“The voice for grasslands in British Columbia” MAGAZINE OF THE GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Fall 2007 STEWARDSHIP SUCCESS STORIES AND CHALLENGES The Sticky Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum var. viscosissimum) is an attractive hardy perennial wildflower that can be found in the grasslands of the interior. The plant gets its name from the sticky glandular hairs that grow on its stems and leaves. PHOTO BRUNO DELESALLE 2 BCGRASSLANDS MAGAZINE OF THE GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION COUNCIL OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Fall 2007 The Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia (GCC) was established as a society in August 1999 and as a registered charity on December 21, IN THIS ISSUE 2001. Since our beginning, we have been dedicated to promoting education, FEATURES conservation and stewardship of British Columbia’s grasslands in collaboration with 13 The Beauty of Pine Butte Trish Barnes our partners, a diverse group of organizations and individuals that includes Ashcroft Ranch Amber Cowie government, range management specialists, 16 ranchers, agrologists, ecologists, First Nations, land trusts, conservation groups, recreationists and grassland enthusiasts. The GCC’s mission is to: • foster greater understanding and appreciation for the ecological, social, economic and cultural impor tance of grasslands throughout BC; • promote stewardship and sustainable management practices that will ensure the long-term health of BC’s grasslands; and • promote the conservation of representative grassland ecosystems, species at risk and GCC IN BRIEF their habitats. 2 Message from the Chair David Zirnhelt GCC Board of Directors EXECUTIVE 2 Message from the Executive Director Bruno Delesalle David Zirnhelt, Big Lake Ranch CHAIR Bob Brown, Lac le Jeune 3 GCC Program and Project Updates VICE CHAIR King Campbell, Salmon Arm SECRETARY / TREASURER Michael Pitt, Pender Island PERSPECTIVES PAST CHAIR Bob Scheer, Kamloops Lauchlan Fraser, Kamloops 23 Cultural: Splendour in the Grass Don Gayton Bill Henwood, North Vancouver Michael Kennedy, Lillooet 24 Ranching: Grazing and Grasslands Jim White Mark Quaedvlieg, Keremeos Jim White, Knutsford 26 Invasive Plants: Stewardship in the Face of Invasion Jo-Ann Fox BOARD Barry Booth, Prince George Leanne Colombo, Cranbrook Darren Dempsey, Knutsford Mike Duffy, 108 Mile Ranch FLORA AND FAUNA Joe Foy, New Westminster Bruce Gordon, West Vancouver 8 Flora: Prickly-Pear Cactus Peggy-Jo Broad Doug Jury, Kamloops Francis Njenga, Kamloops 9 Fauna: Night Snake Mike Serral Darrell Smith, Invermere Ordell Steen, Williams Lake HONORARY BOARD MEMBER Bob Peart, Sidney EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OTHER Bruno Delesalle, Kamloops 11 Across the Province COVER Wycliffe Wildlife Corridor, near Kimberley, 21 Partner Profile: Partners in Flight and the CIJV Tanya Luszcz BC, was purchased by the The Land Conservancy in 1999 to augment an existing wildlife corridor owned by the Ministry of 25 Success Stories: Theory in Action—The Environmental Farm Plan King Campbell Water, Land and Air Protection. Photo by Bruno Delesalle. 28 Tribute to Bert Brink Niki Paille Magazine Production 29 Members’ Corner Bruno Delesalle PUBLISHER 32 Personal Landscapes: Homage to Grasslands Kim Slater Amber Cowie MANAGING EDITOR BCGRASSLANDS 1 Message from the Chair David Zirnhelt When I was asked to be the new chair of the GCC, I did I hope to assist the GCC to realize its goals by contributing not have to think twice before agreeing. I was raised in the my understanding of public and government processes. I grasslands near Williams Lake and I know their impor- got into politics because I knew we could, collectively, do a tance. I also realized that I needed to know more about much better job of land use planning than was done in the what was happening in respect to their management. The past and I still think we can do better. As climate changes, creation of the Protected Area at Churn Creek happened many grassland species will need an undisturbed natural while I was a member of cabinet and the Member of the habitat in order to have a chance at evolving in an Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the Cariboo-Chilcotin. I environment undergoing rapid changes. We should not knew then, as I know now, about the need to balance the exacerbate the threat to so many species by altering the judicious and economical use of the grasslands for cattle grassland environment with unsustainable development and ungulates with the protection of the unique attributes activities. While development will proceed, it needs to be of the grassland ecosystems. planned to ensure that negative effects are mitigated. My grandfather brought his family to the region looking One of my primary goals as the new chair is to see for greener pastures after enduring seven years of drought progress in creating a sustaining financial legacy for the in