Winter 2021 Magazine

SPECIAL EDITION 

WINTER 2021 

A landmark 

achievement 

Celebrating your impact for nature, today and tomorrow

* 

Conserve, connect 

and inspire 

W 

e all need good news in the midst of challenging 

times. That’s why I’m so pleased to be able to 

celebrate with you the success of the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Landmark Campaign. The 

campaign was designed to conserve our country’s precious 

natural areas and the wildlife that depend on them, connect 

more Canadians than ever before to our country’s natural 

landscapes and inspire the next generation of conservation 

leaders. As you’ll read in this special issue of the NCC Magazine, 

not only did we meet these goals, we exceeded them. 

Donors from communities across Canada mobilized like never 

before to protect nature, and together you donated more 

than $750 million dollars. 

As Canadians, we are fortunate to have been given an 

incredible gift: the unparalleled majesty of nature in this 

country, the wildlife that lives in it and the benefits these 

places provide to people. Like thousands of you, I believe 

it’s our responsibility to conserve these lands, waters and 

wildlife, not just for Canadians, but for the rest of the world. 

I am truly grateful for the people who have volunteered 

their time, including our campaign co-chairs, Hal Kvisle and 

Brian Tobin, as well as every one of you who entrusted your 

gifts to NCC to help us surpass our campaign goals. Your 

commitment inspires us to get our important work done. The 

conservation impact of the Landmark Campaign is being felt 

right across the country. 

As you’ll read in these pages, NCC’s mission is now more 

urgent than ever. The next decade is going to be very important 

for conservation in Canada. We will need to connect more Canadians 

from all walks of life and all backgrounds to our cause. 

By continuing to work together, we can build on the foundation 

achieved through the amazing Landmark Campaign, 

and ensure a sustainable future for Canadians and the world. 

Nature Conservancy of Canada 

245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 3J1 

magazine@natureconservancy.ca 

Phone: 416.932.3202 

Toll-free: 877.231.3552 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation’s 

leading land conservation organization, working to protect 

our most important natural areas and the species they 

sustain. Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to 

protect 14 million hectares (35 million acres), coast to 

coast to coast. 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada Magazine is distributed to 

donors and supporters of NCC. 

TM 

Trademarks owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. 

Thank you, 

Elana Rosenfeld 

Elana Rosenfeld 

National Board Chair and National Campaign Cabinet Member 


PS – Want to experience some of the wonderful places you 

helped protect? Visit nccnaturescapes.ca for a virtual tour. 

FSC is not responsible for any calculations on 

saving resources by choosing this paper. 

Printed on Supreme Silk paper, which contains 30% 

post-consumer fibre, is Processed Chlorine Free certified 

and manufactured with Renewable energy. Printed in 

Canada with vegetable-based, VOC FREE inks by Warrens 

Waterless Printing. This publication saved 25 trees and 

88,796 litres of water*. 

GENERATED BY: CALCULATEUR.ROLLANDINC.COM. 

2 WINTER 2021

Big Trout Bay, Ontario 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

COVER: NEIL EVER OSBORNE. OPPOSITE PAGE: TAYLOR ROADES. THIS PAGE: COSTAL PRODUCTIONS. 

WINTER 2021 

CONTENTS 


4 Landmark Campaign impact 

Your impact by the numbers. 

6 A signature achievement 

Thousands of Canadians from coast to coast to coast 

took conservation into their own hands and gave to 

save the lands and waters that sustain us all. 

10 Map: Projects across the country 

Together, we mobilized to deliver a historic and lasting 

impact for nature and conserved 115,000 square 

kilometres with 540 new conservation projects 

completed across Canada. 

16 Conservation in action 

Helping species at risk, the impact of Conservation 

Volunteers, and government support. 

18 The work has just begun 

Past president and CEO, John Lounds, and new president 

and CEO, Catherine Grenier, on the accomplishments of 

the Landmark Campaign and what’s next. 

19 Thank you to our Nature Legacy 

Society members 

Your legacy gift and passion for nature helped us reach 

our Landmark Campaign goals. 

natureconservancy.ca 

WINTER 2021 3

Landmark 

Campaign 

impact 

Thank you for supporting the 

Nature Conservancy of Canada’s 

Landmark Campaign. Together, 

we mobilized to deliver a historic 

and lasting impact for nature. 

