CBT Provides $138,000 For Conservation of Slocan Island
Monday, November 16, 2009

Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) and The Nature Trust of British Columbia (TNTBC) announced the successful purchase of a 142-acre conservation property called Slocan Island, located near the community of Winlaw.

"Considering the property’s important ecological values, Columbia Basin Trust is pleased to support this securement as part of our Land Conservation Strategy,” said Kindy Gosal, CBT, Director, Water and Environment. “CBT has made a commitment to ensuring long-term stewardship of the Columbia Basin’s natural assets and maintaining healthy ecosystems. Investing in this property helps CBT fulfill those ongoing commitments.”

The Slocan Island property is located in the Slocan River flood plain and has several distinguishable overflow channels intersecting the productive riparian site. The property is comprised of cottonwood forest, mixed conifer forest and wetland plant communities, and valuable rainbow trout rearing areas. Waterfowl, moose, elk, and Townsend’s big-eared bats are also natural inhabitants of this property.

“As a leading land conservation organization, The Nature Trust along with its partners is working to ensure that the amazing variety of life in this area of BC is sustained through habitat protection. The acquisition of the Slocan Island conservation property is an excellent demonstration of this partnership in action,” said TNTBC’s Kootenay Conservation Land Manager Rob Neil. “Our principle land management plan for this property is to ensure that the biodiversity values of the property are maintained in perpetuity.”

CBT provided $138,000 toward the total value of $370,000. CBT provides funding towards land conservation efforts, which will assist in maintaining a range of community values on lands in the Columbia Basin. CBT partners with the East Kootenay Conservation Program which researches various parcels of land each year and recommends the highest priorities and best-suited projects to meet CBT’s goals for the Land Conservation Strategy . Over the last ten years, CBT has contributed $2.25 million to land conservation efforts in the Columbia Basin.

Other contributors towards the purchase of the property are the Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program, the Land for Wildlife Fund, Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund and FortisBC. The owner of the property also provided a portion of the total cost as an eco-gift. For more information on the Ecological Gifts Program, visit www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/egp-pde or contact The Nature Trust.

The Nature Trust of British Columbia is a leader in protecting BC’s natural diversity of plants and animals through the acquisition and conservation of critical habitats and other areas of ecological significance. Along with their partners, The Nature Trust has invested more than $63 million to secure over 61,000 hectares (150,000 acres) of critical habitat throughout British Columbia.

CBT delivers economic, social, and environmental benefits to the residents of the Columbia Basin. To learn more about CBT programs and initiatives, visit www.cbt.org or call 1-800-505-8998.