North Dakota. After being away at school and working GCC so that not so much time has to be spent securing in Ottawa for a few years, my wife Susan and I returned to operating funds to do the good work set out in our strate- the Cariboo to raise our family on a piece of the ranch that gic plan. The GCC has an ambitious workplan; we now had been in our family for 40 years. While we are located need to put the tools we have created, like the Priority in the transition belt between the dryland and the wetbelt Grasslands Initiative, to work for grassland stewardship. where trees and brush dominate, we have an affinity for I invite all readers to recruit another member to our the drier areas to the west and the south where the major organization to help in whatever way they can to assist us grasslands are located in our region. in our twin goals of keeping working ranches working and Having spent 12 years in the legislature, 10 of those in ensuring the naturally productive grassland ecosystems cabinet serving in the Agriculture and Forestry portfolios, stay intact for generations to come. Message from the Executive Director Bruno Delesalle Many definitions of stewardship exist in the literature that bringing a family’s vision for succession and long-term surrounds the topic. After much research, the GCC chose economic sustainability together with a shared vision for to define grassland stewardship as “the practice of careful- conservation and stewardship of a valued grassland ly managing land use to ensure that natural grassland landscape located on the fringe of a growing urban centre. ecosystems are maintained or enhanced for future genera- At the other end of the spectrum, we present a complex tions.” Similarly, the North American Grassland story about the historic Ashcroft Ranch, which has been Conservation Strategy (2003) defines stewardship as “the cast into a debate about land use and waste management, individual and corporate responsibility of one generation issues originating far beyond the ranch gate and its barbed to maintain the natural inheritance that it has received, wire fence. Will we choose to dump or not to dump Metro both for its benefit and for the benefit of future genera- Vancouver garbage in the heart of one of BC’s great tions. It is a commitment to conserve and maintain the ranches, located in the centre of some of BC’s most natural features of the land.” The common threads that endangered grasslands habitats? Are the strong run through both these definitions are the ideas of caring stewardship practices being put into effect on the rest of for the land, using land in a sustainable manner, and the ranch enough to justify the proposed landfill? taking on the responsibility of providing a healthy Stewardship is a complicated business, particularly in a environment for the generations to come. society where real dollar values seem to take precedence This issue of BC Grasslands begins to explore the many over nearly everything else. How can we, as an facets of grassland stewardship by presenting a series of organization devoted to stewardship, begin to ensure that perspectives on stewardship, including the success story of British Columbians become stewards of their own the Pine Butte Ranch. It is a story of conservation grassland heritage? ranching and a model based on partnership and trust, …continued on page 27 2 BC GRASSLANDS GCC in Brief Education and Outreach From the depths of HTML coding to the red carpet at the Kelowna Heritage Museum, the Education and Outreach branch of the GCC has been to a variety of places in the past six months to spread the word about grassland conservation in the province of British Columbia. 2007 Symposium Succeeds The highlight of the spring was certainly the success of our 2007 symposium—Planning for Change: Working Together for BC’s Grasslands. From June 7 to 9, 2007, the GCC hosted its symposium and annual general meeting in Kelowna at the Coast Capri Hotel. Registrants were treated to a wide array of activities including a field tour at the Department of National Defense grass- land property near Vernon, BC, which had everyone talking about the diminutive ABOVE Master’s Student Katy White introduces a gopher snake to the enraptured crowd at the Master’s student Katy White wrangling an Department of National Defense grasslands near Vernon during the 2007 symposium field tour. enormous gopher snake. Spring 2008 will focus on: The Economy of Thursday evening was a night of grassland BC Grasslands Grass. The value of grasslands goes beyond glitz with a wine and cheese reception held Website Launched Lewis Carroll once suggested that one could aesthetic, historical or societal. The preser- at the beautiful Kelowna Heritage Museum. get lost going down the rabbit hole. In the vation of natural capital, or ecological goods The symposium proper featured Mike late summer, it was apparent that it was just and services, is an increasingly powerful Harcourt as the keynote speaker. Mr.