Nature Trust of BC fundraising to secure 13 acres along Englishman River

The Nature Trust of BC is raising $350,000 to purchase 13 acres of habitat along the Englishman River in Parksville.

The non-profit says it wants to acquire the 13 acres, adding to its existing conservation area along the Kw’a’luxw (Englishman) River.

The City of Parksville has agreed to donate $1.8 million for the project, but an additional $350,000 is still needed.

“Kw’a’luxw, or Englishman River, is famous for the fish habitat values and the wildlife that live in that watershed. It is one of the most ecologically important conservation areas in the entire province,” said Jasper Lament, CEO of The Nature Trust of BC.

According to the organization, five species of salmon and three species of trout reside along the river.

“The area also contains important floodplain, riparian, and forested ecosystems and is an internationally significant habitat for migratory and breeding birds, including over 250 species, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals such as black bear, cougar, deer, river otter, and Roosevelt Elk,” said the press release.

The non-profit says it’s working with the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation on its long-term stewardship goals.

“By acquiring this land it will just increase the size of the network of lands that we are stewarding together with them because the river is right in the heart of their traditional territory,” said Lament.

Along with the acquisition, the non-profit says it’s collaborating with the City of Parksville on building a community pathway that would have improved interpretive signs on the cultural and ecological significance of the area.

The Nature Trust of BC is asking for the public’s help in raising funds for the acquisition.

The deadline for fundraising is June 30, 2024.

RELATED: 29 hectares of land near the Englishman River donated to Nature Trust of B.C.

Editorial Policies Report an Error