What a year!
NCC celebrates its successes of 2009
Thanks to the help of our supporters, volunteers, staff and board members, 2009 was a year of many successes for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). We celebrated the expansion of the Shell Conservation Internship Program and the completion the second year of the NCC-Government of Canada Natural Areas Conservation Program, which helped us conserve habitat for 79 Species At Risk. And in December, NCC’s new television program, A Force for Nature, hit the airwaves.
But that’s not all: read on for a sampling of the Regional successes we celebrated across the country in 2009.
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| A giant Douglas-fir tree on Chase Woods (Photo by Tim Ennis/NCC) |
British Columbia Region
Chasing success in 2009
In BC, the summer of 2009 presented a daunting challenge: in the face of global economic turmoil, could we really expect to raise $1.7 million to protect a patch of old forest and the creatures that dwell within it? Happily the answer was yes, we can! The campaign to save Chase Woods was an absolute success: new foundations came forward to support the project. Government agencies dug deep and found funding. But most impressive of all, the citizens of the Cowichan Valley rallied behind the project, donating their time, contacts and money to protect a beloved piece of their own backyard. [Read more]
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| Bohomolec Ranch (Photo by Rangeland Conservation Services Ltd.) |
Alberta Region
Conservation in the Crowsnest Pass
Bears, Elk and Deer are what you might see on one of the latest landscapes that NCC protected in 2009. The 160-acre Bohomolec Ranch property, located in southwest Alberta near Coleman in the beautiful Crowsnest Pass is a transitional landscape between mountains and grassland and provides habitat for carnivores such as Grizzly Bear, Grey Wolf and Wolverine. Its successful securement was the crowning achievement for NCC’s Alberta Region in 2009. [Read more]
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| Bison at OMB (Photo by Steve Zack) |
Saskatchewan Region
Bison Herd Genetic Architecture and Management Research Project
In 2009, NCC’s Saskatchewan Region participated in a project with researchers from Texas A & M University that was designed to fill a critical gap in bison conservation. Researchers studied the levels and sources of cattle introgression (cattle DNA) in eight conservation bison herds located throughout North America, including six U.S. states. The Old Man On His Back (OMB) herd was included and found to be the only tested herd free of detectable cattle introgression. [Read more]
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| Prairie Crocus (Photo by NCC) |
Manitoba Region
Completion of the West Souris Mixed-grass Prairie Natural Area Conservation Plan
The Manitoba Region team has had many accomplishments in the past year. One that we would like to celebrate is the completion of our Region's third Natural Area Conservation Plan covering the West Souris Mixed-grass Prairie Natural Area. [Read more]
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| Wilson Island sunset (Photo by Michelle Derosier) |
Ontario Region
Protection of the Wilson Island Group
2009 was an amazing year for NCC in Ontario. The Region's many accomplishments included the protection of a group of eight islands in northern Lake Superior, among them Wilson Island. [Read more]
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| Sutton Mountains - Beloin (Photo by Claude Duchaine) |
Quebec Region
Completion of the Green Mountains Nature Reserve
After 10 years of effort, NCC completed the Green Mountains Nature Reserve - the largest private nature reserve in Canada east of the Rockies. A major accomplishment! [Read more]
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| Musquash Estuary (Photo by Ron Garnett/AirScapes) |
Atlantic Region: New Brunswick
Patnership with Alcool NB Liquor
Alcool NB Liquor announced it will donate 100 percent of the proceeds from its enhanced reusable and recyclable shopping bag to both groups. [Read more]
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| Piping Plover (Photo by NCC) |
Atlantic Region: PEI
Piping Plover sightings
On June 6, 2009, a group of 10 volunteers got a first-hand appreciation of the globally endangered Piping Plover at a Conservation Volunteers event hosted by NCC in St. Peter’s Lake Run, Prince Edward Island. [Read more]
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| Bayers Island (Photo by NCC) |
Atlantic Region: Nova Scotia
Protection of Bayers Island
After working for more than 10 years to secure this ecologically significant island close to Halifax, NCC was able to announce the protection of Bayers Island in June, 2009. [Read more]
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| Grand Codroy Valley (Photo by NCC) |
Atlantic Region: Newfoundland & Labrador
The Green Team
NCC and the Conservation Corps. of NL partnered to employ students in Newfoundland and Labrador's Green Team for the benefit of conservation. [Read more]
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