Thousands of Canadians, from 

coast to coast to coast, took 

conservation into their own hands 

and gave to save the lands and 

waters that sustain us all. 

LANDS AND WATERS 

Conserved an additional 115,000 square kilometres. 

That’s more than 1.5 times the size of New Brunswick. 

• Brings NCC total conserved lands to 14 million hectares (35 million acres). 

• 540 new conservation projects completed across Canada. 

PEOPLE 

18,000 volunteers rolled up their sleeves 

to care for nature. 

Launched the careers of young conservation 

leaders, through over 460 internships. 

SPECIES 

Protected habitat for 

130 species at risk 

• 10 more threatened than the giant panda. 

• 7 found nowhere else in the world. 

FINANCIAL 

More than $750 million raised 

for nature conservation 

• 1.1 million donations. 

• 110,000 donors. 

CONNECTION 

More than 300,000 Canadians connected to nature 

• 94 per cent of Canadians live within 100 kilometres of a Landmark Campaign project. 

• Launched 36 new Nature Destinations, allowing Canadians to benefit physically and 

mentally by spending more time in nature. 

CLOCKWISE FROMT TOP: KYLE MARQUARDT; BRENT CALVER; MONKEY BUSINESS IMAGES; GORDON MACPHERSON; JOHN E. MARRIOTT. 

4 WINTER 2021 natureconservancy.ca

I’ve always found peace in the 

beauty of mountains, forests and 

water. They remind me of how 

lucky we are to live in a country 

with such rich natural areas, and 

how easy it is to enjoy them, no 

matter the time of year. 

I realized the need to help protect 

Canada’s natural heritage early 

on. As in my finance work, where 

I must engage in meticulous 

analyses, I was careful in selecting 

a nature-based organization to 

donate to. The Nature Conservancy 

of Canada seemed to me the best 

choice, due to its unparalleled 

mission, its work and its efficiency. 

In today’s society, it’s easy to think 

that we can’t make a difference. 

However, when you can help 

someone appreciate a cause that 

is close to your heart, it seems 

anything is possible. It’s that 

lightness, the adrenaline and sense 

of accomplishment when the 

distance is run that we must keep 

in mind every day in our struggle 

for a healthier environment. 

PAUL ROBERT. 

Jean-Michel 

Beaulieu 

Leader in Conservation and 

Nature Legacy Society member 

(Quebec)

A signature 

achievement 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Landmark Campaign has led to a 115,000-squarekilometre 

expansion of protected lands and waters, made possible by donations from 

110,000 Canadians from all regions and walks of life 

BY Brian Banks, award-winning writer and journalist 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

6 WINTER 2021 

natureconservancy.ca

Cockburn Island may be the seventhlargest 

island in the Great Lakes, but it’s not 

exactly a household name. In conservation 

circles, however, it’s on everyone’s radar. 

Located in northern Lake Huron, west of 

Manitoulin Island, the 17,000-hectare (42,000-acre) island 

is home to one of the largest intact hardwood forest and 

coastal ecosystems in southern Ontario. It provides habitat 

for many globally significant plants and animals and is an 

important stopover site and breeding area for migratory 

songbirds and waterfowl. 

That’s why, for nearly a decade, and with the support 

of thousands of donors, the Nature Conservancy of Canada 

(NCC) has led an international effort to protect it. That 

work began in 2012 and, since 2013, continued as a signature 

embodiment of the vision of NCC’s national Landmark 

Campaign — a just-concluded eight-year drive that raised 

in excess of the campaign’s goal of $750 million for conservation, 

thanks to 1.1 million donations. This led to the 

expansion of NCC’s network of protected lands and waters 

by a record-breaking 115,000 square kilometres. There’s 

no question; the campaign has been a resounding success. 

Along with all of the property protected and money 

raised, the third measure of the Landmark Campaign’s 

success is the 110,000 donors — Canadians from all regions 

and walks of life and beyond — who came together 

to save the lands and waters that sustain us all. Perhaps 

even more impressive, two thirds of these donors were 

inspired to give for the first time, and nearly 100,000 gave 

under $1,000, emphasizing that every donation counts. 

“NCC listened to Canadians and their vision for a better 

world, and turned it into a tangible goal that Canadians 

responded to,” says Kyria Knibb-McLuhan, senior director, 

campaign and development operations at NCC. 

