(Comox Valley; May 16, 2022) The Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT) has been granted $3.5 million in funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada to support three projects in the Puntledge River watershed. The projects will protect critical habitat and environmentally sensitive areas at risk from logging. Two of the projects are to purchase land and protect it with conservation covenants. The third project is unique in that it involves buying the timber reservation on land that BC Hydro owns. Federal funding must be matched 1:1 and funds must be raised by March 31, 2023.

“These projects include over a thousand acres of the most critical and sensitive habitat in the Comox Valley,” said CVLT Executive Director Tim Ennis. “This is a fantastic opportunity to protect mature forests, wetlands, and riparian areas on eastern Vancouver Island.”

Puntledge Forest
This 100-hectare (247-acre) area runs along both sides of the Puntledge River on land owned by BC Hydro that is currently managed as a public recreation area. It connects the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve to Nymph Falls Nature Park. Comox Timber Limited, a subsidiary of Manulife Investment Management Timberland and Agriculture Inc., owns the trees on this property by way of a timber reservation.

The area includes a 120-year-old second growth forest and is an example of a biologically rich, naturally regenerated forest. The site also includes habitat for the endangered Puntledge River summer Chinook. Purchasing the timber reservation will protect about 10 critically imperiled ecological communities and some 30 species at risk. It is an area beloved by the local community.

Comox Timber Limited gave notice in 2020 of its intention to harvest the site but has deferred this temporarily while CVLT works to raise the funds to purchase the timber reservation.

Morrison Creek Headwaters
Morrison Creek is spring fed year-round with cool water that enables it to sustain the most productive salmon stream of its size anywhere on southeastern Vancouver Island. In 2019, CVLT and the Comox Valley Regional District purchased a 22-hectare parcel of the area’s headwaters in what is now known as qax mot Conservation Area. The opportunity now is to buy an additional 289 hectares (714 acres) in the headwaters. The expansive, undeveloped wilderness oasis nestled between the Village of Cumberland and the City of  Courtenay provides habitat for an extraordinary diversity of wildlife including keystone species such as wide-ranging carnivores and robust runs of salmon and is the only home on Earth to the endangered Morrison Creek Lamprey.

In addition to the federal funding, CVLT has already raised more than $200,000 towards its purchase and is currently reaching out to past and potential funders and donors.

Lower Perseverance Creek
The Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS) has been raising funds to buy parts of the Cumberland Community Forest for many years. The Lower Perseverance Creek’s 17.5 hectares (43 acres) are its latest priority. The area forms part of an ecological corridor that links Perseverance Creek to Comox Lake. The lower reaches of the creek have been identified as vital for habitat restoration. It serves as a home to bears, cougars, bats, and salmon.

The federal grant will be matched by donations pledged to CCFS.

“CVLT has strong strategic partnerships and a successful track record,” added Ennis. “The challenges we’re facing are the tight timelines and the significant funds we must raise. We’re seeking partners to match the federal grant and are hopeful the groups we are speaking with will come to the table and be generous. This is a generational opportunity and the time to act is now.”

These projects are being undertaken with the financial support of:
Ce projet a été réalisé avec l’appui financier de:

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The Comox Valley Land Trust works to protect and conserve the ecological significant lands and wildlife habitat of the Comox Valley region. It addresses conservation through three programs: the Land Protection program; the Comox Valley Conservation Partnership program; and the Conservation Science program. The CVLT’s team of dedicated volunteers and staff collaborates with the community, local governments, landowners, and other stewardship organizations in the Comox Valley region. For more information, please visit our website at cvlandtrust.ca

For more information:

Tim Ennis, Executive Director
Comox Valley Land Trust
250-650-9561
[email protected]