The Nature Trust of British Columbia (NTBC) has launched a fundraiser to buy 171 hectares of land to keep for conservation.
The NTBC said this land is an ecologically important area located at the confluence of Wolf Creek and the Kootenay River.
“This chunk of land that we call Lower Wolf Creek is a very important wildlife corridor for American badger, grizzly bear, and elk. It also has an important wetland landscape for migratory birds,” said Dr. Jasper Lament, NTBC CEO.
Most of the money has been raised already, but an additional $415,000 is needed to finalize the purchase.
“We are reaching out to the public across B.C. and beyond to support this project,” said Lament.
“US taxpayers can donate and help us bring matching funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.”
Lower Wolf Creek is right next to 177 hectares of existing provincial conservation land, allowing the Nature Trust to increase connectivity for wildlife and improve the resiliency of floodplain and benchland ecosystems.
“There are opportunities for improving the habitat. There’s an old wetlands conservation project that was done on the site with some water control structures and it’s now reaching the end of its life,” said Lament.
“We’ll also be looking out for invasive weeds to make sure they’re carefully managed. We’re basically going to be looking after the landscape and making sure we take care of the habitats all these species have been using for millennia.”
The NTBC said Lower Wolf Creek is in the unceded and traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, with ʔaq̓am being the closest community.
The property lies within the Interior Douglas-fir (IDF) bio geoclimatic zone, which is considered to be an endangered habitat type within B.C.
“It’s a key conservation priority for the Nature Trust,” said Lament.
“It’s used by a broad spectrum of wildlife, everything from Lewis’s woodpecker, which is extremely threatened as there’s only a few hundred pairs in B.C. There’s a lot of different species relying on this habitat in a key ecological area. It has a mix of rivers, wetlands, riparian areas and dry forests. It’s an amazing mosaic of different habitats.”
You can help out by making donations here before the fundraiser deadline of October 10, 2024.
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