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GaLTT's historyThe controversial "parks in return for development" deal for the Weldwood lands in the centre of Gabriola Island, its rejection, and the subsequent clear-cut logging of those lands in the 1990s profoundly shocked our community and we became acutely aware of the lack of public land, trail access, and preserved ecosystems on the island. Community groups become activeMembers of the Gabriola Walking Group engaged in discussions about trail access, as did the Gabriola Horse Group; and the Land Conservancy people were advocating for the preservation of ecosystems on the island. They were all actively promoting ideas that later became central to GaLTT's philosophy and action. You can read here a letter that the Walking Group wrote in the summer of 2000 in support of those ideas. In those days, there was no Cox Community Park, no Elder Cedar Nature reserve, no 707-Acre Park, no Coats Marsh Park, and there were many fewer legitimate public trails. In 2002, the RDN purchased the lands now known as Cox Community Park on behalf of Electoral Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, and De Courcy Islands). The Electoral Area B Parks and Open Spaces Action Committee (POSAC) was inaugurated in June, 2003, providing an avenue of liaison between the RDN and our community. Several POSAC members recognised that a Gabriola community-based registered charitable society could be beneficial in fundraising and organizing volunteers for park and trail initiatives. GaLTT's foundingThrough 2004 a group of Gabriolans coalesced to establish a registered society to advocate for more park and trail access, and to provide a vehicle to raise funds for land and trail acquisition. The Gabriola Land and Trails Trust was formally founded in the Fall of 2004. Community support was strong and more than 80 people attended the first AGM. Kerry Marcus was elected the first President, and Colin Masson Vice-president. By 2005 GaLTT had over 150 members. Practical work—projects & negotiationOur first project was in Cox Community Park: with RDN supervision, GaLTT and many dedicated community volunteers worked through the winter of 2004/5 to build a new trail parallel to Taylor Bay Road. The new "Yogi Trail" was officially opened in April, 2005. GaLTT continued to help build boardwalks over wetlands and develop trails (and eventually signage) throughout the park. You can view pictures and read about the history of Cox Community Park here. You can trace GaLTT's subsequent history through our newsletters:
Negotiation and support for parks and conservation areasGaLTT played an important supporting role in the significant work done by the Islands Trust and the RDN in negotiation with three property owners, leading to a density-transfer rezoning agreement in September 2005. The agreement transferred about 707 acres of previously logged forest land in the centre of the island to the community. GaLTT and other community members and groups provided information, identifying and geo-referencing existing trails and significant environmental features on the land through 2006-7 as the RDN developed a management plan for the area. GaLTT helped the Islands Trust and the Land Conservancy in their campaign to establish Elder Cedar (S'ul-hween X'pey) Nature Reserve, which became the first Free Crown Grant received by the Islands Trust Fund from the province. Management contractsIn 2008 GaLTT was awarded a contract to help manage Elder Cedar according to the ITF's official Management Plan, and another contract to control invasive species and help with signage in the reserve. Since the establishment of 707-Acre Park in 2005 and Coats Marsh Regional Park in 2009, GaLTT has continued working with with the RDN in support of their park management plan objectives, particularly with respect to invasive plant control, trails, and signage. Working with Gabriola CommonsGaLTT has developed a supportive relationship with Gabriola Commons since 2009, helping to identify and remove invasive species on the property, and protecting the natural wetland by building a boardwalk as part of a trail connecting South and North Roads. GaLTT is also helping them draft a covenant to protect their land. Volunteer work parties—trail building and invasive plant controlFrom the beginning, GaLTT has organized regular volunteer work parties to clear and maintain trails, setting a goal to have public trail connections from Descanso Bay to Drumbeg by the end of 2010—a project not quite completed on time, but negotiations with private landowners and government bodies continued throughout 2011. GaLTT also continues to educate the local community about invasive plants on their land, to organize work parties to clear invasive plants from public areas, and to lobby provincial and regional parks departments about the need to control invasive species. Holding covenants and trail licencesIn 2010, GaLTT acquired the legal ability to hold covenants on privately held property, protecting it against development or destruction, and to negotiate trail licences with landowners, providing limited public access across private land.
GaLTT continues its work negotiating several other covenants and trail licences with local landowners. |
On March 18, 2011 Directors Tom Cameron and John Peirce signed GaLTT's first covenant, which we co-hold with the Islands Trust Fund, and it is the second NAPTEP covenant on Gabriola. It is on a tract of forested land owned by Karl Bachmann and Marianne Koenig near Brickyard Hill, protecting it in perpetuity against development and preserving it in its natural state. The signatories (Peirce, Bachmann, Koenig, and Cameron) are seen in this photo with some other GaLTT board members. 
In October 2011, GaLTT signed their first trail licence agreement with landowners Bill and Diane Cornish, allowing public access by foot, bicycle, or horse across their land between Barrett Road and Rollo Park. GaLTT will maintain the trail and carry the needed insurance over the lifetime of the agreement.