For two of those donors, Jan Oudenes and Isobel 

Ralston, Cockburn Island was their entry point into the 

campaign. In 2017, the Toronto-area couple sold a successful 

business and retired. Ardent paddlers and hikers, 

MIKE LAMONT. INSET: NEIL EVER OSBORNE. 

Cockburn Island, ON. Inset: Volunteers tree planting, ON. 



Waldron Ranch, Alberta 

they then decided to commit the next chapter 

of their lives and their accumulated 

wealth to helping address climate change and 

biodiversity loss. To do that, they created 

MapleCross, a self-funded enterprise with 

a mission to protect Canada’s natural 

environment by supporting organizations 

that conserve ecologically sensitive land. 

“We started talking with NCC and they 

mentioned Cockburn Island,” says Ralston. 

At the time, in early 2019, NCC was trying to 

raise funds to acquire an additional 586-hectare 

(1,450-acre) parcel to add to the 60 per cent 

of Cockburn Island already secured. Like 

most people, Jan and Isobel had never heard 

of it. But once they learned of the island’s 

ecological value and the protection and stewardship 

plan already in place, they funded 

the majority of the acquisition of what is now 

called the MapleCross Tract. 

Since then, MapleCross has been the lead 

donor in the purchase of four more properties, 

totalling 1,463 hectares (3,614 acres), under 

the Landmark Campaign banner. Two of 

those are in Ontario, the others are in Quebec 

and Saskatchewan. 

“We asked NCC to come up with the proposals,” 

says Oudenes. “In essence, we asked 

them what their priority was in terms of their 

science.” Adds Ralston: “We want to invest in 

land conservation, not just in our backyard of 

Ontario, but across all of Canada. We just want 

to make an impact where we feel it is most 

needed. NCC provides that national scope.” 

“We want to invest in land conservation, 

not just in our backyard of Ontario, but 

across all of Canada. We just want to make 

an impact where we feel it is most needed.” 

Jan Oudenes, Landmark Campaign donor 

Every donation counts 

While not every donor to the Landmark 

Campaign had the same means, motivation or 

directed outcome, Knibb-McLuhan notes that 

all played a similar role, directly or indirectly, 

in helping NCC deliver on the campaign’s 

three main themes: Conserve, Connect and 

Inspire. “Every gift made a difference.” 

“Conserve was really all about the bread 

and butter of what we do every day, every 

week, every year,” Knibb-McLuhan says. “But 

the focus was on conserving more, doing it 

faster, doing it more efficiently and doing it 

better for the best conservation outcomes 

possible. And we certainly did that.” 

Along with individual donors, other contributors 

to the Landmark Campaign included 

the federal government, provinces, corporations, 

family foundations, community groups 

and an array of other organizations. 

Most of the federal money was provided 

through the Natural Areas Conservation Program 

or its successor, the Natural Heritage 

Conservation Program. To activate those 

funds, NCC is required to raise matching 

contributions (1.5:1) from other donors. 

“That’s part of what makes NCC’s role and 

abilities so unusual,” says Knibb-McLuhan. 

“We have the ability to bring together unique 

partners, whether it’s individuals and 

governments, or corporations and Indigenous 

communities, to make this important conservation 

work happen.” 

Two widely different, but complementary, 

examples illustrate Knibb-McLuhan’s point. 

The first, from the Landmark Campaign’s 

early days, centres on a magnificent 

12,357-hectare (30,535-acre) property owned 

and managed by the Waldron Grazing 

Co-operative Ltd. – made up of more than 

50 ranchers in the southern foothills region of 

Alberta. In 2013, NCC collaborated with the 

Waldron owners in crafting a conservation 

agreement (a legal agreement that puts restrictions 

on its use) to ensure the Waldron, its 

grasslands, streams and forests, would always 

Continued, page 12 

KYLE MARQUARDT. 


As a child, I loved nature so much, it was almost overwhelming. Every 

time we eat or buy something new, we take something from nature, and we 

need to rebalance that and help the planet recover. We just need to recognize 

that we need to give back. Donating to charities is vital, [and] we need to also 

make conscious decisions that help the environment. 

Allison 

Tait 

NCC monthly donor 

(Ontario) 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

PAUL ROBERT. 



