Red Foreman
07-25-2008, 10:36 AM
Any locals know if this is going to effect hunting in the area?
document.write('Email story'); document.write('Report typo or correction'); var addthis_pub = '';
Jul 25, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/467106#Comments) http://www.thestar.com/TopletsResources/UserRatingComments2/images/icoComment.gif (1)
Petti Fong (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/216950)
Western Canada Bureau Chief
Vancouver–A massive area in southeastern B.C. – owned by a German duke who bought the land during the Cold War as a safe haven against the Communists – is becoming a sanctuary for caribou and other threatened species.
The federal government and Nature Conservancy of Canada, a private non-profit conservation organization, are paying $125 million for the land and an endowment fund to protect the 550 square kilometres of wilderness.
The land, known as Darkwoods, lies between the towns of Nelson, Salmo and Creston in the West Kootenay area of British Columbia – a region of lakes, peaks and valleys that conservationists have long argued should be protected.
The land had been owned by the Duke of Wuerttemberg since 1967. The duke wanted a haven in Canada in case the Cold War heated up, said Christian Schadendorf, who runs Pluto Darkwoods Forestry Corp. for him.
The duke's representatives have been negotiating with the NCC for three years.
Nature Conservancy raised $65 million from donations and still needs $35 million for a fund to run the property. Ottawa kicked in another $25 million for the land.
Nobody will say how much the Duke is receiving – he sold the property but also donated some of the land through the Ecological Gifts tax incentive program.
But John Lounds, chief executive officer of the NCC, said the value of the land itself is around $100 million. The transfer of the property is the largest single private conservation project ever undertaken by a Canadian non-profit organization, he added.
"This is a unique and immediate opportunity to conserve a landscape roughly the size of the entire island of Montreal," said Lounds.
Darkwoods wetlands host more than 100,000 migratory birds and 265 bird species and are home to more than nine nationally threatened species. The property will now directly connect to an existing network of parks and other wildlife management areas.
"This is a giant step forward for our environment and for land conservation in B.C. and a real treasure for Canadians and everyone around the world," said federal Environment Minister John Baird at the press conference to announce the purchase.
The property is particularly important for the protection of the South Selkirk population of the Woodland caribou. The herd numbers about 45, up from about 20 in the 1960s. Logging has chased the animals out of their traditional habitats, conservationists say.
The Darkwoods forest has been logged by German foresters brought in to selectively harvest trees.
Under the stewardship of the NCC, trees will continue to be harvested but for conservation reasons.
Schadendorf said his boss didn't want to sell to land speculators or a timber company.
"We are very happy with the outcome," said Schadendorf yesterday. "Seeing it now conserved and spared from being turned into golf courses and tacky retirement homes like the rest of rural B.C. makes us very happy."
document.write('Email story'); document.write('Report typo or correction'); var addthis_pub = '';
Jul 25, 2008 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/467106#Comments) http://www.thestar.com/TopletsResources/UserRatingComments2/images/icoComment.gif (1)
Petti Fong (http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/216950)
Western Canada Bureau Chief
Vancouver–A massive area in southeastern B.C. – owned by a German duke who bought the land during the Cold War as a safe haven against the Communists – is becoming a sanctuary for caribou and other threatened species.
The federal government and Nature Conservancy of Canada, a private non-profit conservation organization, are paying $125 million for the land and an endowment fund to protect the 550 square kilometres of wilderness.
The land, known as Darkwoods, lies between the towns of Nelson, Salmo and Creston in the West Kootenay area of British Columbia – a region of lakes, peaks and valleys that conservationists have long argued should be protected.
The land had been owned by the Duke of Wuerttemberg since 1967. The duke wanted a haven in Canada in case the Cold War heated up, said Christian Schadendorf, who runs Pluto Darkwoods Forestry Corp. for him.
The duke's representatives have been negotiating with the NCC for three years.
Nature Conservancy raised $65 million from donations and still needs $35 million for a fund to run the property. Ottawa kicked in another $25 million for the land.
Nobody will say how much the Duke is receiving – he sold the property but also donated some of the land through the Ecological Gifts tax incentive program.
But John Lounds, chief executive officer of the NCC, said the value of the land itself is around $100 million. The transfer of the property is the largest single private conservation project ever undertaken by a Canadian non-profit organization, he added.
"This is a unique and immediate opportunity to conserve a landscape roughly the size of the entire island of Montreal," said Lounds.
Darkwoods wetlands host more than 100,000 migratory birds and 265 bird species and are home to more than nine nationally threatened species. The property will now directly connect to an existing network of parks and other wildlife management areas.
"This is a giant step forward for our environment and for land conservation in B.C. and a real treasure for Canadians and everyone around the world," said federal Environment Minister John Baird at the press conference to announce the purchase.
The property is particularly important for the protection of the South Selkirk population of the Woodland caribou. The herd numbers about 45, up from about 20 in the 1960s. Logging has chased the animals out of their traditional habitats, conservationists say.
The Darkwoods forest has been logged by German foresters brought in to selectively harvest trees.
Under the stewardship of the NCC, trees will continue to be harvested but for conservation reasons.
Schadendorf said his boss didn't want to sell to land speculators or a timber company.
"We are very happy with the outcome," said Schadendorf yesterday. "Seeing it now conserved and spared from being turned into golf courses and tacky retirement homes like the rest of rural B.C. makes us very happy."