View from the Crow’s Nest
A message on hotel notepaper leads to a ‘priceless gift’
Looking out over Fulford Harbour from Twin Lichen Meadow on TWU’s Crow’s Nest Ecological Research Area, one can’t help but marvel at the diversity of God’s creation. In this rich environment, where chocolate lilies (Fritillaria lanceolata) dance in the grass and lipstick lichen (Cladonia macilenta) kiss large grey stones, 12 eager TWU students and their professor, David Clements, Ph.D., study some of the hundreds of species that flourish under the canopy of a rare Garry oak (Quercus garryanna) ecosystem.
The Crow’s Nest property on Salt Spring Island, BC, boasts 72.6 acres of ecologically significant land — including some of the few remaining Garry oak meadows in the province — and since 2001, Environmental Studies and Biology students have benefited from field trips to the site. But none of them would have had that opportunity if it weren’t for the generosity of Dirk (Dic) and Emma Vanderkooi and their family.
The first time the Vanderkoois — who have two children and four grandchildren — saw the property, Dic remembers thinking, “What a mess, what a bush, what a challenge!” While they viewed it as a potential logging opportunity, they found their plans frustrated time and again. Still, they knew God provided the property for a purpose — and that, says Dic, encouraged them to set aside their own plans and seek His will.
In 1999, Dic and Emma were invited to a TWU event in Edmonton but were unable to attend. They did, however, leave a message for a staff member on a slip of hotel notepaper, asking whether the University might be able to make use of the property — initially leased, then gifted over a 10-year period. One of their few stipulations was that the land be named Crow’s Nest — a nod to the family’s history of sailors and buccaneers in centuries past.
But it’s the future of the Garry oak ecosystems that TWU researchers hope to preserve. “If we could have four or five students working there, alongside graduate students who were working on the really big restoration questions we have identified, we could really contribute something to the knowledge of how to restore Garry oak ecosystems,” says Clements, who has taught at TWU for 15 years. “It’s a blessing to have the Crow’s Nest Ecological Research Area available as a living laboratory.”
Each summer, student interns help maintain the site’s infrastructure and conduct research. Last year, fourth-year Biology major, Devin Methven spent 10 weeks on site studying plant per cent coverage and the adult and larval populations of the Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis propertius), an at-risk species. “Crow’s Nest is an exciting ecosystem,” says Methven. “It is conservation in action.”
One of the Vanderkoois’ few stipulations was that the land be named Crow’s Nest — a nod to the family’s history of sailors and buccaneers.
Indeed, thus far all of the development has been low-impact — minimal additions include three small cabins that sleep four each, a storage shed, a composting toilet, and a solar panel which supplies basic electricity. Future plans include development of a water source (the property lacks running water) and a permanent cooking station, with the long-term goal to establish a year-round field station. “We’re developing a strong vision for what needs to be done, and trusting the Lord’s hand will guide us,” Clements says.
The Vanderkoois believe their gift has not only blessed the University, but has strengthened their family spiritually. “Our faith and belief structure align with that of TWU,” Dic says, “and we pray that God will use it for His service and greater glory among a larger and larger number of Christian students.”
As Clements stands in the light spring drizzle, he watches his students identify, photograph, and log the plant life in Twin Lichen Meadow. “You could put a value on the Crow’s Nest property,” he says, “but the gift is priceless.”
by Wendy Delamont Lees
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