Fall 2022 NCC Magazine
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FALL <strong>2022</strong><br />
60 TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE<br />
Toward<br />
a thriving<br />
world<br />
Building on our 60 years of excellence<br />
to accelerate the pace of conservation
FALL <strong>2022</strong><br />
CONTENTS<br />
Nature Conservancy of Canada<br />
4 Measuring your impact<br />
A sample of what you’ve made possible.<br />
6 Toward a thriving world<br />
Celebrating 60 years of conservation, and looking<br />
ahead to the next six decades.<br />
10 Across the country<br />
Conservation from coast to coast to coast.<br />
12 Conservation partnerships<br />
Some of <strong>NCC</strong>’s most successful projects have<br />
been made thanks to government partnerships.<br />
16 Walking together on the land<br />
Lessons learned and perspectives gained<br />
from Indigenous communities in becoming<br />
better caretakers of the land.<br />
18 Your natural legacy<br />
The generosity of Canadians is building<br />
a thriving world.<br />
Digital extras<br />
Check out our online magazine page with<br />
additional content to supplement this issue,<br />
at nccmagazine.ca.<br />
Nature Conservancy of Canada<br />
245 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 410 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4P 3J1<br />
magazine@natureconservancy.ca | Phone: 416.932.3202 | Toll-free: 877.231.3552<br />
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (<strong>NCC</strong>) is the country’s unifying force for nature. We seek<br />
solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale,<br />
permanent land conservation. <strong>NCC</strong> is a registered charity. With nature, we build a thriving world.<br />
The Nature Conservancy of Canada <strong>Magazine</strong> is distributed to donors and supporters of <strong>NCC</strong>.<br />
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2 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
Thor Sveinbjornson,<br />
conservation superhero<br />
Dear Nature<br />
Conservancy<br />
of Canada,<br />
TKTKTKTKTKTKT<br />
FERNANDO LESSA. HAWLII PICHETTE.<br />
My favourite place to be in nature is<br />
on the shoreline of a lake, like at<br />
our cabin at Last Mountain Lake in<br />
Saskatchewan. It is a really awesome place to<br />
play and spend time in, and also an important<br />
place for many different plants and animals.<br />
Birds are one of my favourites. At the<br />
lake, we see yellow warblers, pelicans, purple<br />
martins, waxwings, orioles, gray catbirds and<br />
hummingbirds. Every now and then I see a<br />
common loon. I like identifying them by their<br />
calls — western kingbirds have a very quick<br />
and cheerful song. Chickadees and yellow<br />
warblers sound an awful lot alike and can be<br />
tricky! But when I don’t know what species<br />
it is, I enjoy using a book or bird ID app to<br />
figure it out.<br />
It is important to protect nature because<br />
it is what keeps people alive! If there wasn’t<br />
nature, our own species would go extinct.<br />
In Saskatchewan, grasslands are one of the<br />
most important biomes* that we need to<br />
protect. I am really happy that the Nature<br />
Conservancy of Canada has been protecting<br />
nature for 60 years. Sixty years from now,<br />
I will be 69 years old, and when I am that<br />
old, I hope our planet looks the same but<br />
even healthier!<br />
Spending time in nature makes me feel<br />
peaceful. When I see the wonders of nature<br />
it makes me happy and want to protect it.<br />
So, if you want to help someone understand<br />
that protecting nature is important, you just<br />
need to let them see the wonders of it, too!<br />
Thor Sveinbjornson, age 9<br />
Spring Bay, Last Mountain Lake,<br />
Saskatchewan<br />
*Thor’s aunt, who transcribed this letter<br />
for him, assures us he really does know<br />
the word “biome” and came up with it on<br />
his own in their conversation!<br />
Featured<br />
Contributors<br />
Fernando Lessa is<br />
a professional nature-image<br />
maker based<br />
