has announced the purchase of 165 acres in the Salmon River estuary near Campbell River on Vancouver Island. This new acquisition is connected to conservation lands previously secured by The Nature Trust and its partners over the past four decades.

“Like many Nature Trust projects, conservation of the Salmon River estuary has been years in the making,” said Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO of The Nature Trust of BC. “This business takes time and patience. We are very grateful to our conservation partners and to the many people who helped make this deal possible.”

Major funding was provided by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program. Additional support was provided by the Campbell River Salmon Foundation, Barnet Rifle Club, Steelhead Society of BC, Kingfishers Rod & Gun Club, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Totem Fly Fishers, Parksville-Qualicum Fish & Game Association, BC Federation of Fly Fishers, and individual donors from across BC.

“The Salmon River project is the latest purchase of conservation land made possible through the contributions of the anglers, hunters, guide outfitters and trappers of BC,” said Brian Springinotic, CEO of the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. “The securement of this high-value habitat will benefit a variety of species, as well as providing additional recreational opportunities.”

“The Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program is pleased to support this land purchase,” said Program Manager, Trevor Oussoren. “Strategic land acquisitions such as this play an important role in helping fish and wildlife for generations to come.”

The Salmon River estuary is the only significant area of coastal wetland habitat located on the relatively steep and rugged 250 km stretch of coastline from Campbell River to the network of estuaries on the Quatsino lowlands. This strategic location provides critical habitat to numerous species of fish and wildlife, including Great Blue Heron, Marbled Murrelet, Northern Pygmy Owl, Roosevelt Elk, migratory waterfowl and eight species of salmonids. All five species of Pacific salmon are found in the river: Coho, Chinook, Chum, Pink and Sockeye. Anadromous steelhead, cutthroat and Dolly Varden char are all present, as well as resident trout and other native fish species.

Of the approximately 3,200 Roosevelt Elk in British Columbia, the vast majority live on Vancouver Island. Efforts continue to restore them to their historic range, but northern Vancouver Island, including the Salmon River, remains the core of their range in Canada.

“The Salmon River supports a rich diversity of fish and wildlife along with spectacular natural beauty,” said CEO Jasper Lament. “This Vancouver Island conservation treasure is both a tribute to The Nature Trust’s proud history and a wonderful gift to future generations.”

You can view a map of HCTF’s other acquisition investments here.

Last Friday, HCTF Board member Ian McGregor joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Kamloops to celebrate the successful acquisition of 525 hectares of native grassland in the Nicola Valley. HCTF contributed a quarter of a million dollars to the Napier Lake Ranch project, which will protect habitat for migratory birds, rare grassland plants and mammals such as moose and mule deer.

“Like all of HCTF’s acquisition investments, Napier Lake Ranch was funded because it contains significant habitat values that were under threat of fragmentation,” said McGregor. “By supporting NCC’s purchase of these lands, we can be assured that grasslands, and the plants and animals that live there, will be protected now and forever. This means future generations may have the opportunity to witness Sharp-tailed grouse, spot a Swainson’s hawk, or hear the sounds of Sandhill cranes rolling across the grasslands.”

Indeed, both Sharp-tailed grouse and Sandhill cranes were observed by celebration participants on an NCC-led tour of the newly-acquired lands. One of those participants was the land’s former owner, Agnes Jackson. Her family sustainably managed these grasslands for over 40 years, and her decision to sell to the Conservancy was based on her desire to see them remain a haven for many plants and animals.

“Grasslands hold more endangered species than any other climatic zone,” said Jackson. “Keeping large tracts of land intact is really the only way to protect them.”

In a CBC radio interview earlier this year, Jackson spoke about her hope that others would be able to experience these lands and enjoy them as much as she did. NCC plans to allow non-motorized vehicle access to the property, allowing people to further their connection to grassland conservation.

As part of the celebration, NCC acknowledged the many groups who contributed to this project, including the Government of Canada, the Jackson Family, The Sitka Foundation, the Estate of Thomas T. Forbes and HCTF. HCTF funding of this and other recent NCC conservation land acquisitions was made possible through the contributions of the province’s anglers, hunters, trappers and guides, whose licence surcharges provide approximately $6 Million for conservation projects annually. To find out more about the different types of projects HCTF supports, including conservation land acquisitions, click here.

The Nature Trust of British Columbia has just announced the successful acquisition of 30 acres of endangered antelope-brush habitat in the South Okanagan . The purchase was made possible by a $500,000 contribution by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation as part of its acquisition granting program.

“Antelope-brush is the latest purchase of conservation land made possible through the contributions of the anglers, hunters, guide outfitters and trappers of BC. In the past two years alone, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has invested $1.3 million of their licence surcharges into the securement of over 1300 hectares of valuable South Okanagan habitat,” said Brian Springinotic, CEO of the Foundation. “The proximity of the Antelope-brush property to other conservation lands will allow wildlife to move between protected areas – a critical feature when working to preserve biodiversity in areas fragmented by development.”

The property is adjacent to The Nature Trust’s Antelope-brush Conservation Area, home to more than 20 species at risk, including over 50% of the Canadian population of Behr’s Hairstreak butterfly. Other federally or provincially listed species at risk that are known to occur on these lands include Bighorn Sheep, Pallid Bat, Desert Night Snake, Great Basin Spadefoot, and Lewis’s Woodpecker.

Additional support for this acquisition was provided by the landowner, FortisBC, the Habitat Stewardship Program, Sitka Foundation, Grayross Foundation, and the South Okanagan Naturalists’ Club. For additional information on HCTF-funded acquisition properties, click here.