A Proposal for a Mayne Island
Community Conservation and
Sustainability Framework
Draft
Discussion Paper
November 20, 2010
“Community sustainability … to create a synergy between the natural landscape
and development, while maintaining the community’s sense of place.”
Ucluelet Sustainablity Initiatives, 2008
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a draft framework, as a point of
discussion, for Mayne Island community organizations and residents to begin a
shared dialogue on values and needs for our island’s sustainable future. This
Discussion Paper is organized around a number of themes that have been
identified through earlier conversations as being important to the long-term
resilience of the Mayne Island community. Each of these themes has been
pursued individually but virtually none of them were working within a broad
comprehensive future vision for the whole community. This discussion paper is a
call for Mayne Island service organizations, societies and residents to join
together in dialogue to intentionally and collectively define the future for the
island and its residents, and to identify a path, with specific tasks, to attain that
future. Agreement on a framework for a community conservation and
sustainability plan is the first step along this very important road.
To facilitate discussion and agreement on a framework for a community
conservation and sustainability plan, it is proposed that the process used be fully
interactive and inclusive of all community organizations and residents and that it
allow for continuous feedback. Specifically for community organizations, it is
assumed that this discussion will start at the board of directors’ level and then, if
deemed desirable, extend to their membership. For the residents in general, the
Mayne Island Conservancy is proposing to use “kitchen table” sessions
throughout the community to compile and record people’s values, interests and
visions for a Mayne Island future. “Kitchen table” sessions are places where
people gather to have informal discussions about community sustainability
through the sharing of individual stories and values.
“ The hearth is the heart of the local, the family and the familiar – a place where many
feel comfortable to speak openly about their real perspectives, ideas and concerns.”
Kitchen Table Sustainability – Practical Recipes for Community Engagement with
Sustainability, 2009.
“On Virginia’s Eastern Shore people have designed ways to reconstruct their economy,
reinforce community, and, through partnerships and collaboration, to envision, or
perhaps re-envision, a sustainable lifeway. Their design, more than anything, will rise or
fall on how well they succeed in pooling human resources and building community to
form new institutions.” The Ecology of Hope – Communities Collaborate for
Sustainability, 1997.
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Background
Starting in 2005, the Mayne Island community was exposed to the
underlying requirements for a sustainable future. In that year, three significant
island-wide events occurred that put into context the elements of communitybased conservation and sustainability. The first was Defining Landscape
Character and Exploring Sustainable Futures by the UBC School of Landscape
Architecture and sponsored by the Mayne Island Local Trust Committee. This
assessment clearly identified some key recommendations that the community
needed to embrace to truly work toward a sustainable future. These included:
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preservation of agricultural lands;
local food supply and security;
management of water supply and wastewater disposal;
expansion of protected areas, recreational opportunities and trails;
maintaining a diverse demographic profile for the community over time;
and,
reducing our ecological footprint including moving toward energy selfsufficiency.
The second assessment was the completion of the Regional Conservation
Plan (2005-2011) prepared by the Islands Trust Fund. This assessment reviewed
the state of the Islands Trust Area ecosystems, their level of protection and the
indicators of sustainability for each of the island communities. Within this
assessment, Mayne Island ranked as lowest in area under protective status
(4.4%) and for sensitive ecosystems remaining intact (just over 14%). As a result,
Mayne became a priority for the Islands Trust Fund to increase the amount of
lands under conservation status. It should be pointed out that Mayne Island has
no Crown lands, so all conservation efforts require working with private property
owners.
The third event was the launch of a community dialogue to revise our
Official Community Plan and Land Use Bylaw. The intent of this process was to
capture community desires for Mayne Island’s foreseeable future.
While these community wide processes, among others, have helped to catalyze
interest around broad themes related to the long-term sustainability of the island,
they have not translated into collaborative community action within a shared
vision of a sustainable future for Mayne Island. It is with this intent that the Mayne
Island Conservancy Society (MICS) is proposing community dialogues with
interested parties, starting with this framework.
Proposed Framework Components
As noted above, there already exists a reasonable foundation from which to
begin the discussions on a sustainable future for Mayne Island. The sections
proposed below are put forward as a way to organize key themes which could
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form a part of a conservation and sustainability plan. They are presented here
with brief, but by no means comprehensive, assessments of activities that have
recently occurred in support of each theme. There are gaps however and in
many cases there is no collaboration or coordination across themes. The first
task is to ensure that these themes, and any others identified, are as current as
possible and as such represent the base from which to discuss a future vision for
the Mayne Island community.
Ecosystem diversity and function – Much has been accomplished
under this theme over the last few years. Through the Island Trust Fund and the
Gulf Islands National Park Reserve all of Mayne Island has been digitally
mapped using the provincial Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping (TEM) standard.