Tallurutiup Imanga 

Waldron 

Fort Ellice 

L TO R: GRANT MACHUTCHON; KYLE MARQUARDT; JASON BANTLE; THOMAS FRICKE; COSTAL PRODUCTIONS; ALAMY; MARK TOMALTY. 

1 

2 

Buffalo Pound 

Big Trout Bay 

Coast to coast to coast 

The Landmark Campaign accelerated conservation across Canada. Together, we mobilized 

to deliver a historic and lasting impact for nature and conserved 115,000 square kilometres, 

with 540 new conservation projects completed across Canada. 

10 WINTER 2021 

natureconservancy.ca

L TO R: NCC; MIKE DEMBECK; KENAUK NATURE; DENNIS MINTY; STEVE OGLE; BRAIN WORKS. 

Clockwise from top: Kenauk, Musquash Estuary Nature Reserve, 

Darkwoods Conservation Area 

Freshwater Bay 

Cape Breton 

3 

SEE HOW YOU’RE MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

Take a virtual tour through three of the 540 places you’ve protected through the 

Landmark Campaign. Visit nccnaturescapes.ca today. Hiking boots optional. 

1. 1 Darkwoods 

Conservation Area 

HOME TO 

Grizzly bears, wolverines and elk 

LANDSCAPE 

Mountain peaks and valleys 

Trek through the backcountry of 

the South Selkirk Mountains. See 

alpine lakes and ancient forests. 

Discover how humans have 

impacted the land, and how the 


is restoring the landscape. 

2. 2 Kenauk 

HOME TO 

Wolves, moose and cinnamon 

black bears 

LANDSCAPE 

Forest, wetlands and lakes 

Fly over the beautiful forest and 

lakes of Kenauk. Find out why 

researchers are carefully uncovering 

the secrets of the lands and 

waters, and what they’ve 

discovered so far. 

3. 3 Musquash Estuary 

Nature Reserve 

HOME TO 

Harbour seals, moose and loons 

LANDSCAPE 

Coastline, marshes and much more 

Hike and kayak through the 

Musquash reserve. Learn how 

the community gets involved 

with protecting this diverse 

landscape — one of the last fully 

functioning estuaries on the Bay 

of Fundy. 

natureconservancy.ca WINTER 2021 11

Top: Buffalo Pound Lake, SK. 

Bottom: Students from the Upper Grand 

District School Board leadership program. 

Continued from page 8 

remain intact. The agreement permits ongoing 

grazing by co-op shareholders but no other 

change of use. In 2015, the Waldron co-op 

bought an adjacent 1,700-hectare (4,200-acre) 

property, and an additional similar conservation 

agreement was established there in 2016. 

The conserved property is the largest 

block of private land on the eastern slopes 

of the Rockies. Its securement assures the 

continuation of essential services like water 

filtration, carbon sequestration, soil protection, 

and forage for both domestic and wild 

animals. Other financial supporters, along 

with the Waldron Grazing Co-op, included 

the Alberta government, several local foundations, 

one Alberta-based corporation and 

a few local individuals. 

The second example is equally innovative, 

and from a younger generation of nature 

lovers in Ontario. In late 2019 and early 2020, 

49 Guelph-area Grade 12 students enrolled 

in the Upper Grand District School Board’s 

“Beyond Borders” business leadership 

program staged an annual charity gala, 

raising $109,000 to be distributed to four 

charities. They donated $25,000 to NCC’s 

Landmark Campaign. 

The three other charities were linked 

to hospitals and health care, but according 

to Mike Parsons, the program’s founder 

and director, the students “felt strongly 

about supporting a charity that would align 

with the environment,” after studying 

sustainability and corporate responsibility 

in their program. 

“A couple of students found NCC and 

pitched it to the class as a great initiative 

that they’d like to support, and the class was 

immediately on board,” says Parsons. 

Once the COVID-19 pandemic has passed, 

he says he hopes students in subsequent 

years will continue to support NCC and get 

more involved in its work, perhaps by taking 

property tours or bringing in guest speakers. 

Connecting to nature 

According to Knibb-McLuhan, that same 

sentiment was at the heart of the Landmark 

Campaign’s second theme: Connect. 

