Grizzly bears, moose and woodland caribou in Northern British Colombia!

30 November 2024:
There's more great news from the BC Parks Foundation! Water has begun flowing in one of the largest restoration projects in Western Canada, bringing life back to the area. Salmon have returned for the first time in over 100 years! BC Parks Foundation say this is thanks to the leadership of the Katzie First Nation, partnerships with other organisations and BC Park Foundation's supporters. The new flow will help restore the balance, with clean water and salmon creating a healthier forest, more wildlife, food and happier people and wildlife! Find out more here.

Find out about the Katzie First Nation

The Katzie have lived and thrived for thousands of years and they maintain deep connections to the lands, rivers, wetlands and creeks. They are traditional hənq̓əmínəm̓ speaking people. Central to q̓ic̓əy̓ life are the wetlands that once existed near the south end of Pitt Lake. You can see where they live here.

q̓ic̓əy̓… land of the moss

31st October 2024:
There’s great news for grizzly bears, moose and woodland caribou in Northern British Colombia!

Over 1,800 hectares (about 4,500 acres) of critical habitat for iconic species such as these have been protected for ever, thanks to an amazing and collective effort by individual donors!  The photo at the top of this page shows how stunning the area is.   It's truly beautiful and needs to be protected and cared for, for everyone to enjoy and benefit from, wildlife and people. 

These included major funders such as Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund, and the Wilson 5 Foundation.

The project expands existing conservation areas, preserving beautiful wilderness and crucially both maintaining vital wildlife corridors and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  

You can find out more about it here, but a huge well done and thank you to everyone involved.

“Northern ecosystems are crucial for global biodiversity and climate regulation, but are underrepresented in protected area systems worldwide.  We are very grateful to everyone who supported this project -- it shows what can be done when people work together to keep BC beautiful.”

Andy Day, CEO, BC Parks Foundation

This protection will help in many ways

The project strategically expands existing conservation areas, so it's preserving stunning wilderness, and - crucially for wildlife - maintianing vital wildlife corridors.   It's also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.   The photo right is of Boya Lake, which encompasses 2,000 acres and as such  is one of the largest private land conservation projects in Northern BC.  Grizzly bears, caribou and moose love it for its habitat. 

Image copyright BC Parks Foundation
All images on this page copyright BC Parks Foundation

This is home to Woodland Caribou, sheep and elk - and bears!

Butler Ridge spans 1,300 acres and it's vital habitat for animals such as Stone Sheep, a big herd of Elk, and the endangered Southern Mountain Woodland Caribou.   The wild blueberry bushes are loved by bears during late summer - they love to tuck in to these!  

The protection of this land just shows what can be achieved when governments, individuals and organisations pull together and actually take action.   

That's not all!  Take a look at the blog from September 2024, called "A New Sanctuary – Rare and Pristine Forest and Creek Beside Gowlland Tod Park Now Protected Forever" . The 34-acres are now protected forever, and as uch, it's a lifeline for the region's diverse flora and fauna.   Another corridor for wildlife! 

The BC Parks Foundation's mission is "to create the greatest system of parks and Indigenous protected areas in the world."   Find out all about their goals, mission and why they do it here. 

There are all sorts of ways you can make a difference:  create and share, contribute and careers.  You can also subscribe to their mailing list to keep up to date! 

Nature needs us all to pull together and give it our support and look after it, more than ever before, so this protection is very welcome news.

November 2024


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