NCC Magazine: Fall 2019

2
Making Darkwoods whole
BRITISH COLUMBIA
TOP TO BOTTOM: STEVE OGLE. STEVE OGLE. YAY MEDIA AS/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. SEAN LANDSMAN.
When NCC acquired Darkwoods in 2008, we knew
at the time that this major accomplishment was not
truly complete. As vast as Darkwoods was (spanning
over 550 square kilometres), there was a missing
piece right in the heart of the conservation area.
For Tom Swann, NCC’s director of strategic
initiatives and major gifts, this missing piece was
central to the vision of Darkwoods. He believed it
was a question of when, not if, NCC would acquire
the unprotected land at the core of this important
conservation area.
“It didn’t matter who we were talking to; as
soon as we put a map of Darkwoods in front of
them, they would immediately point at the hole
in the middle and ask, ‘What’s that? What’s going
to happen to it?’” Tom recalls.
Ten years after the initial conservation of Darkwoods,
the timing fell into place to make it whole,
by filling the “hole” in its centre. The landowners
were ready to sell the property. Thanks to a trusting
relationship built over time with NCC staff,
they chose to prioritize a conservation sale over
other options that would have left the land open
to unsustainable development opportunities.
The newly conserved lands encompass most of
the Next Creek watershed, which nurtures pockets
of old-growth inland temperate rainforest and provides crucial habitat for grizzly bear, wolverine, elk,
bull trout and other wildlife. The unique forests found here are sometimes known as snow forests,
because they receive most of their moisture from the snowpack. These snow forests harbour the
highest tree diversity in BC. Notably, like all of Darkwoods, this land represents a stronghold for the
endangered whitebark pine.
“Conserving the Next Creek watershed and expanding the Darkwoods Conservation Area presented
an incredible opportunity to fulfill a conservation vision that started over a decade ago,” says Nancy
Newhouse, NCC’s BC regional vice-president. “We are so grateful for all of the people and organizations
who believed in this vision of creating an internationally significant conservation impact.”
Learn more about the people and organizations who helped make this project happen at natureconservancy.ca/bc.
3
PEI nature reserve donated by local family
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Thanks to a well-known family on PEI, NCC has conserved 91 hectares (226
acres) of rare wetland and hardwood forest in Kingsboro, near Souris. The
site was donated to NCC by Camilla MacPhee and her family, in memory of
her late husband, Melvin MacPhee.
At 13, Melvin began working in his parents’ grocery store in Souris, later
called Clover Farm. In the 1980s, he developed a mall in Souris and became
one of the larger local employers. He was widely regarded as a communityminded
business leader. Melvin was inducted into the PEI Business Hall of Fame in 2005, and died in
2010 at the age of 78.
The Camilla and Melvin MacPhee Nature Reserve features a large undisturbed peat bog; a type
of freshwater wetland that is rare on the Island. It also features an older-growth forest of red maple,
sugar maple and yellow birch; a combination of native hardwoods that is no longer common on PEI. The
area provides habitat for eastern wood-pewee, listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, as well as
many provincially rare plants, such as herb-Robert and nodding trillium.
Partner
Spotlight
TD Bank Group (TD) is supporting
the Nature Conservancy of
Canada (NCC) through its
corporate citizenship platform,
The Ready Commitment,
as the presenting sponsor
of NatureTalks.
The NatureTalks Cross-Country
Speaker Series visits cities across
Canada, providing thoughtprovoking
content and discussions
led by a diverse panel of experts.
As presenting sponsor, TD is
supporting a large network of
community leaders and socially
conscious citizens who are coming
together to explore and value
nature as a resource, a source of
inspiration and a place that
sustains life.
Through The Ready Commitment,
TD aspires to use its business,
philanthropy and people to
help elevate the quality of the
environment so that people
and economies can thrive. This
is part of its commitment to
help create a more inclusive
and sustainable tomorrow.
TD and its national foundation,
TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation, have supported NCC
for over 30 years. From 2012 to
2016, TD and NCC worked
together to help protect forested
areas across Canada. TD helped
NCC protect more than 16,000
hectares (40,000 acres) in seven of
Canada’s eight forest regions. From
coastal forest in British Columbia,
to boreal forest in Saskatchewan,
to Acadian forest in Nova Scotia,
support from TD has helped NCC
protect important forested habitats
across all 10 provinces.
To learn more about TD’s
commitment, visit
td.com/vibrantplanet.
natureconservancy.ca