Put a bison or a bear under the tree this holiday season
Nature Conservancy of Canada’s 27th annual green gifts program helps people thank nature through environmentally friendly gift
Before last-minute gift shoppers head out to raid what’s left on the shelves at their local department stores, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) urges them to consider gifting a polar bear, snowy owl, or hectare of wetlands instead – symbolically, of course.
NCC’s 27th annual Gifts of Canadian Nature program offers people personal, thoughtful and impactful gift options this holiday season. It’s the perfect selection for nature enthusiasts, too, as the purchase goes to work right away, by helping NCC protect at-risk species and their habitats.
Through this green gift-giving program, people can symbolically adopt a Canadian species or landscape, under the name of their gift recipient. It’s all the joy of actually adopting a pet bison, but with none of the seasonal shedding or hefty food bills. Plus, it’s almost guaranteed to be loved by the recipient.
A recent Ipsos survey suggests that two-thirds of Canadians actually prefer to receive a donation in their name, instead of a material gift they don’t need.
By symbolically adopting a Canadian species, people can support important native wildlife populations. There are 24 different species to choose from in NCC’s Gifts of Canadian Nature shop, such as Blanding’s turtle, western bluebird and river otter, and “back from the brink” birds and mammals whose endangered populations in Canada were saved thanks to conservation efforts. Other species include moose, monarch butterfly, snowy owl, Atlantic puffin, Canada lynx, swift fox, grizzly bear, wolf, and plains bison.
People can adopt a landscape to offer their loved ones as well. These diverse landscapes include the Arctic, boreal forest, B.C. Interior, Canadian Rockies, East Coast, Gaspé Peninsula, Appalachian Mountains, Great Lakes Region, Prairies and Parklands, St. Lawrence Valley and the West Coast. By contributing to the protection of a place where they’ve hiked, camped, or explored with their recipient, a gift giver can know that their action will be meaningful to their loved ones and to nature.
“A Gift of Canadian Nature never expires,” said NCC president and CEO Catherine Grenier. “By offering a symbolic snowy owl or hectare of prairie grasslands to your loved ones this year, you’re giving future generations the gift of protected nature too.
“By investing these gifts into land conservation, we are securing the future for the next generation. Together, we have the opportunity to build toward a greater good — a thriving world. Because when nature thrives, people thrive,” Grenier said.
Gift recipients will receive a full-colour certificate, a 2021 NCC wall calendar filled with stunning photos of NCC properties and protected species, and a 10-page booklet about the symbolically adopted species or landscape their loved one chose for them.
Paperless gift options are also available, in which case the recipients will receive an e-certificate detailing the habitat or species being supported. Charitable tax receipts will be issued for all Gifts of Canadian Nature purchases.
Over the last 26 years, more than $3 million has been raised through this holiday program to help NCC continue its conservation work across the country.
More information can be found at giftsofnature.ca or by calling toll-free 1-800-465-8005.
Background facts on the species and landscapes accompany this media release.
About
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation’s leading not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to protect 14 million hectares (35 million acres), coast to coast to coast.
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