Nature Trust adds to South Okanagan holdings
Just in time for Christmas, the Nature Trust of British Columbia has announced its purchase of a 32-hectare parcel on Park Rill Creek south of Penticton as a gift to the public.
The property will be added to the group’s White Lake Basin Biodiversity Ranch complex, which is one of the largest intact grasslands in the region. The trust works with local ranchers to ensure their livelihoods while also protecting species at risk.
“The White Lake Basin is one of the gems in The Nature Trust of B.C.’s conservation land portfolio,” says Nick Burdock, Okanagan conservation land manager.
“The Park Rill Creek property is one of the finest examples of mixed riparian habitat along the Park Rill corridor. You really get the sense that this piece of land has been cared for in a way that protected its conservation values.”
The parcel is home to some of the most endangered and rare species in the province such as the endangered Half-moon Hairstreak butterfly and the rare Painted Turtle, which is named after its distinguishing bright yellow and red stripes.
And this area also provides important habitat for birds including the Sage Thrasher, which nests in sagebrush. The property is rich with vegetation, including aromatic grey sagebrush, desert grassland and broadleaf woodlands.
Park Rill Creek winds through the property, sale of which closed Nov. 30. The trust did not disclose the purchase price.
Funding for the project was provided by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, South Okanagan Conservation Fund, which is overseen by the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen, BC Conservation Foundation, Sitka Foundation, Collings Family Foundation, Gosling Foundation, Burrowing Owl Estate Winery, BMO Bank of Montreal, Odlum Brown Limited Land Acquisition Fund, the South Okanagan Naturalists’ Club and individual donors.
Since 1971, the trust and its partners have protected 71,000 hectares.