BC Parks Foundation

40 Acres of Salt Spring Island Shoreline Protected Forever

In August 2022, when Dr. Penny Barnes, Executive Director for the Salt Spring Island Conservancy (SSIC), received a call from a Victoria accounting company, she had no idea it would lead to the conservation of a rare jewel in the Salish Sea.  

Working with the landowner, the company approached SSIC about protecting Hidden Point, 10 acres on the south coast of Salt Spring Island.   

“We were very excited by the possibility, as we knew the area. On SSIC’s first visit to the land, the ecological diversity and conservation value of the land were immediately apparent,” says Penny. 

Located within the Coastal Douglas-fir Biogeoclimatic Zone, the smallest and most at-risk zone in British Columbia, the land is home to four red-listed and one blue-listed plant communities. The land lies in close proximity to other protected sites, and the mature forest contains no signs of historical harvesting. A survey of mosses, liverworts, hornworts and lichens revealed an exceptional diversity, with almost 200 species found. The property is water access only and has almost a kilometre of rocky shoreline scattered with tide pools. Offshore, dense bull kelp beds provide habitat for fish and invertebrates.  In the evening, the call of the small Western Screech-owl, a blue-listed species at risk, may be heard.

“SSIC is fortunate to have a dedicated group of volunteers to work on projects like this one,” says Dr. Barnes.  “SSIC volunteer Ashley Hilliard, a retired real estate lawyer and former President, donated his time and expertise to the project. Ashley worked with BC Parks Foundation and was instrumental in the project’s success.” 

The value of a Gulf Island waterfront property such as this would normally place it beyond the reach of conservation. Thanks to the Salt Spring Island Conservancy and two private donors, and the generous landowner, who wanted it protected, the BC Parks Foundation was able to acquire the land. It will be leased to SSIC on a 99-year lease and will be managed as a nature reserve, ensuring its fragile and at-risk ecosystems remain in their healthy and undisturbed state. 

As Ashley Hilliard observed, “This nature reserve is a tribute to the landowner's lifelong love for this special point of land and his determination to see it protected forever." 

This is the second protected property on Salt Spring Island this year.  Thanks to the wonderful community who lives there, the Salt Spring Island Conservation project crowdfunding campaign raised $1.2 million to preserve 31.2 acres of mature Coastal Douglas-fir habitat on the south end of the Island. Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystems are among the most biodiverse in BC, and they need the most protection—98% of their ecological communities are at risk of being lost.