How a single cooperation protects the Sunshine Coast's natural beauty
“It means so much. They were brought up here, so they've walked all that property … and it's been part of their life since 1976 when we moved here,” Grames remarked. “There's a lot of gratefulness.”
Alda Grames, a longtime environmental activist who has served on the Sunshine Coast Regional District advisory plan commission for 26 years, chose the B.C.
Parks Foundation as the recipient of her 32 acres of Coastal Douglas-fir old-growth land, largely due to the foundation’s collaboration with First Nations.
Grames has cared for her property, which encompasses most of the undeveloped shoreline on Secret Cove’s northern coast, for nearly 50 years.
Her family, including her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild, have cherished the land's unique and biodiverse ecosystem.
With this donation, she ensures that the land will be protected for future generations.
“It means so much. They were brought up here, so they've walked all that property … and it's been part of their life since 1976 when we moved here,” Grames remarked. “There's a lot of gratefulness.”
The land holds significant value for the community of Secret Cove, which has a long history of defending these areas from logging and development, including efforts in the 1990s when petitions and protests aimed to prevent logging.
Grames hopes her decision will inspire other landowners to preserve their undeveloped properties.
“It's impossible to express how much it means to me,” Grames said. “It's part of my heart and soul … having it be protected in perpetuity is most important, because a family can't do that, it's almost impossible for a private person, and we all pass away, but with that promise of protection in perpetuity, [that] was a deciding factor.”
Grames connected with the foundation through Bill Henwood, a retired Parks Canada volunteer who dedicated four years to identifying conservation opportunities.
Henwood discovered that some land he was paddling past near Smuggler Cove Marine Provincial Park was privately owned and not part of the park.
He described the discovery as “a bit unnerving, because if the private owner were to decide to develop it or sell it to someone who did want to develop it, we would have lost a major jewel.”
When the B.C. Parks Foundation was established, Henwood recommended that this land be included on their acquisition list. “So it came to be,” he noted.
Another donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, contributed a 10-acre Marine Island and saw their land and legacy secured through the foundation shortly before their passing.
Andrew Day from the B.C. Parks Foundation emphasized the importance of teamwork in conservation efforts, saying, “It’s really about teamwork: everybody plays a part, and it may be a small part, but every part is really critical.
There’s a kind of this wonderful magic that’s happening in B.C. with all of these different people and very unlikely candidates. ... What I find the most inspiring is how all these small parts add up.”