“Connect was all about connecting 

Canadians to nature, because when they 

connect to it and understand it, they appreciate 

it, and then they will factor it into their 

decision-making,” she says. “Certainly, the 

next generation of Canadians that we’re raising, 

who are going to be future leaders and 

future decision makers, we want them to be 

thinking about nature.” 

To that end, during the Landmark Campaign, 

NCC continued to grow its hands-on 

volunteer program, in which volunteers spend 

time on NCC properties with the conservancy’s 

scientists, doing wildlife counts, property 

maintenance, habitat improvements and other 

activities. NCC also expanded its speaker 

series and, more recently, its online webinar 

programs. In all, Knibb-McLuhan says, more 

than 300,000 Canadians — including 18,000 

hands-on volunteers — connected to nature 

through NCC’s various channels in the eight 

years of the campaign. 

A connection with nature was one of the 

primary factors that motivated Jane Inch, 

who lives in Ottawa, to donate to NCC during 

the Landmark Campaign. 

“Nature has always been really important 

for me,” says Inch. “It’s a place of solace as well 

as adventure and fun. I feel like I’ve gotten a 

lot from nature in my life, and yet I realize that 

there are threats to it. So, I’m grateful, at this 

stage, to be able to give back and support the 

nature that’s given me so much.” 

Interestingly, even though she lives in 

Ontario, when Inch made the decision to 

make a donation to NCC, she contacted 

regional staff in Saskatchewan. 

“I’d heard about the decreasing number of 

greater sage-grouse in the grasslands of southern 

Saskatchewan, and that drew my attention. 

I also thought I’d like to focus on an area that 

might be overlooked by other Canadians. A lot 

of people see things about polar bears in the 

Arctic and we hear about whales on the 

JASON BANTLE. INSET: COURTESY BEYOND BORDERS. 


What I admire most about NCC is the efficient, non-confrontational way that they 

are able to protect significant lands and waters, from tiny environmental hot spots to 

huge areas that can provide significant biodiversity. I have been clearing and mowing 

the trails at Coyote Lake [Alberta] for around 20 years. What was so easy 10 years ago is 

getting to be hard work, but if you can do it, you should keep doing it. Unless someone 

kicks me out, I will continue mowing trails there for a few years to come! 

Oscar 

Zawalsy 

Conservation Volunteer (Alberta) 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

PAUL ROBERT. 



Top: Jan Oudenes and Isobel Ralston. Middle: Jane Inch. 

Bottom: Cockburn Island, ON. 

“The dollars that 

flow into the 

protection of 

nature are still 

quite limited. We 

want to inspire 

other people, 

and to make 

sure the movement 

becomes 

much larger.” 

Jan Oudenes, 

Landmark Campaign donor 

coasts. The sage-grouse doesn’t get the 

press that those other, bigger animals do.” 

Several years after making that donation, 

Inch travelled to Saskatchewan to see the 

property she supported first-hand and learn 

more about the region. “NCC had programs 

locally. I was just going a very long distance 

to partake in one,” she says. 

What she experienced, somewhat unexpectedly, 

was “feeling like I was joining 

in on a community of like-minded people,” 

she says. “Also, for me what was interesting 

was seeing the communities near these 

grassland ecosystems. I had never before 

been in a ranching community, or had discussions 

with Indigenous people from that region. 

There was so much more to the whole 

ecosystem than just the species. There were 

a lot of expanded horizons for me.” 

Inspiring conservation 

Inch’s account is also a testimonial to the 

Landmark Campaign’s third theme: Inspire. 

The theme applies to inspiring donors, the 

next generation of conservation leaders as 

well as the conservation sector as a whole, 

says Knibb-McLuhan. 

To address the next generation during the 

Landmark Campaign, NCC expanded its intern 

program from 30 placements a year to 

more than 90. “Some of them stay on, grow 

up within NCC and have great careers. Others 

go on to other organizations. It’s feeding the 

sector,” Knibb-McLuhan explains. 

NCC donors further supported the sector 

through the campaign by assisting other 

Canadian land trusts with financial and staff 

resources, tools, knowledge and technology. 

The goal of inspiring others isn’t limited 

to NCC itself, however. Isobel Ralston and 

Jan Oudenes say one of their aims as major 

donors is to inspire other Canadians, through 

their example, to support conservation. “The 

dollars that flow into the protection of nature 

are still quite limited,” says Oudenes. “Part 

of what we want to do is to make it known, to 

inspire other people, and to make sure that 

the movement becomes much larger.” 

