Another big announcement regarding the purchase of lands in the Next Creek Watershed between Nelson and Creston. The Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) has announced $650,000 towards the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC) initiative to protect the area, which is within the Darkwoods Conservation Area.
It’s purchase will increase the overall size of Darkwoods by 14 per cent, to nearly 630 square kilometres. The expansion is part of a $25-million initiative to increase the NCC’s conservation impact in the Canadian Rockies region. The Province and federal government contributed over $14-million, which was announced last month.
Since 1998, the CBT says its helped land trusts secure over 1,000 square kilometres (105,892 hectares) of land for ecological conservation purposes.  The CBT has committed to strengthening ecosystems through its Environment Strategic Plan and Columbia Basin Management Plan Strategic Priorities. Its Environment Grants and Ecosystem Enhancement programs are one way its doing this along with contributing to conservation purposes.
To learn more about the CBT’s programs, click here.
