(Vancouver) Important salmon habitat will be protected after an environmental organization purchased an island in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser River with help from the federal government and private donors.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced the purchase of 248 hectares of Carey Island, near Chilliwack, in an important ecological area between Mission and Hope, known to conservationists as the “Heart of the Fraser.”
The previous owners, Carey Island Farms, used the island to grow corn.
The group says Carey Island is one of the last bastions of Fraser River salmon habitat, providing spawning and rearing areas for salmon and other species, including endangered sturgeon.
He says Carey Island is vital for salmon because it is one of the few private areas on the Fraser River where salmon habitat is not disrupted by the digging of dikes and ditches to prevent flooding.
The organization says the purchase of Carey Island was made possible through contributions from individuals, foundations and other donors, with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s $4 million representing nearly half of the total cost.
The exact price has not been disclosed.
“B.C.’s iconic salmon now have critical spawning habitat safeguarded in the Lower Fraser River, thanks to the protection of 248 hectares of island and riverbed habitat,” said Steven Guilbeault, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, in a news release.
“These investments through the Canada Nature Fund, in collaboration with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, are part of our national conservation campaign to protect 30 per cent of Canada’s lands and waters by 2030.”