It has been 40 years since 111 hectares of forest, known then as the Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary, was leased to the Morrell Sanctuary Society for Environmental Education for 99 years, turning it into the volunteer-run community amenity that exists today.
Entering the 1970s, the Nanaimo land belonged to Bill Morrell, but in 1973 he deeded it to the Provincial Land Commission, soon to be known as the B.C. Agricultural Land Commission, to be dedicated to environmental education. It became known as the Morrell Wildlife Sanctuary and in 1974 was leased to Malaspina College (now Vancouver Island University) for outdoor education and research purposes.
In the following years, many of the trails that still exist today were formed.
"We still do the trail maintenance, not so much trail building, they did a lot of trail building [in the past]鈥�" said Lance Nordstrom, society secretary. "They even brought in environmental education programs during that period."
Education programs continue today. Bus loads of school groups visit the sanctuary in the fall and spring and popular camps take place in the summertime. In a year, the board estimates about close to 1,000 youths visit the site.
In 1985, the land commission donated the land to the Nature Trust of B.C., which then signed a 99-year lease with the Morrell Sanctuary Society, which required the society to accept responsibility for preserving the site and developing it as a site of ecological interest.
Forty years later, it's no longer about building the space up, but maintaining it. An inventory done during the 1970s recorded one invasive species: Scotch broom. Now, about 20 volunteers contend with broom, holly, daphne and ivy.
"Every week some people are going out and pulling weeds鈥�" said Josef Baur, the society's president. "I thought since we do weed pulling more seriously people would slowly peter out, give up and say, 'We don't want to do that anymore,' but actually the opposite is happening. People are coming here and they stick with it and they are quite ambitious."
The issue is amplified by climate change, Baur noted, as the stressed and sick trees give more of an opening for the invasives to spread. Cedar is the tree species they've noticed most heavily impacted, with die-off areas where it's dry.
"We really can't help the climate change, so we just have be aware of it I think and allow the ecosystem to adapt," said Sally Hofmeier, society director. "Perhaps towards the end we [will] have to plant different trees [or other] vegetation."
Baur said while parks are developed to accommodate people, the sanctuary is more focused on preserving nature and using it for education.
"My message would be we can only be successful if we can motivate the people to be part of it," Baur said, "to help as volunteers or visitors that follow the rules."
"If you really want to enjoy Morrell, you need to preserve it and look after it," Hofmeier added. "It's like your own little backyard."
In commemoration of the anniversary, the Morrell Sanctuary Society for Environmental Education is holding an open house scheduled for Family Day on Feb.17 from 1 to 3 p.m. It will have refreshments, membership forms and activities for children.
The sanctuary is open to visitors from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information and on how to be a member or volunteer, visit .
