Lək̓ ʷəŋən, METULIYE/Victoria, B.C. – Islands Trust Conservancy has received a $1.15 million donation from an anonymous donor to support much-needed conservation efforts on the islands in the Salish Sea. This anonymous donation was provided through the ShorePeakGEN Fund, held at the Vancouver Foundation.
“We are honoured to receive such a generous donation,” said Lisa Gauvreau, Chair of the Islands Trust Conservancy Board. “This donation arrives as Islands Trust Conservancy celebrates its 35th anniversary. We cannot thank this donor enough for this remarkable anniversary gift that supports continued protection of the most ecologically and culturally significant places in the Salish Sea region.”
The donor has allocated $1 million to Islands Trust Conservancy’s Opportunity Fund. The Opportunity Fund supports hard-to-fundraise costs associated with land protection projects, or to provide matching funds to incentivise increased donations to land acquisition projects. Since 2004, 35 Opportunity Fund grants have contributed to the protection of $69 million worth of ecologically and culturally important lands.
In addition, the donor allocated $157,300 to Islands Trust Conservancy’s Property Management Fund. The Property Management Fund provides funding for the ongoing management of lands held by Islands Trust Conservancy. Islands Trust Conservancy is committed to carefully caring for all donated lands through ongoing stewardship that includes activities such as removal of invasive species, restoration of ecosystems, and, for some properties, maintenance of low-impact trails.
Islands Trust Conservancy is looking forward to continuing work with local conservancies, First Nations and other partners to protect special island places. People who are inspired by this gift to nature and would like to give back to the islands they love are encouraged to visit the Islands Trust Conservancy website or contact staff via 250-247-2205 or itcmail@islandstrust.bc.ca to learn about donation opportunities.
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Islands Trust Conservancy is a conservation land trust and part of Islands Trust. Within the Islands Trust Area, it acquires and directly protects significant ecological lands as nature reserves and works with private landholders to protect ecologically valuable lands through conservation covenants. Since 1990, Islands Trust Conservancy has protected more than 1,385 hectares of island ecosystems. This success is thanks to the vision, support, and generosity of donors and partners, and the passion and dedication of its staff and Board of Trustees. Subscribe to regular emails and the Heron newsletter: islandstrust.bc.ca/subscribe/.
Quick Facts
- Islands Trust Conservancy (ITC) protects natural landscapes across the Islands Trust Area. The support of landholders and partners has helped to protect more than 1,385 hectares of land within 34 nature reserves and 81 conservation covenants on islands in the Salish Sea.
- More than 65% of land on islands in the Salish Sea is privately held meaning that individual, voluntary conservation actions are critical to protecting biodiversity and addressing impacts from climate change in the region.
- A conservation covenant is an agreement that is registered on a land title to protect natural features on privately held land. It is designed to be perpetual and binds current and future landholders.
- Islands Trust Conservancy accepts gifts of cash, stocks, shares, securities, and gifts via life insurance that will be used strategically. Islands Trust Conservancy also encourages people to consider gifts through their will.
- Islands Trust pays the administrative costs of Islands Trust Conservancy so 100% of donations go directly to land conservation/management activities.
- B.C. is the most biologically-diverse province in Canada – but it is also a hotspot for biodiversity loss. More than 100 species listed in the federal Species at Risk Act as being at risk of extinction are found in the Islands Trust Area. Protecting habitat is one of the best ways to prevent at-risk species from becoming extinct, and aid in the recovery of those currently at risk.
Media Assets
Media has been made available for download to support this news release. You can access these assets here. Please use the images identified in the Islands Trust Conservancy Media Assets gallery in support of this news release, with credit to appropriate authors (in the file name).
Contact
Chair Lisa Gauvreau, Islands Trust Conservancy Board via Clare Frater, Director, Trust Area Services – 250.405.5192 or communcations@islandstrust.bc.ca.