Its being called the largest private conservation project in Canada.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has closed the purchase of 145,ooo hectares of forest land near Hearst.
Kristyn Ferguson is a spokesperson for the group and says they finished fundraising for the Boreal Wildlands Project about four months ahead of schedule.
“We predicted that it would take another close to a year, but we’re so incredibly surprised about the way everyone stepped up to the plate,” said Ferguson.
“So that’s individuals, corporations, foundations, governments. Everybody came together and here we are. We closed the project with all funds in place.”
President of the Nature Conservancy of Canada Catherine Grenier says, “Local communities, partners and supporters came together in a few short months to make this happen — an unprecedented mobilization for the sake of our most important asset, nature. It’s encouraging to see people taking action on this and similar projects to protect more of nature, faster. Accelerating the pace of conservation is the right thing to do, because when nature thrives, we all thrive.”
The Nature Conservancy of Canada had to raise $46 million for the property, which is twice as large as the City of Toronto.
This is the second project in Ontario the Nature Conservancy of Canada has fundraised for, and closed early.
The Town Island purchase on Lake of the Woods ended about a month earlier than predicted.
(Photo by Andrew Warren, courtesy of the Nature Conservancy of Canada)
