A former Salt Spring resident is returning next week to celebrate the launch of a book with stories related to this island and 16 others.
Voices for the Islands: Thirty Years of Nature Conservation on the Salish Sea is about the creation of local nature conservancies — beginning in the 1990s — and the people behind them. Many of the names and stories will be familiar, but Harrington’s book provides an intimate look at local protests, the history and the evolution of conservancies. She also includes her experience of a three-year sailing journey through the islands while interviewing more than 50 veteran conservationists. The foreword was written by Briony Penn.
Harrington currently lives off-grid on Lasqueti Island.
On Thursday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., she will read from and talk about her book at the Salt Spring Public Library’s program room.
“Voices for the Islands will inspire readers to turn apathy into action and support the cause of conservation and reconciliation in an era of species extinction and climate change,” states promotional material from Heritage House Publishing. “Full of colour photos, maps and fascinating first-hand stories by unsung heroes of conservation — many of whom are now elders — this book reveals how local people and grassroots movements have the power to transform the future of our precious planet.”
Harrington was the founding executive director of the Land Trust Alliance of B.C. (from 1997 to 2011) and a director of the Lasqueti Island Conservancy for more than 12 years. She co-edited with Judi Stevenson the bestselling and award-winning Islands in the Salish Sea: A Community Atlas book.
“As a sailor, I have had the privilege of visiting every one of the islands in this book and hiked many trails in the parks and protected areas,” writes Bob McDonald, author, journalist and host of CBC radio’s Quirks & Quarks show, about Voices for the Islands. “Each Gulf Island holds a distinct beauty . . . It is a delight to follow in the wake of fellow sailor Sheila Harrington as she meets the people and organizations that have fought tirelessly to preserve these unique ecosystems for future generations to enjoy.”