Give thanks for Canada’s Nature
By Contributor
As the days get shorter and the leaves change colour, autumn is the perfect time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for, such as friends, family and the way nature enriches our lives.
As the nation’s leading, not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is grateful for the support received from individuals and groups across the country to protect habitats and wildlife, including species at risk.
In doing so, we also save our unique natural heritage forever, for today, for our children and grand-children.
A science driven organization, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has helped conserve over 2.8 million acres (1.1 million hectares) of ecologically significant grasslands, forests, wetlands and coastal areas. This has been accomplished through purchases, donations and conservation agreements with willing land owners and by working with partners.
More than a third of the total land and water conserved by NCC is in British Columbia – almost 1 million acres (400,000 hectares)! As the country’s most ecologically diverse province, we seek opportunities to protect lands that represent the full range of natural habitats and wildlife that are found in this province. We are grateful to the thousands of British Columbians who have supported land conservation and made this success possible.
You or your friends may have been to some of NCC’s conservation areas and volunteered your time to help plant trees, build boardwalks and footpaths, count birds or remove invasive species. Thank you.
Others may have visited and enjoyed our sites to hike, view wildlife, take photos, kayak, do geocaching or simply recharge, spend quiet time, reflect and enjoy time in the woods, on our beaches and in nature.
Scientific studies have proven that being in nature is good for us and has both long and short term mental and physical health benefits.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has played a crucial role preserving special places. We do this by making conservation plans for different sections of every province, identifying the specific lands that need to be conserved and then raising the money needed to acquire the land.
We are grateful for the support of the Government of Canada through the Natural Areas Conservation Program, which has helped NCC accelerate the pace of private land conservation. This program has led to over 1 million acres (418,000 hectares) of habitat conserved for 181 species at risk across the country.
In order to maximize the federal government’s contribution to conservation, we raise matching private funds from people, families, family and community foundations, businesses and corporations. In all provinces, we have new projects we wish to finalize having agreements with willing landowners, conditional on funding.
With charitable contributions from you, NCC will ensure Canada’s natural treasures will be safeguarded for future generations, while maximizing federal dollars here in this province.
People can have confidence in donating to the Nature Conservancy of Canada. MoneySense Magazine recently ranked the top 100 charities in Canada and awarded NCC an A+ ranking. This is the sixth straight year NCC earned an’ A’ grade from MoneySense, finishing ahead of all other nature conservation and environmental organizations. More than 83 cents of every dollar raised by NCC goes directly into on-the-ground projects.
For more information on NCC’s work and to find out how you can support our efforts, please contact us at 1-800-465-0029. You may also e-mail us at or check our website (natureconservancy.ca), find us on Facebook and Twitter @NCC_CNC and @NCC_CNCMedia.
(John Lounds is President and CEO with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.)
