 acres were cut, 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide were release into the atmosphere — about the same amount as that released by all ferry travel to and from our island in a year. It takes at least 60 years for any newly planted forest to be a net sequester of carbon.
Honour Mike Larmour's legacy

Mike Larmour was one of WPS’s five co-founders. He dedicated his life to preserving and protecting water resources and the healthy watersheds that make them possible. By purchasing his land, we continue his work.
Create ecoystem connectivity

When several protected areas form a larger conservation area, the health and function of an ecosystem is enhanced. Several adjacent lots have conservation covenants; with Lots H and then F protected, 46 acres (about 18.5 hectares) of unbroken natural habitat have been created.
(Drawing by Usha Rautenbach. Most “proposed” areas are now protected).

Photo credits: Rodney Polden

St. Mary Lake Watershed Nature Reserve

Our stewardship efforts help protect Salt Spring Island’s largest supply of fresh water.

In 1986, as development was being planned for Channel Ridge, we signed an agreement with Channel Ridge Properties and Island Trust to transfer 272 acres of watershed land to WPS. A conservation covenant held by the SSI Conservancy and the Land Conservancy of BC protects these lands in their natural state in perpetuity.

The covenant allows public access to hiking trails. Biking, horseback riding, and motorized vehicles are not permitted in order to prevent water contamination due to erosion.

In 2022, we received the generous donation of adjacent forest and wetlands, bringing the total protected area to 297 acres.

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Maxwell Lake

Thanks to community efforts, Maxwell Lake remains a pristine source of potable water.

In 2002, our fundraising helped the North Salt Spring Waterworks to purchase the majority of the Maxwell Lake watershed from Texada Land Company. WPS owns an additional 20 acres that we received as a generous donation. As a result, the watershed — SSI’s second largest source of fresh water — is protected from development, and its forest cover will remain intact.

With our support, the Climate Adaptation Research Lab (CARL) is working to improve the hydrology and fire resistance of the area.

Developing partnerships

The work in the watershed is a collaborative activity that builds on local knowledge – from Salt Spring’s permaculture community, native and invasive plant experts (Native Plant Stewardship Group), biologists, research scientists, foresters, hydrologists and wetland restoration practitioners – and engages students and the community in stewardship action (Gulf Island and UVic Restoration of Natural Systems & Wildhaven Ecoliteracy).
Monitoring water quality

Historic activities associated with logging, ditching and the draining of wetlands continue to affect water quality and water availability. CARL is monitoring the creek flows to help NSSWD understand the hydrology and identify actions to enhance water storage and water quality.
Reducing fire risk

Across the Southern Gulf Islands, the legacies of industrial logging, exclusion of Indigenous land stewardship, and a reliance on fire suppression have significantly changed the forest ecologies. These modified ecosystems are highly vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire. CARL is engaging regional expertise to identify risk and develop techniques to reduce the movement of fire through the watershed (More info here, here, and here).