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A certified organic farmer, Arthur Kikuchi moved to North
Pender Island in 2000 because the landscape reminded him of Japan
where he grew up. Arthur's passion for the natural
environment was nurtured from a young age by his father, a lifelong
naturalist specializing in the protection of wetlands and
forests. In 2009, after Arthur received an inheritance from
his parents, he chose to continue his father's vision by purchasing
a forested lot on North Pender with the intent to protect it in its
natural state. With the help of the Islands Trust Fund (the
Islands Trust's land conservancy), the Pender Islands Conservancy
Association, and the |
| Nancy Waxler Morrison Biodiversity Protection Fund,
Arthur and his family permanently protected the property with a
conservation covenant. |
Walking the property, Arthur talks about his decision to
purchase the property, now named the Kikuchi Memorial - Frog Song
Forest Covenant, solely for protection. "I wanted to use the money
they left me to do something that would make them proud. So I
covenanted the property. Whenever I come here, I feel my
parents' presence. They never saw the property, but it's
their lives, their work that protected it. I know they'd be
proud of this legacy."
Arthur shared his outlook on protecting the land as his four
children playing among the branches of a nearby cedar. "People
can't own the land. We're only borrowing it from the future.
When we die, we can't take what we own with us. Therefore,
our legacies are what we leave behind. I want to leave this
protected place behind for my children, their children and the next
generations in my community. That's what makes me most happy
about the covenant."