This mapping provides a wealth of information on forest type, age, vegetation
associations and forest site potential. The Mayne Isand TEM was used to
develop the Mayne Island Sensitive Ecosystem Map which is now part of our
Official Community Plan. The conservation of a portion of our sensitive
ecosystems (14% of our landscape) using development permits is currently
under consideration by our Local Trust Committee (LTC). The Mayne Island
Conservancy has been involved in the public review and is assisting the LTC in
raising awareness among island residents. In addition, MICS has initiated a
comprehensive marine program-- mapping eelgrass meadows and kelp beds
occurrences and continuing to survey for sandlance and surf smelt spawning
habitat around the island.
Since 2007 MICS, with the Parks Commission, other funding partners and many
volunteers, has completed phases 1 and 2 of the Henderson Park Restoration
Plan and will be launching a third phase in the near future. Following from this
work, MICS also offers free walkabouts for willing landowners to assess
ecological and other values on their properties and to discuss voluntary
measures to ensure their conservation. As well, the Island Trust Fund is in the
final review stages of its revised Regional Conservation Plan 2011-2015. In this
plan, Mayne Island’s contribution to the Trust Area’s biodiversity, endangered
species habitats and protection priorities has been assessed. Significantly, it
discloses that Mayne Island has the highest proportion of modified ecosystems
within the Trust Area (just over 30%) and yet around 23% of the island is rated as
having a high relative biodiversity composition.
Water Supply and Water Quality – The Mayne Island Integrated Water
Systems Society, which represents all eleven of the water improvement districts
on Mayne, many private well owners as well as membership from other Gulf
Island communities has continued to host water-related workshops dealing with
water supply and quality issues on Mayne and other Gulf Islands. Mayne Island
has no natural lakes and a very small number of year-round streams. All potable
water comes from groundwater sources. The Society also has been key to
improving water quality and use provisions in our Official Community Plan review
process including the need for mandatory low flush toilets and roof top water
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catchment for new buildings. An awareness campaign about proper maintenance
of septic systems and an assessment of the threat of salinization of ground water
on the island have also been accomplished. As part of the revised Official
Community Plan process, new maps of watershed and riparian areas on Mayne
Island have been produced through the LTC.
Agricultural landscapes, food supply and food security – There has
been much interest and work within this theme to raise awareness of the island’s
capabilities to grow its own food supply and the threats to the long term viability
of our local farms (economics of land, transportation costs, subdivision of non
Agricultural Land Reserve farmlands and attracting a new generation of farmers).
The Resilient Mayne Initiative hosted gatherings for interested Mayne Island
residents to begin discussions on a future vision for Mayne Island (Mayne 2030).
Within this initiative specific discussions were held on recreating a local food
economy. As a result, an ad hoc Mayne Islands Growers Group, representing
over 12 food producers, has formed to start to find ways to re-build an islandbased food economy, to collectively market island-grown food products and to
develop opportunities for young farmers and growers. The Islands Sustainability
Initiative (ISUNI) created community events focusing on local food dinners, guest
speakers and discussion forums. The Good Life Festival was a first for Mayne
Island. The thriving Farmers Market group continues to coordinate the Mayne
Island Farmers Market from late spring to early fall. The market has become a
showcase for the diversity of island-based food products that are available. The
Agricultural Society promotes the importance of local agriculture through its
annual Fall Fair and continues to invest in island-based activities that support the
long term viability of the island community. The Community Garden has become
a thriving centre for individuals to grow their own food and for demonstrating
organic gardening and composting techniques and other best practices.
“It’s not just involving people in food growing, it’s also about reconnecting people to their
immediate local environment – as a first step to taking positive action to look after it.”
Richard Arkwright, Local Food – How to make it happen in your community, 2009.
Parks and trails – The Mayne Island Parks and Recreation Commission
manages and maintains our network of community parks and trails. The
community parks are one of the tools for the conservation of island biodiversity.
No new parks have been established in recent years, but the Commission
continues to work with landowners and government organizations to create
opportunities for better public access to Mayne Island’s many natural features.
This includes negotiating easements for the expanding trail network as well as
taking over management authority for dedicated public accesses to marine
shorelines. Mayne Island does have a parks network plan.
Heritage/cultural preservation – There is a core of concerned citizens
who maintain the existing historical structures and gather oral histories of Mayne
Islanders from the older generation of residents. The Japanese Garden is
maintained by a group of dedicated volunteers.
