UPDATE
In mid-March, Pender Islands Conservancy and Raincoast initiated a $100,000 matching campaign toward the purchase and protection of 45 acres of Coastal Douglas-fir habitat on the edge of the Salish Sea. This was made possible due to a generous financial pledge from Sitka Foundation.
This chance for supporters to double their impact was intended to extend until Earth Day (April 22nd). However, in recent days an additional $100,000 has been pledged toward our matching campaign by an anonymous donor. This brings the matching campaign total to $200,000!
To help us reach this ambitious goal, we are extending the deadline of the campaign to June 8th, 2022, World Ocean Day and the first day of the Year of the Salish Sea. This means that every dollar committed to protecting KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest on S,DÁYES (Pender Island) between now and then will be quadrupled.
March 15
KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest on S,DÁYES, Pender Island, links wetlands to the sea across 45 acres of Coastal Douglas-fir habitat. It is home to a diversity of bird and amphibian species, and is a critical piece in protecting the larger watershed around Razor Point. Tracts of undeveloped land are becoming increasingly rare around the Salish Sea, where rates of private land ownership are higher than anywhere else in British Columbia. But intact ecosystems provide habitat, food, and climate regulating services, all of which are critical for everyone who calls these places home.
The purchase and permanent protection of this property is an ambitious undertaking by the Pender Islands Conservancy and our partners at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. We must raise $2.1 million by early summer 2023. In pursuit of this goal, today we released our campaign video to introduce our community to KELÁ_EKE Kingfisher Forest with an announcement: Between now and Earth Day, every dollar donated to the protection of this forest will be doubled by Sitka Foundation up to $100,000.
Since launching this campaign in late December 2021, we have raised $170,000, bringing us to nearly 10% of our overall goal. One hundred percent of these funds have come from community members and local businesses, most of whom are based on the islands within the Salish Sea, but also including folks from across Canada. This demonstrates what is possible when our community comes together to take conservation action. Thank you to all who have contributed so generously already!