Save Honeysuckle Woods
HELP PROTECT THE BARRETT QUARRY LANDS FROM DEVELOPMENT AS A GRAVEL EXTRACTION SITE
The call to action to acquire the 40 acre parcel of land situated at the end of Honeysuckle Lane for community purposes is a collaborative initiative between the Gabriola Island Memorial Society (GIMS) and the Gabriola Land and Trails Trust (GaLTT).
The property is currently zoned gravel pit and under license to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. In October 2022 GaLTT and GIMS met with MoTI staff to discuss a potential transfer of this land to the community but, despite a positive first meeting and agreement to meet again soon, MoTI staff have since declined further discussion of this important project. In fact, 4 months later, in March 2023, MoTI erected “NO TRESPASSING” signs on the property knowing this forest land is well used by our community for passive recreation and community connection and has been for many years.
PLEASE JOIN US TO TELL THE BC GOVERNMENT THAT WE WANT THIS BEAUTIFUL LAND PROTECTED!
Why this project makes sense for our community:
Gabriola urgently needs a new site for full body burials and the community strongly supports that it be a natural burial site.
Acquiring land that is suitable for burial in terms of soil depth and composition, setback from wells, and ease of access is challenging and with the high cost of land on Gabriola currently, it is prohibitive for a small community non-profit society to acquire.
The BC Sponsored Crown Grant program facilitated the transfer of 65 hectares of provincially managed land to create the S’ulhween X’pey (Elder Cedar) Nature Reserve in 2006. We believe this program or something similar could be utilized for Honeysuckle Woods.
Canada, BC and Indigenous leaders recently signed an agreement to protect 30% of BC’s land by 2030. Protecting this land could help contribute to that goal.
As one of the very few large, government managed properties left on Gabriola, Honeysuckle Woods is an important property for protection and an ideal candidate for transfer to community management.
The amount of protected land on Gabriola currently lags far behind most Trust Area islands and opportunities for improvement are limited.
Honeysuckle Woods contains rare and sensitive habitat with significant conservation value. It is surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and is a relatively undisturbed and beautiful forest with well used walking trails. For these reasons and others, it is unsuitable for a mining operation.
Preliminary evaluation by a specialist in hydrogeology indicates the quantity and quality of gravel for extraction on the land is likely substandard while the soil and land attributes are favourable to establishing an area for green burial. More investigative work is needed.
MoTI has TWO zoned gravel pits on Gabriola, Honeysuckle Woods and the South Road Firehall site; MoTI doesn’t need 2 gravel pits on Gabriola. Road building and resurfacing projects on Gabriola, including in recent years, have not used gravel resources from either MoTI site.
The continued destruction and fragmentation of natural habitat threatens the health and sustainability of Gabriola’s ecosystems and our community.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
1. Sign our petition. More than 1000 Gabriolan’s have signed our petition so far and every signature helps! You can find the petition at North Road Sports, Ground Up, Natures Spirit Earth Market or Page’s Bookstore or print a blank copy of our petition and get your friends and neighbours to sign. We will pick it up from you! Email us: savehoneysucklewoods@gmail.com to get more info!
2. Email Rob Fleming, Minister for Transportation & Infrastructure to voice your support. To help amplify the impact of our petition when we table it in the legislature in mid May, please take a few minutes and write an email - just a line or two is all that is needed - to Minister Fleming encouraging him to direct his staff to respond positively to our petition by agreeing to consider transferring the “Barrett Quarry” lands to local control so that it can be managed as public parkland with a small area set aside for a natural burial site.
Emails should be addressed to Minister Rob Fleming with cc’s to local MLA Doug Routley, MOTI staff, and the Save Honeysuckle Woods campaign:
Minister Rob Fleming: Minister.Transportation@gov.bc.ca
MLA Doug Routley: Douglas.Routley.MLA@leg.bc.ca
MoTI Aggregate Manager: Satish. Prasad@gov.bc.ca
MoTI District Manager: Michael.Pearson@gov.bc.ca
Save Honeysuckle Woods: savehoneysucklewoods@gmail.com
3. Volunteer or donate! Email us for more information: savehoneysucklewoods@gmail.com
4. Ask your friends and neighbours to do the same.
WE NEED A BIG SHOW OF ISLAND LOVE AND SUPPORT! PLEASE HELP US SAVE HONEYSUCKLE WOODS.
This copy of the petition is for informational purposes only. If you’d like a copy to sign and/or to collect signatures please email: savehoneysucklewoods@gmail.com
GIMS founding members Gary and Mary Holdgrafer and Maureen Wild with Snuneymuxw First Nation Elder Geraldine Manson at Honeysuckle Woods.
Sample letter:
To: Honourable ROB Fleming, MLA Victorian - Swan Lake and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure
Cc: Honourable Douglas Routley, MLA Nanaimo - North Cowichan; Satish Prasad, MoTI Aggregate Manager; Michael Pearson, MoTI District Manager
Subject: Honeysuckle Woods is not a gravel pit! Please consider transferring it to the community for use as public parkland and a small natural burial site.
I am writing to you to ask that the BC government transfer the Barrett Quarry lands (PID 012-350-711) on Gabriola Island, a largely undisturbed forest with significant conservation value as well as value to our community for passive recreation and community connection, to our community for its protection.
The Gabriola Land and Trails Trust and the Gabriola Island Memorial Society have been working for 2 years, meeting with your staff, MLA Routley, and our elected officials at the Regional District of Nanaimo and Islands Trust, to discuss acquisition of this 40 acre parcel of crown managed land from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Both organizations value conservation and earth-friendly land use and are working together to meet important needs in our community.
The undisturbed island ecosystems of Gabriola Island are quickly disappearing and becoming increasingly fragmented. Currently only 12% of Gabriola is protected; this is far below the Islands Trust average of 20% and less than half of the 30% goal of land your Government recently committed to protect by 2030 along with First Nations and the Government of Canada.
The current Gabriola cemetery is quickly running out of room for burials and is also facing serious issues of erosion. Gabriola needs a new cemetery and our community wants it to be a natural burial site.
Gabriola residents have been trying for many years now to acquire land suitable for a green burial cemetery and land for conservation purposes but the high cost of real estate on Gabriola has made this impossible. Transferring the Barrett Quarry lands for these purposes is an ideal solution for our community and an action I strongly support.
Like many Gabriolans I am deeply frustrated by the poor response of MoTI to the proposal of these well respected and supported local non-profits, especially since MoTI has 2 gravel pits on Gabriola, hasn’t used gravel from either location in recent roadwork, and the Barrett “Quarry” is poorly situated for gravel operations, bordered on all sides by residential neighborhoods. Our community was angry when MoTI posted “No Trespassing” signs on the property recently and will not support the noise and pollution of an industrial gravel extraction operation in this location. The highest and best use of this land is for community use as a protected nature reserve and natural burial site.
Please act now! The continued destruction and fragmentation of natural habitat threatens the health and sustainability of Gabriola’s ecosystems and community. Developing the Barrett Quarry as a gravel pit as suggested by MoTI would be a significant blow to the health and wellbeing of our community and our fragile island ecosystems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