in North Vancouver, BC,<br />
best known for his<br />
conservation and<br />
ecology documentation<br />
of marine and freshwater<br />
ecosystems.<br />
He photographed<br />
various <strong>NCC</strong> staff<br />
portraits throughout<br />
the magazine.<br />
Hawlii Pichette is a<br />
Mushkego Cree (Treaty<br />
9) urban mixed-blood<br />
artist and illustrator. Her<br />
work is deeply influenced<br />
by her culture<br />
and upbringing, and<br />
reflects the beautiful<br />
integral interconnections<br />
of the natural<br />
world. She illustrated<br />
“Walking together on<br />
the land,” page 16.<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 3
Measuring<br />
your<br />
impact<br />
Looking back at what we’ve accomplished<br />
with your support, and casting ahead to<br />
bigger and bolder goals in the next 60 years<br />
Since the first Nature Conservancy of Canada (<strong>NCC</strong>)<br />
project at Cavan Swamp and Bog, Ontario, almost<br />
60 years ago, you’ve helped us come a long way in<br />
ensuring the future of precious landscapes across the country.<br />
Thousands of Canadians and various funding partners from<br />
coast to coast to coast pitched in to support the conservation<br />
of the lands and waters that sustain us all. Working together<br />
with communities and partners, we look forward to the next<br />
60 years as we achieve bigger and bolder goals, at a faster<br />
pace, in restoring and conserving the natural environment<br />
that we collectively value. Because when nature thrives,<br />
we all thrive.<br />
Here’s a sample of what you’ve helped us accomplish to date:<br />
LAKES<br />
490K<br />
hectares<br />
Canada is a land of an estimated<br />
two million lakes. Your support has<br />
ensured the protection of nearly<br />
490,000 hectares of lake area.<br />
RIVERS<br />
61K<br />
kilometres<br />
Rivers are important ecosystems that<br />
drain the landscape and support<br />
many different aquatic and terrestrial<br />
species along the course of their<br />
length. <strong>NCC</strong> has ongoing restoration<br />
activities across the country to<br />
improve the integrity of riparian<br />
habitats — the transition zone<br />
between river and dry land. Your<br />
support has protected more than<br />
61,000 kilometres of rivers.<br />
FORESTS<br />
1.2M hectares<br />
<strong>NCC</strong> works in a variety of different forest<br />
ecosystems across Canada, conserving<br />
nearly 1.2 million hectares of forest to date,<br />
thanks to your help. That’s more than twice<br />
the size of Prince Edward Island.<br />
BRIANNA ROYE. COSTAL PRODUCTIONS.<br />
4 FALL <strong>2022</strong><br />
natureconservancy.ca
DARK SKY PRESERVES<br />
13 projects<br />
Dark Sky Preserves are natural areas where the<br />
dark night sky is protected by eliminating light<br />
pollution. Many species are negatively affected by<br />
light pollution and require darkness for the healthy<br />
functioning of their behavioural and physiological<br />
cycles. Your support has helped <strong>NCC</strong> conserve<br />
13 projects in Dark Sky Preserves across the country.<br />
UNESCO BIOSPHERE<br />
RESERVES<br />
498 projects<br />
UNESCO Biosphere Reserves are comprised of<br />
natural ecosystems and working landscapes,<br />
where communities work collaboratively to<br />
balance development with the conservation<br />
of natural resources. These reserves recognize<br />
that community engagement at many levels<br />
is needed for conservation success. Thanks to<br />
your support, 498 projects are protected within<br />
these reserves.<br />
ETHAN MELEG. KYLE MARQUARDT.<br />
WETLANDS<br />
5.4 trillion<br />
litres<br />
Wetlands play a critical role in<br />
absorbing and storing carbon.<br />
They also remove sediments,<br />
excess nutrients and even bacteria<br />
from our drinking water. Like<br />
a giant sponge, wetlands absorb<br />
and hold water to buffer our cities<br />
and farms from floods and<br />
droughts. Your support has<br />
conserved 390,000 hectares of<br />
wetlands across Canada.<br />
Together, these wetlands can<br />