These aims underline one other important, 

final point. Despite the successful efforts 

of its donors and supporters to complete the 

Landmark Campaign, and the resulting tremendous 

achievements, the work is not done. 

“We’ve made such great strides, but it’s 

going to take a lot more to get where we need 

to be — as a country and in the world,” says 

Knibb-McLuhan. “For example, Canada now 

has a commitment to conserve 30 per cent of 

our lands and waters by 2030. So, one of NCC’s 

long-term goals is supporting Canadian leadership 

in meeting our commitments around that.” 

The reality, too, is that major habitat types 

are still in decline, and the dual threats that 

Ralston and Oudenes highlighted — climate 

change and biodiversity loss — still need 

more urgent attention. 

And so, even as NCC marks the end of one 

campaign, work is underway on the organization’s 

next strategic plan. Knibb-McLuhan 

says that she and other members of the organization 

draw their own inspiration from 

the commitment they’ve seen from so many 

Canadians in supporting the Landmark 

Campaign over the past eight years. 

“I think that awareness levels and the feeling 

of urgency are greater now than they ever 

have been before. The climate change conversation 

is so much more important to Canadians 

than ever before. We all realize that what we 

do here has a larger impact on humankind. 

All of those issues will be really big factors in 

NCC’s thinking going forward.”1 

TOP TO BOTTOM: MIKE FORD; COURTESY JANE INCH; NCC. 


Our Foundation was pleased to fund 

projects in ecologically valuable and threatened 

areas across the country during NCC’s 

Landmark Campaign, as well as being a 

champion of NCC for nearly 25 years. NCC’s 

science-based approach to land conservation 

fits well with our strategy to significantly 

restore and protect biodiversity on Canada’s 

landscapes for the well-being of Canadians. 

Tamara Rebanks, Chair 

Weston Family 

Foundation 

TKTKTKTKTKTKT 

PAUL ROBERT. 



Nuttall’s cottontail 

Conservation 

in action 

As you’ve read in the previous pages, 

you have helped secure 540 projects, 

conserving an additional 115,000 

square kilometres of protected areas. 

Through the Landmark Campaign, 

you have protected habitat for more 

than 130 species at risk. Ten of these 

species are more threatened than 

the giant panda, based on their 

global status. 

ROBERT MCCAW. 


WILDLIFE AT RISK 

Sprague’s 

pipit 

Conservation status: 

Threatened 

NCC natural areas where 

this species is found: 

Asquith Complex, SK 

Sprague’s pipit breeds 

from southern and central 

Alberta, to southwestern 

Manitoba and south to 

southern Montana, 

northern South Dakota 

and northwestern 

Minnesota. It spends 

winters in the southwestern 

United States and 

northern Mexico. The 

species is considered 

a native grassland 

specialist and prefers to 

nest in intact prairies with 

moderate levels of grazing. 

Like many grassland birds, 

its numbers have been 

rapidly declining. 

Nuttall’s 

cottontail 


Special concern 



South Okanagan- 

Similkameen, BC 

The Canadian range of 

Nuttall’s cottontail (nuttallii 

subspecies) is restricted to 

the Okanagan Valley of 

southcentral BC. Also known 

as the mountain cottontail, 

it is Canada’s smallest 

member of the rabbit and 

hare family, weighing just 

over 450 grams. It lives in 

open grassland, sagebrush 

and ponderosa pine 

ecosystems. There are only 

a few thousand left in BC, 

and they are primarily 

threatened by habitat loss. 

Its cousin, the grangeri 

subspecies, is more 

widespread and can be 

found in Alberta and 

Saskatchewan. 

NCC has protected habitat 

for Nuttall’s cottontail on the 

Sage and Sparrow Conservation 

Area. This property also 

protects habitat for over 60 

other species at risk. 

Maritime 

ringlet* 


Endangered 



Barachois de la rivière 

Nouvelle, QC 

Maritime ringlet is one of 

the most endangered 

butterflies in Canada. The 

global range of this small 

butterfly is restricted to 10 

scattered locations along 

coastal salt marshes in 

northern New Brunswick 

and the southern coast of 

the Gaspé Peninsula in 

Quebec, around the Baie 

des Chaleurs. This species’ 

survival relies on salt marsh 

habitat with suitable 

plants. Threats include 

rising sea levels and 

increasing frequency of 

storm surges as a result of 

climate change. 

