Salt Spring Island Conservancy

A new nature reserve—a forested 62-acre area near Ford Lake, including small streams flowing into the headwaters of Fulford Creek—is now in the hands of the Salt Spring Island Conservancy. The Howard Horel Nature Reserve has been created largely thanks to a generous anonymous donor, with some grant support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and a conservation covenant held by The Land Conservancy BC (TLC), a province-wide land trust. “The Salt Spring Island Conservancy is thrilled to be the long-term caretaker of this lovely Douglas-fir and sword-fern forest, in memory of Howard C. Horel, a well-known island sawmill operator,” according to Christine Torgrimson, the Conservancy’s executive director. Howard was also a horseman, farrier, avid motorcyclist and member of a long-time island family. “It’s fabulous that this new reserve adjoins other protected lands that together represent about a 300-acre protected area, including a great network of walking trails, ac…