filter up to an estimated 5.4 trillion<br />
litres of water, close to 2.1 million<br />
Olympic-sized swimming pools.<br />
RAMSAR SITES<br />
97 projects<br />
Designated by the Ramsar<br />
Convention on Wetlands, Ramsar<br />
sites are wetlands of international<br />
importance. Your support has<br />
helped <strong>NCC</strong> conserve 97 projects<br />
within Ramsar sites.<br />
KEY BIODIVERSITY AREAS<br />
326 projects<br />
Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are areas of exceptional<br />
importance for wildlife and biodiversity.<br />
They are identified in all habitats in terrestrial,<br />
freshwater and marine ecosystems. With your<br />
support, 326 projects are conserved in or within<br />
close proximity to a KBA.<br />
GRASSLANDS<br />
113K hectares<br />
Native grasslands are the unsung heroes of carbon<br />
storage through their extensive root systems.<br />
They are also among the world’s most endangered<br />
ecosystems. Your support has conserved 113,000<br />
hectares of native grasslands.<br />
CARBON SEQUESTRATION<br />
517K cars per year<br />
Every year, the habitats conserved by <strong>NCC</strong>, thanks to your support,<br />
store close to 2,300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (which<br />
includes other greenhouse gases converted to their equivalent global<br />
warming potential as carbon dioxide). That is equivalent to the annual<br />
CO 2 emissions of around 517,000 typical passenger vehicles.<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 5
The 1,340-hectare Cavan Swamp Wildlife Area<br />
near Peterborough, Ontario, was <strong>NCC</strong>’s first<br />
big conservation project, dating back to 1968.<br />
6 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
Toward<br />
a thriving<br />
world<br />
MIKE FORD.<br />
As <strong>NCC</strong> turns 60,<br />
it looks ahead to<br />
doubling the impact<br />
it has had since 1962,<br />
using its expertise<br />
and relationships<br />
to dramatically<br />
accelerate the pace<br />
of conservation<br />
BY Alanna Mitchell<br />
Cattails sway in the gentle morning breeze.<br />
Three beavers frolic in the shallow water, shiny<br />
backs arching briefly in the sun. A green frog calls.<br />
And then, the urgent trill of the swamp sparrow:<br />
“chee-chee-chee-chee.”<br />
Always alert for the flick of a wing, Mark Stabb, central Ontario<br />
program director for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (<strong>NCC</strong>),<br />
pulls up his binoculars and peers into the trees. It’s another species:<br />
a cedar waxwing. This spot, the 1,340-hectare Cavan Swamp<br />
Wildlife Area near Peterborough, which <strong>NCC</strong> helped conserve, is<br />
a well-known refuge for birds. From the roadside, he also spots<br />
a rose-breasted grosbeak, grackles, mourning doves, goldfinches<br />
— and that’s only the beginning. We stand open-mouthed as two<br />
great blue herons — elegant and serene — take to the skies.<br />
“<strong>NCC</strong> helped put this together decades ago,” he says, cradling<br />
the binoculars as he drinks in the beauty of the place. “And now it’s<br />
all out there and doing what it’s intended to do.”<br />
The Cavan Swamp is more than just another vast protected area<br />
that <strong>NCC</strong> had a hand in creating. It was the launching pad for <strong>NCC</strong>’s<br />
work in Canada, the first big purchase. Today, as <strong>NCC</strong> turns 60,<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 7
Catherine Grenier; Pelee Island, ON, one of the properties secured thanks to the Ivey Foundation.<br />
We have the great maturity of knowing who<br />
we are and how we can use that expertise to<br />
help build a thriving world with nature.<br />
Catherine Grenier, president and CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada<br />
Cavan Swamp is a symbol not only of how<br />
far the organization has come in those six<br />
decades, but also of the next challenges it<br />
is eager to tackle.<br />
“I think at 60, we have the great maturity<br />
of knowing who we are and how we can use<br />
