• Galtt's Home Page
• 
  ABOUT GALTT
• Our aims & projects
• Our history
• Our constitution
• Our Board
• 
  GABRIOLA'S PARKS & TRAILS
• trail maps & walks
• Who owns our parks?
• Gabriola's Trails
• 
  GABRIOLA'S WILD PLANTS
• native Trees & flowers
• Managing invasives
• 
  WAYS YOU CAN HELP
• Members & volunteers
• Donate money or land
• Covenants & trail licences
• 
  RELATED ORGANIZATIONS
  
• BC Parks
• Islands Trust
• Islands Trust Fund
• Gabriola Commons
• NaLT
• Coastal Invasive Plant Cte
• Invasive Plant Council BC

Welcome to GaLTT's website

The aims of Gabriola Land and Trails Trust are to secure, develop, and sustain a network of parkland and trails on Gabriola Island for the benefit of the public, and to preserve sites of environmental, historical, and social importance.
⇐ CLICK ON THE BUTTONS AT LEFT TO FIND OUT MORE…

UPCOMING EVENTS

On Sunday March 4, Randy Young will lead a work party installing walkways to allow wet weather use of the trail from Islands View to Cooper. This trail goes through some low land, and is very wet in the winter. Randy says: "The job will require us to haul in concrete blocks, stringer frames, and decking. Portable drills are then required to put it all together. Hard work, but really magic when it happens..."
Meet at the paved end of Cooper Road at 1:30pm with all your gear.

RECENT NEWS

Randy reports that the broom-pulling work party in Petroglyph Park on Sunday February 19 was very successful. He says: "The ground is moist and the small broom pulls easily. The way broom spreads, pulling is necessary, and we do it every year. The larger broom pockets required our extractigators, and you can borrow a GaLTT extractigator at no charge any time we aren't using them. Just give me a call at 250-247-8541, and come and pick it up. I'll need your name, address, and phone number for the work-party log."

Elder Cedar covenant signing at the AGM

At GaLTT's AGM on February 7, President John Peirce announced that the covenant on Elder Cedar Nature Reserve (S'ul-hween X'pey) was ready for signature. The 65-acre reserve on the north side of North Road was established in 2006 and is owned by the Islands Trust Fund. GaLTT and NALT (Nanaimo Area Land Trust) co-hold the covenant on the land. Peirce signed the document on behalf of GaLTT and Trustee Giselle Rudischer witnessed his signature.

New Board of Directors for 2012

At the AGM, long-serving directors Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley and Barbara Hague stepped down from the Board and Peirce expressed GaLTT's appreciation of their work. Three new Directors were elected and welcomed: Carol Hemrich, Anne Landry, and Melanie Mamoser. Go to the board page to read about all 15 current directors, and GaLTT's new committee structure.

Two new trail licences

At the end of January GaLTT signed two new trail licences with local private landowners, allowing the public to use trails across their land on foot, bicycle, or horse. Under the terms of these licences, both trails were added to GaLTT's insurance policy.

• One trail is on Sally Robinson's property between Cooper and Thompson Roads (shown in green at right).
• The other trail (not shown here) is along the edge of the Brockleys' property on Bruce Lynn Drive, connecting through to one of the circuit trails in Cox Community Park.

Our 2012 AGM speaker

Peter Lamb, author of "The Islands Trust Story", former Director of the Islands Trust Fund and Salt Spring Island’s Local Trustee from 2005 to 2008, talked about the Islands Trust's mandate and role. He reviewed how the Islands Trust was formed in 1974 and its evolution since. He discussed its relevance today in the face of governance challenges and economic pressures, and explored:

• the role of non-profit conservancies and land trusts within the Trust area
  and their relationship with the Islands Trust Fund
• the importance of the Islands Trust mandate in avoiding the “creative
  destruction” of communities, as occurred at Niagara-on-the-Lake.

He responded to several interesting questions from the floor about the costs to date, possible future development, support, and funding of the Trust.

2011 ACTIVITIES

GaLTT was very busy last year with both familiar and new activities:

• All year endlessly energetic Randy Young organized bi-weekly work parties for trail breaking & maintenance, as well as invasives control. We held the first annual broom bash at Drumbeg, and individual GaLTT members also worked hard in the summer pulling tansy ragwort from the roadsides. Volunteers helped clean up Whalebone Beach and pulled apart and recycled a wooden deck, using the wood to extend boardwalks at the Commons and in Elder Cedar. Thanks crew!
• Having been granted legal authority to hold covenants, in March 2011 GaLTT signed its first covenant as co-holder with the Islands Trust Fund, on a tract of forested land off Brickyard Hill owned by Karl Bachmann and Marianne Koenig. More covenant negotiations continued all year.
• Throughout the summer Barb Hague organized our market table to sign up members, disseminate information and generally meet and greet. She did the same at the Christmas market and other Gabriola events. Thanks Barb!
• Members Bob Weenk, Phyllis Fafard, and Tom Cameron led guided walks during the summer in Cox Community Park and 707-acre Park.
• GaLTT members and board members met on a Saturday morning in October to develop ideas for a new strategic plan for the next five years. Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley collated the ideas into a draft plan and in December the Board met to refine and finalise it.
• In October GaLTT signed its first trail licence with private landowners Diane and Bill Cornish, for a foot, bike, and horse trail connecting Barrett Road to Rollo Park.
• In the spring Coastal Community Credit Union gave GaLTT a $800 donation, which is being used for printing brochures and new trail maps.
• Also, in the spring this new GaLTT website was launched.
• Our March 2011 AGM speaker was Dr Warren Magnussen who spoke about "Community Processes & the Evolving Role of Non-Profit Organizations in Governance". Recommended readings.