The Nature Trust of British Columbia has purchased almost 67 hectares of land near Radium Hot Springs for conservation.
Local mining giant Teck helped with topping up the group’s fundraiser to complete its purchase of the Columbia Lake North-Wetlands.
Conservation efforts will focus on delicate ecosystems and protecting endangered species like the great blue heron, American badger and western painted turtle.
Find more information from the Nature Trust of British Columbia below:
Today, The Nature Trust of British Columbia, one of the province’s leading non-profit land conservation organizations, announces that 165 acres (66.9 hectares) of ecologically important land near the unincorporated community of Fairmont Hot Springs has been purchased for conservation.
The property is known as the Columbia Lake North – Wetlands and is located near the north end of Columbia Lake and within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation and the Secwépemc Nation.
After learning of the property’s crowdfunding campaign, which began in early November, Teck Resources Limited (Teck), one of Canada’s leading mining companies, contributed a generous donation to take this campaign over the finish line.
Thanks to the generosity of Teck and many other donors, the Columbia Lake North – Wetlands have been conserved and are now protected from purchase and development.
Columbia Lake North – Wetlands is located approximately 1.3 km southeast of The Nature Trust’s Hoodoos Conservation Area which is one of their largest properties at nearly 10,000 acres.
The ecologically rich property contains a rare riparian wetland complex, which includes open water, marsh, and swamp wetlands as well as willow-dominated riparian communities.
The wetlands along the Columbia River within the Columbia Valley are designated as a wetland of International Importance (Ramsar) and are one of only 3 sites in BC and 37 in Canada.
The conservation area, located within the very dry and cool Interior Douglas-fir (IDFxk) – a biogeoclimatic zone of conservation concern – will protect vital staging areas for waterfowl, winter range for ungulates, and strengthen a regional wildlife connectivity corridor.
In turn, this conservation area will increase the resiliency of adjacent nearby protected and conserved lands, including the East Side Columbia Lake Wildlife Management Area, which it directly borders.
Wetlands provide incredible services to the environment as they regulate and filter water flow, preventing potentially catastrophic flooding.
The Columbia Lake North – Wetlands conservation area is also of continental significance to waterfowl under the North American Waterfowl Management Plan and provide habitat and breeding grounds for the American Wigeon, Trumpeter Swan, and Common Goldeneye among other species.
The provincially identified Ungulate Winter Range (UWR) is crucial to meeting the winter habitat requirements of ungulate species such as Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, and White-tailed Deer.
It also provides an important movement corridor for Grizzly Bear, Elk, Wolverine, and American Badger.
The Columbia Lake North-Wetlands provide sanctuary for a diverse variety of at-risk and endangered species, including the Great Blue Heron (of special concern in BC) and American Badger (endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act [SARA]), the Barn Swallow and Common Nighthawk (both threatened under SARA), the California Gull (endangered in BC) and Western Painted Turtle (of special concern under SARA).
The threatened Bank Swallow and endangered American Badger have designated Critical Habitat on the property.
The purchase of this land ensures that the delicate ecosystems and vibrant biodiversity has a chance to thrive.
The conservation of land is key to tackling the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship.
This project was undertaken with the financial support of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Teck, the Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund, the Kootenay Conservation Program, Val & Dick Bradshaw, Paul & Mona Sinclair, The Wood Brothers, and Pan American Silver contributed to the purchase of this property with a match from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. Special thanks to the many individuals, British Columbians, and Kootenay residents who donated to the conservation of this property and our many partners who supported this project in other ways
– Article includes statement and image from Nature Trust of British Columbia
Comments