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 A Special Place, a Unique Vision
Lot 1127 seems an ordinary name for such an extraordinary place: 152 acres of pristine waterfront forestland overlooking Desolation Sound on Cortes Island, a jewel in the necklace of islands strung along British Columbia's west coast.
In 2002, this property was destined for commercial logging. Determined to preserve the beauty and spiritual essence of this unique habitat, world-renowned musician and author, Ann Mortifee, her brother, Peter, and three Cortes friends, Ron Bazar, Ron Wolda and Bill Friedel, combined their life savings and purchased Lot 1127 from Weyerhaeuser for $1.15 million. Though deeply committed to preserving the integrity of the land, the legal, fiscal, and bureaucratic hurdles they faced in accomplishing this task were almost beyond their abilities to overcome.
As a last resort, Ann and Ron Bazar sought support for their vision at the Social Ventures Institute Conference held on Cortes in 2004. They believed that this network of socially aware business people would provide them with the resources to make their dream a reality.
David Butterfield, founder and Chairman of the Trust for Sustainable Development (a federally chartered Canadian not-for-profit organization), was one of those people. Over lunch, he listened to Ann's dreams for her property and by afternoon's end the Trust for Sustainable Forestry (The Trust) was born.
The Trust is an international organization providing a self-financing model to preserve forests through eco-forestry and sustainable development wherever there is community support and sufficient economic viability. Lot 1127 would serve as the prototype for this new style of conservation-based development.
Successful formation of this organization relied on five key concepts:
- Formation of a federally chartered charitable organization (the Trust for Sustainable Forestry) to hold and manage timber and non-timber resources in perpetuity under the principles of eco-system based forestry;
- Development of the property under sustainable development guidelines in conjunction with community desires. In the case of Cortes Island, the community supported a new type of zoning called "Community Land Stewardship", allowing the 152-acre parcel of land to be developed into 3 house sites on rocky bluffs overlooking the sea, 6 house sites along the shore, and 6 house sites clustered in an affordable eco-village (1 home per 10 acres);
- Formation of an organization to manage the development. In this case, it already existed in Ann's group;
- Investors were needed: about $1.5 million dollars worth. Thanks to some initial financing, supportive individuals, willing buyers, and the original partners, the deal was completed, providing good returns for all investors;
- Finally, an experienced independent body was needed to hold the land covenants, ensuring that eco-forestry practices were appropriate and sustainable. The Land Conservancy of BC stepped up to provide this final piece.
As The Trust moves forward on its remarkable journey, new partnerships continue to evolve. The overwhelming response from interested communities, universities, organizations, First Nations and Government confirms the need to bring communities back into their forests, to blend conservation with economic prosperity. The Trust satisfies this need, balancing the fiscal objectives of industrial forest owners with the holistic desires of communities that depend on the forest for survival.
Today, lot 1127's owners, The Trust and Eco Initiatives Inc. (Eco Inc), have begun to develop the property into six waterfront house sites, three bluff sites, and six eco-village sites. In keeping with their core values, the Trust and Eco Inc. are following an ecologically sensitive site plan, carefully designed to minimize site disturbance and preserve the health and beauty of the forest. Through this plan, approximately 148 acres or 97% of lot 1127 will remain undisturbed in its natural state.
With The Trust's vision and creativity, Ann's dream for Lot 1127 has become reality.
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Own a piece of this beautiful property that is located on Cortes Island!
Click here
to get information on covenants, history, property overview, sustainability aspects, disclosure statement, zoning bylaw and more.
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