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Energy self-reliance – This is another theme that has been raised within
the general community. Part of this was the mandatory requirement for local
governments to sign on the Climate Action Charter of the BC government and to
create a greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction plan for their communities. The Mayne
Island LTC created such a plan using general GHG emissions categories
calculated for the Island Trust Area. Under the Resilient Mayne Initiative (Mayne
2030) and the Islands Sustainability Initiative (ISUNI) transportation and energy
alternatives were discussed and a core group of residents has shown interest in
pursuing this further.
Affordable housing/diverse demographics – These have been long
term concerns within the community related to providing stable and affordable
housing for young families and to sustaining the volunteer pool that is so crucial
to the health of the community. There is also a continuing public concern about
affordable and conveniently located seniors housing. The Local Trust Committee
through Trust Council has been given authority to explore housing options for
Mayne Island. A citizens’ task force has been created to report to the LTC by
March 31, 2011 on the land use needs and housing diversity options for the
future.
Local economy – All of the above particular components in some way
relate to the maintenance of the local economy, which is under great pressure
due to land costs, fuel costs (transport of goods to and from the island), ferry
rates and the ups and downs of the annual tourism market. The permanent
population base is currently just over 1100 and these residents must be able to
support the core businesses in the off-season. This factor also applies to the
other services, including the retail and trades components of our local economy.
The farm and agricultural part of the local economy has diversified and grown
over the last 10 years. Sole proprietor and professional businesses operating out
of residences are not well known. The Community Chamber of Commerce and
the Ratepayers and Residents Association has begun to look into future
economic opportunities and likely businesses that could be attracted to Mayne
Island. No concrete actions have been undertaken on this component though
the Official Community Plan articulates the need to ensure that the local
economy remains viable and sustainable in the long term. To be sustainable and
resilient, our local economy must be diverse.
Health and well-being – There has been an expansion of services and
activities devoted to personal health and well-being for island residents including
the fitness centre, yoga, meditation, youth sports and others. Specific health and
home care services provided by the Health Centre Association and Assisted
Living Society are also a key component in assuring that needs for the future are
identified and addressed.
School community – It could be said that the heart of a community can
be found in a thriving local school. Mayne Island’s school has seen a slow
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reduction in enrollments over time reflecting economic factors, housing costs and
employment opportunities that can be barriers for young families living full time
on the island. The School District has been aware of this for some time and at
the district level is implementing innovative plans to maintain operating schools in
each of the island communities. It is encouraging that the pre-school and
kindergarten population has recently shown an increase. The school children
and their families are a voice and perspective that need to be included in the
discussions and actions relating to Mayne Island’s future.
Arts and culture – This is another key aspect of a diverse and resilient
community. Mayne Island has a robust and thriving arts and music culture that is
widely supported. Groups like the Mayne Island Little Theatre, the Mayne Island
Music Society and the Mayne Island chapter of the Trincomali Arts Council all
contribute to the vibrancy of the island. The writers, artists, artisans,
photographers and musicians who make up this component are the group that
will be able to create ways to record and represent the evolving story for Mayne
Island.
“It’s all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a
good story. We are between stories. The old story is no longer effective.” Thomas Berry
First Nations – The history and stories of Mayne Island trace back to long
before Europeans colonized this place. These stories, and the values held by
First Nations for this place offer a crucial perspective for any process of visioning
a future for the island and the community. Such a perspective has not been
publicly articulated, but it is important to embrace and include so that any
emerging plan can be based on shared understanding between communities.
“Ancient stories can guide us in our efforts to preserve natural and cultural
heritage during an era in which much is at stake.” Gary Paul Nabhan, Cultures of
Habitat, 1997.
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
The process to develop the Mayne Island Community Conservation and
Sustainability Plan will evolve from the collaborative work in reaching consensus
on this proposed framework. A community with a sense of a common future and
its collective responsibility to seeing it through, is one that has learned to value
home place. We anticipate that specific projects will come out of work on this
framework proposal. When there is collective agreement on a shared vision, then
proposals for resources to undertake these projects will be strengthened by the
visible support of a diverse group of island organizations and interests. The
results of these projects will not only improve the social, economic and
environmental knowledge base of Mayne Island but will also further the
development and implementation of a continually evolving conservation and
sustainability plan. This additional knowledge will be passed on to the community
and assist in decision making about specific developments relating to health
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services, business opportunities, transportation alternatives, employment and
conservation activities into the future.
IN SUMMATION
The proposed components of this framework have been identified to provide
potential participants with points for discussion and possible themes of interest.
The brief notes on the progress of each component are designed to identify
some of the community work being done, but this is by no means exhaustive.
There is much that can be done within each and with respect to overall
coordination and integration of activities, to assessing the present baseline and
to identifying what new work needs to done. This would be the first task for those
organizations and residents who are interested in working on concrete steps
toward a sustainable and resilient future for Mayne Island.
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