Conservancy calls for respectful use of McRae Lands

Provided by the Islands Trust Conservancy

The McRae Conservancy lands. Map of the authorized trail (connecting from South Road to Fell Road) on the McRae Lands (white dashed line), which are permanently protected for conservation by an Islands Trust Conservancy NAPTEP covenant.

Islands Trust Conservancy

There is an urgent need for more respectful use of the McRae Lands, which are located between the Agi Hall and the Gabriola Museum.

The fragile meadow and other ecosystems in this protected area are being damaged by unauthorized trail-making and off-leash dogs.

Visitors to this private property, which is protected by an Islands Trust Conservancy Natural Area Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEP) covenant, are asked to respect the land, and the wishes of the late Stan and Maxine McRae, by staying on the authorized trail and keeping dogs leashed and picked up after.

This 20-acre property was generously purchased by the McRaes in 1980 to protect the land from development.

In 2010, they placed a NAPTEP covenant on the land with Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC) – the first NAPTEP Covenant on Gabriola Island.

Following their death in 2020, The Gabriola Historical and Museum Society, supported by community fundraising, purchased the property with its covenant to continue to protect the land and its species. 

This is a special place on Gabriola Island. In the heart of the McRae Lands is a rocky meadow where lichens, herbs, and mosses dominate shallow soils. The diversity of the meadow shines through in the spring, when native wildflowers like camas lily, fairy-slipper orchid and shooting star bloom amidst vernal pools and seepages. The covenant also protects maturing Coastal Douglas-fir forest and woodland ecosystems, featuring Douglas-fir, western redcedar, and arbutus trees, as well as the ferns which the McRaes loved dearly. Open, rocky areas provide habitat for reptiles, and vernal pools are favoured by Pacific chorus frogs. The McRae Lands are also habitat for a diversity of birdlife as well as deer.

We need the community’s help. Unauthorized trail-making and damage by dogs are having harmful impacts on the ecological health of this NAPTEP conservation area. As unauthorized trails form and expand, parts of the fragile meadow are lost, leaving only bedrock. Dog droppings have been found by ITC staff in areas of the covenant that are not open to walkers. Visitors to the McRae Lands have also reported dogs kicking up fragile soil and vegetation in the mossy meadow after “doing their business” – soil and vegetation so fragile that it will take decades to recover.

The detrimental impacts of dogs on wildlife are well documented by scientific studies. Dogs are a perceived predator, and their presence can cause temporary or permanent abandonment of habitat. Many species of wildlife have a strong sense of smell, so the scent of dogs, urine, and feces can linger and prompt wildlife to avoid an area even after dogs have left, leading to a decline in wildlife abundance and diversity over time. The McRaes loved dogs, and regularly walked the property with theirs, but were always careful to keep them under control to maintain a peaceful environment for wildlife.

As Covenant Holder, it is ITC’s responsibility to ensure that the land is preserved and protected forever, and to prevent any use of the land that interferes with its natural state. The covenant agreement for the McRae Lands does not allow soil disturbance, damage to indigenous flora, or the construction of new paths.

Please join us in protecting this special area, and in honouring the gift left by Stan and Maxine, by using the McRae Lands respectfully and encouraging other visitors to do the same: read and follow the signage, keep to the authorized trail, and keep dogs leashed and picked up after.