*This species can be found only in Canada and nowhere else in the world. Visit leaveyourlandmark.ca for more information. 

CONSERVATION 

VOLUNTEERS 

Thank you to all of our 18,000 Conservation 

Volunteers who rolled up their sleeves, directly 

caring for nature throughout the Landmark 

Campaign. NCC’s Conservation Volunteers program 

engages people of all ages in the protection of our 

country’s species and natural habitats, coast to 

coast. Thank you to each and every volunteer who 

joined us in the field to contribute to conservation! 

Throughout the Landmark Campaign, 

Conservation Volunteers: 

Contributed over 37,000 hours 

of their time. 

That’s equivalent to more than 

1,500 full days of work! 

Participated in 1,565 Conservation 

Volunteers events. 

Completed essential tasks on properties 

across Canada, such as restoring habitat, 

stewarding the land and monitoring species. 

Want to know how you can connect with nature? 

Visit conservationvolunteers.ca. 

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; NCC; DAVID THOMAS; IRWIN BARRETT. 

NATURAL AREAS CONSERVATION PROGRAM 

The completion of NCC’s successful Landmark Campaign was made possible by 

generous contributions from so many individuals and organizations, including 

governments across the country. The Government of Canada is the largest single 

contributor to the campaign. 

Through the Natural Areas Conservation Program and Natural Heritage Conservation 

Program (NHCP), the federal government contributed $160 million to the campaign. 

These funds were matched by generous donors to create lasting conservation success. 

The current iteration of the partnership, the NHCP, is administered by the Nature 

Conservancy of Canada and made possible by a $100-million investment from the 

Government of Canada, as part of the Nature Legacy initiative announced in Budget 

2018. Thanks to the NHCP, NCC will be able to help protect the lands and waters 

that sustain our local communities. These conservation projects will also support 

Canada’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of our lands and waters by 2030.

The work 

has just begun 

We sat down with past president and CEO, John Lounds, and our 

new president and CEO, Catherine Grenier, for their thoughts 

on the accomplishments of the Landmark Campaign and what’s 

next. Both agree the work is just beginning. 

Top: Catherine Grenier & John Lounds. 

Inset: Green Mountains, QC. 

NCC: John, the Landmark Campaign was 

one of the boldest initiatives in NCC’s history. 

What gave you the confidence that we’d 

get it done? 

JL: Our supporters! Back when we launched 

the campaign, conservation sometimes didn’t 

feel bold enough to address the challenges 

of a rapidly changing world. But our supporters, 

donors and partners challenged us to 

think bigger. 

The Waldron Ranch, for example, where 

we worked with more than 50 ranchers to put 

a conservation agreement on 12,357 hectares 

(30,535 acres) of habitat along Alberta’s Highway 

22, challenged our notions of what we 

could do and how far we could go. This campaign 

was built on the idea that if we could do 

one project of that scale, we could get 540 done 

in a way to advance conservation and engage 

Canadians to inspire the next generation. 

NCC: What was the biggest surprise for you? 

JL: I wasn’t so much surprised as I was gratified 

that so many people joined our efforts. 

We saw that Canadians care about nature. 

Together, we mobilized to deliver a historic 

and lasting impact. 

Thousands of Canadians, from coast to 

coast to coast, took conservation into their 

own hands and gave to save the lands and 

waters that sustain us all. 

BRIANNA ROYE. INSET: GUILLAUME SIMONEAU. 


KEN BUTLAND. 

NCC: What was your proudest accomplishment 

throughout the campaign? 

JL: The scale of the projects is impressive, 

but what was really amazing was how the 

Landmark Campaign opened up opportunities 

in local communities. 

Do you know that more than 90 per cent 

of Canadians live within 100 kilometres of 

a Landmark Campaign project? 

The Landmark Campaign opened up opportunities 

across Canada, to work with partners, 

Indigenous communities, governments at all 

levels, landowners, Conservation Volunteers in 

their local communities and more. 

NCC’s role is to help facilitate the success 

in terms of achieving those goals. We’re there 

to bring together the resources, the thinking, 

the people and the capabilities. That’s what 

we are all about: moving things forward and 

getting it done. 

