Awarded to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) towards the purchase of 205 hectares of high value land for conservation located southwest of Fairmont Hot Springs.
PROPONENT: Nature Conservancy of Canada
DESCRIPTION: The purchase of the Marion Creek Benchlands property was completed on June 29, 2011. The acquisition of Marion Creek Benchlands resulted in a conservation area over 2,500 hectares in size. The property is bounded on the west by the Nature Trust’s Columbia Lake – West Property (2,296 hectares) and the southern boundary of the property is adjacent to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Thunder Hill Ranch (421 hectares). The entire area supports class 1 ungulate winter range and both east-west and north-south wildlife corridors. The area also supports habitat for at least six red or blue listed wildlife species (plant and animal).
OBJECTIVE: Acquisition of this property secured 504 acres of private land for conservation purposes, protecting native grasslands and ecologically sensitive landscapes from residential development, providing a connectivity corridor for ungulate winter range, and creating opportunities for NCC to protect and manage biodiversity hot spots on the property and protect the ecological, cultural, recreational and scenic values that exist on the subject property.
PHOTO: KCP
