COURTENAY, B.C- Two conservation groups in the Comox Valley have gotten major donations from the local fish and game group.
According to a news release from the Comox Valley Land Trust, the Cumberland Community Forest Society, and the Courtenay and District Fish and Game Protective Association (CDFGPA), the association has given $50,000 towards both organizations.
$25,000 is going towards the land trust’s project to securing the Morrison Headwaters Nature Preserve, which is a major area in the Puntledge River system for Pink and Coho salmon.
The trust has until March 31st of this year to raise the funds to purchase 22 hectares of the site, and 90 per cent of the funding goal has been met, due to the contribution from CDFGPA, community donors and other partners.
“We want to extend our deep gratitude to the CDFGPA for this generous donation,” said Tim Ennis, CVLT Executive Director, in the release.
“This gift demonstrates support from the nearly 2000 members of the club.”
The rest of the money is going towards the Cumberland Community Forest Society, for their Perseverance Creek Conservation Project. The society is working towards the purchase and protection of 91.4 hectares (226 acres) of forest along Perseverance Creek, which feeds Comox Lake and the drinking water supply for the Comox Valley.
The purchase would connect two previous purchases in 2005 and 2016 with Cumberland’s Coal Creek Historic Park.
“We are incredibly grateful to the CDFGPA for their generosity and conservation leadership,” said Meaghan Cursons, the executive director of the forest society.
“The Perseverance Creek Project impacts not only Cumberland but the wider Comox Valley, protecting a key part of our shared watershed. This area has been identified by both the CVLT and our community as a top priority for protection and we are excited by the collaboration that is moving us toward our goal.”
“We are grateful for this opportunity to demonstrate publicly what we are all about,” said Fred Bates, CDFGPA President, in the release.
“The Morrison Headwaters and Perseverance Creek conservation projects align with our desire to fulfill our mission of being a full partner in the wellbeing of the wildlife and their habitat.”
Wayne White, the CDFGPA Conservation Committee Chair, said the two projects are focused on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife in the Comox Valley, which made it a good fit for the group’s goal of conservation and restoration.