NCC: Catherine, where do we go from here 

to engage more people? 

CG: We will build on NCC’s tremendous success, 

thanks to our donors and supporters. 

One of the first things we will be doing next 

is raising awareness about the great work 

and the impact of our donors in recent years. 

The campaign has strengthened our collective 

commitment to nature. Now, we will build 

on that momentum. We need to provide 

meaningful opportunities for Canadians of all 

backgrounds to come together and work with 

us in a very tangible way. 

NCC: You’ve joined NCC just as we’re celebrating 

this tremendous success. What does 

conservation look like moving forward? 

CG: I think the stars have never been more 

aligned for conservation in Canada, and the 

need has never been greater. 

All major habitat types are still in decline. 

The dual threats of climate change and biodiversity 

loss urgently need our attention. We 

need to act now to make sure the lands, waters 

and natural beauty we cherish today will 

be here for generations to come. 

NCC is uniquely positioned to make meaningful 

change. We’ve been recognized as one 

of the most trusted conservation organizations 

in Canada. But despite our success, we 

need to accelerate the scale and scope of conservation. 

If we want to do it faster, we have 

to do it differently. That will take innovation 

and collaboration. And that’s what we will 

focus on in the next few years. 

Together, we are changing Canada and the 

world. When conservation becomes a way 

of life, it benefits all life. Conservation today 

is much more cost effective than trying to 

restore natural areas in the future.1 

Thank you to our 

Nature Legacy 

Society members 

Your legacy gift and passion for nature helped us reach our 

Landmark Campaign goals 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s 

(NCC’s) Landmark Campaign has 

been our most ambitious fundraising 

campaign to date. 

We want to acknowledge the generous 

contribution of more than 1,000 Nature 

Legacy Society (NLS) donors, totalling 

$82 million in pledges to the campaign. 

The Nature Legacy Society is a distinct 

group of NCC supporters. They have 

invested in Canada’s natural heritage 

through a gift in their Will, a gift of life 

insurance or a gift of a registered retirement 

fund. 

We are immensely grateful for our 

Nature Legacy Society members who have 

informed us of their planned gift and their 

desire to protect Canada’s lands, waters 

and wildlife. 

Their passion and their investment in 

the future of conservation will ensure 

the protection of Canada’s most valuable 

natural areas for decades to come. 

Thanks to your support, NCC has the 

means and confidence to achieve major 

conservation results far into the future. 

YOUR PASSION CAN DEFINE 

YOUR LEGACY 

A legacy is more than a gift. It is an expression 

of the values that are most 

important to you. Values like having compassion 

for all life on Earth, and the belief 

that future generations deserve to inherit 

a rich, diverse, beautiful natural world. 

We hope that you will be inspired by 

the passion and commitment of the 

Nature Legacy Society donors. 

These natural habitats across the country 

are our legacy — the landmarks 

we will leave for Canada and the world. 

A pledge in your estate plans today will 

ensure the survival of Canada’s natural 

areas, long after we’re gone.1 

“I’ve had a lot of time to think 

about my most cherished values 

and consider the charities that 

most closely reflect them. So, 

when it came time to prepare 

my Will, I had long since decided 

to include NCC as a beneficiary. 

It means a lot to me to be able 

to do so.” 

–KEN BUTLAND (seen above) 

NLS MEMBER 

“I feel deeply about the problem 

of habitat and area loss and 

how this affects species richness, 

abundance and resilience. 

NCC is by far one of the most 

committed organizations that 

reflect my principles.” 

–JACQUELINE MILLER 

NLS MEMBER 

“NCC inspires us, as we want our 

beautiful lands protected for 

our wildlife and all other fauna 

and flora for all generations 

to come.” 

–KAREN AND MICHAEL O’DRISCOLL 

NLS MEMBERS 



LET YOUR 

PASSION 

DEFINE 

YOUR 

LEGACY 

Your passion for Canada’s natural spaces defines your life; now it can define 

your legacy. With a gift in your Will to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, 

no matter the size, you can help protect our most vulnerable habitats and the 

wildlife that live there. For today, for tomorrow and for generations to come. 

Order your free Legacy Information Booklet today. 

Call Manita Marcella at at 1-877-231-3552 x x 2275 2276 or or visit DefineYourLegacy.ca

Winter 2021 Magazine

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