An undeveloped parcel on Saturna Island is part of a larger B.C. conservation effort to protect rare ecosystems, plants and animals.
The Mount Fisher Bluffs parcel consists of some 78 acres on Saturna, and represents “one of the most at-risk biogeoclimatic zones in the province,” according to the Nature Trust of BC, who is spearheading a crowdfunding project to set aside a total of 825 acres on three parcels in the Southern Gulf Islands, northern B.C., and the Kootenays.
Just $50,000 is needed to secure the Mount Fisher Bluffs property.
According to the Nature Trust, the area contains rare and critically imperiled Garry oak ecosystems and wildflower meadows, containing rare and sensitive plant life such as the threatened slender popcornflower and endangered white meconella.
It also provides habitat to at-risk species such as the threatened barn swallow and of-special-concern great blue heron. There is also a peregrine falcon nest on the property, with the birds producing chicks nearly every year.
The other parcels in the project are the 581-acre Meteor Lake wetland-bog near Prince George, and the 165-acre Columbia Lake North wetlands in the Kootenay region.
“The Nature Trust of BC is appealing to sustainably minded folks to help them raise the råemaining $265,000 amount needed to protect these three parcels,” said organizers. “Conserving these sensitive ecosystems not only protects biodiversity, but also helps combat climate change with natural carbon-absorbing solutions such as old-growth forests, peatlands, and wetlands.”
If donation goals are met, the Nature Trust said the properties will be protected as conservation land, ensuring that they cannot be developed or sold. The deadline for fundraising is Dec. 31; for more information or to donate, visit the www.naturetrust.bc.ca website.