Douglas Leatherdale, Gambier Island Local Trust Area

Category: Individual
Project: Keats Island Clean Up
Nominator: Joanne Leatherdale
Project Description:
Douglas Leatherdale initiated an island-wide clean up to appropriately discard of debris that was being left in the wilderness on Keats Island in the late 1990s. With funding he secured from the Sunshine Coast Regional District, he arranged to barge six 30-yard dumpsters to be distributed around the island that were used to remove 100 tons of metal waste from the island over a long weekend. This was so successful that it was repeated the next year, adding batteries and propane tanks to the list of items that were collected to be recycled.

This initiative, known as Bin Day, is an important annual event for Keats islanders and brings the whole community out to support the clean-up. Now coordinated through the Regional District, Bin Day has been going strong for 25 years and the model has been replicated for Gambier, Anvil, Passage, Bowyer and Thormanby Islands. Through initiating this important work, Douglas brought the issue of rural dumping to the forefront among community members and provided a lasting solution.

 

Dan Rogers, Gambier Island Local Trust Area

Category: Individual
Project: Ongoing Community Leadership (Keats Island and Howe Sound Region)
Nominators: Barbara Robson and Elaine Colbourne
Project Description:
Dan Rogers has dedicated decades of volunteer leadership and service to the Keats Island community. He has made significant contributions to environmental stewardship, public safety, infrastructure, and a sense of community engagement.

As an Executive Member of the Eastbourne Community Association and, as President in 2003, Dan worked to address critical community issues including water conservation, road and dock maintenance, and fire protection by helping to establish the Keats Island Fire Equipment Group. He played a key role in securing government grants that significantly enhanced community-raised funding for essential island projects.

Dan served as a Trustee on the Gambier Island Local Trust Committee (2014-2022). His environmental leadership has extended beyond Keats Island through his active involvement with the Alt’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Community Forum and his service on the Board of the Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society.

In 2011, Dan helped found the Keats Island Conservation Society, an organization dedicated to preserving natural habitat and protecting the island from invasive species, and he contributed to the protection of the Hoaks-pus Sandy Beach Reserve, a significant natural area now safeguarded by the Islands Trust Conservancy. Dan has also coordinated the removal of derelict and abandoned boats from local waters, and
organized numerous beach cleanups that have helped preserve the island’s natural beauty.

 

Sheila Harrington, Lasqueti Island Local Trust Area

Category: Individual
Project: “Voices for the Islands,” written by Sheila Harrington, published in 2024 by Heritage House Publishing Company
Nominator: James Schwartz, on behalf of Lasqueti Island Nature Conservancy
Project Description:
Through her book, “Voices for the Islands, Thirty Years of Nature Conservation on the Salish Sea” Sheila Harrington has chronicled the 30-year legacy of island residents preserving and protecting islands in the Salish Sea through the creation of local land trusts and protected areas. She has raised awareness and amplified the voices of islanders by sharing their conservation stories.

A life-long supporter of environmental conservation herself, Sheila is the founder and former executive director of the Land Trust Alliance of BC, co-editor and coordinator of the “Islands in the Salish Sea Community Atlas,” published in 2006 by Touchwood Editions and (as of spring 2026) found online, and a dedicated volunteer with the Lasqueti Island Nature Conservancy.

“Voices for the Islands” will encourage new and younger islanders to see the importance of taking up the work of land stewardship and conservation in the Islands Trust Area.

 

Dr. Wendy Palen & Dr. Tom Sisk, Bowen Island

Category: Individual
Project: Nexwlélexw/Bowen Island Biodiversity Plan
Nominator: Bowen Island Conservancy
Project Description:
As Bowen Island residents and senior conservation scientists with the Department of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University, Dr. Wendy Palen & Dr. Tom Sisk volunteered their expertise to create an island-wide biodiversity assessment and map-based planning resource for Bowen Island. Between 2024 and 2026, they helped lead a process that combined scientific analysis with extensive community engagement. They brought together government, academic, local and citizen-science data to map species diversity, habitat richness, freshwater values, ecological intactness, development pressure, wildfire vulnerability, and integrated conservation values across the island.

The Biodiversity Plan gives Bowen Island a practical tool for planning ahead. It allows species and ecosystems to be considered in advance of land-use decisions and helps align ecological protection with long-term resilience planning.

The framework for development the Biodiversity Plan, including the modeling approach and data resources, mapping workflow, and  engagement structure, are available to other Islands Trust Area communities to adapt for creation of their own island-specific plans.

 

Breaking Bannock: Building Bridges Team, Gabriola Island Local Trust Area

Category: Organization
Project: Breaking Bannock: Building Bridges
Nominator: Kathryn Molloy
Project Description:
Under the leadership of Ardyth Cooper, Diana Radonjic, and Tsatassaya (Tracey) White, the Breaking Bannock: Building Bridges Team weaves Indigenous leadership, cultural protocol, and community participation into a living model for reconciliation. Rather than relying on traditional workshops or one-way education, the team has created relational, experiential gatherings where learning happens through shared meals, storytelling, ceremony, and dialogue. This approach transforms participants from passive listeners to active contributors, fostering deeper understanding and accountability.

The integration of Elders, artists, authors, and community partners, including the Gabriola Historical & Museum Society, Gabriola Medical Clinic, and Friends of the Gabriola Library has extended learning into an ongoing community practice. By combining arts, culture, and education with accessible entry points like shared reading initiatives and public gatherings, Breaking Bannock has developed a replicable, community-driven model that advances reconciliation in meaningful, lasting ways. Breaking Bannock is the most recent initiative of the Gabriola Arts Council.

 

Saturna Scribbler, Saturna Island Local Trust Area

Category: Organization
Project: 36 Years of the Saturna Scribbler
Nominator: John Robertson
Project Description:
For 36 years, the Saturna Scribbler has provided a written forum for local articles and advertisements for the Saturna Island community.

Published up to 10 times a year, the Scribbler features articles on everything from fire prevention and safety, sustainability and food security, educational initiatives, recycling and changes to the ferry schedule. For 36 years, the Scribbler has kept islanders informed and connected using an easy-to-read format and photos taken by Saturna islanders. In recent years, the Scribbler, run by Judy Tipple and her dedicated team of volunteers, has made a successful transition into the digital age.

 

Bowen Island Conservancy, Bowen Island

Category: Organization
Project: Protection of Cape Roger Curtis
Nominator: Bowen Island Municipality
Project Description:
Cape Roger Curtis is an ecological treasure on the southwest corner of Bowen Island. The environmentally sensitive area is one of the last undeveloped stretches of coastline between Point Roberts and Lund in the eastern Islands Trust Area.

Following 20 years of sustained effort and fundraising, the Bowen Island Conservancy purchased the 65 hectares of land at Cape Rogers Curtis on October 25, 2024. Fundraising to cover the $30.5 million sale price grew slowly, from membership dues in the early years, to fundraising events and grants; then swiftly through the assistance of passionate philanthropists.

Since acquiring the land, the Conservancy has consolidated it into one large lot and turned their attention to the significant planning and restoration work needed to protect the land in perpetuity.