that expertise to help unlock solutions for<br />
conservation,” says Catherine Grenier, <strong>NCC</strong>’s<br />
president and chief executive officer. “It’s<br />
such a critical time for nature. There’s never<br />
been a more important time in history. And<br />
<strong>NCC</strong> has built this unique skill set that it can<br />
now use to make a big difference.”<br />
The overall plan? To use <strong>NCC</strong>’s expertise<br />
and relationships to scale conservation up<br />
dramatically, doubling the impact the organization<br />
had in its first 60 years in just the<br />
next eight. And then, keep going.<br />
“Ultimately, our vision is to build a thriving<br />
world with nature,” Grenier says.<br />
Building on history<br />
<strong>NCC</strong>’s tool kit has grown along with the organization.<br />
In 1962, when <strong>NCC</strong> was founded<br />
on the private land trust model of other<br />
countries, Canada had few policies<br />
preventing the bulldozing of wetlands,<br />
a critical habitat for migrating birds. In<br />
those first years, the fledgling <strong>NCC</strong> raced<br />
to raise enough money to help buy the<br />
Rattray Marsh, a key wetland on the lakeshore<br />
between Toronto and Burlington<br />
that was up for development.<br />
But when the deal fell through, <strong>NCC</strong><br />
turned to an ambitious new tactic in its efforts<br />
to take direct private action, becoming<br />
a financing partner with conservation authorities,<br />
governments and other agencies to<br />
help buy these ecologically important lands<br />
through private funds. The Cavan Swamp,<br />
part of which <strong>NCC</strong> helped secure in 1968 (it<br />
is managed by the Otonabee Region Conservation<br />
Authority), was the test case.<br />
A History of the Nature Conservancy<br />
of Canada, by the late Dr. Bill Freedman,<br />
includes a reflection by Charles Sauriol, one<br />
of <strong>NCC</strong>’s first staff, on <strong>NCC</strong>’s growing role<br />
as a conservation partner:<br />
“This is why the Conservancy had<br />
been born. Its role was that of a catalyst,<br />
a facilitator; being a purveyor of funds<br />
and matching grants was its raison d’être”<br />
(Freedman, 48-49).<br />
Today, <strong>NCC</strong> is Canada’s largest not-forprofit<br />
land conservation organization, and<br />
it has helped save more than 15 million<br />
hectares, some of which it manages itself.<br />
By 1971, <strong>NCC</strong> had expanded its collaborative<br />
impulse even further, crafting a 10-year<br />
partnership with the Ontario Ministry of<br />
Natural Resources (as it was then called)<br />
and the Richard Ivey Foundation (now the<br />
Ivey Foundation) to conserve woodlands<br />
along the Niagara Escarpment. The project<br />
took off when the late Richard and Beryl<br />
Ivey, both passionate about the environment,<br />
introduced their neighbour to <strong>NCC</strong>. He<br />
happened to be John Robarts, the then<br />
premier of Ontario.<br />
The Iveys suggested a novel matching<br />
recipe for escarpment purchases: one dollar<br />
of private money for every two dollars from<br />
the province, with ownership of the properties<br />
transferred to local conservation<br />
...continued on page 12<br />
SAM BRINKER. INSET: GENEVIEVE LESIEUR.<br />
8 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
<strong>NCC</strong> staff on the West<br />
Coast have the privilege of<br />
working to protect rare and<br />
highly specialized coast<br />
ecosystems, like the Garry<br />
oak habitats found on<br />
southern Vancouver Island,<br />
the Gulf Islands and the<br />
Lower Mainland.<br />
“In the sixties, I heard about an<br />
organization that apparently saved<br />
forests. Really?<br />
“I grew up in Northern Ontario,<br />
where we had a 113-hectare farm.<br />
Only 12 hectares of it was cleared;<br />
the rest was trees, swamp and bluffs.<br />
As a child, I thought of forests as<br />
something you had to cut down so<br />
you could grow crops and not starve<br />
to death. And it was a place to stay<br />
out of, because if you went in there,<br />
you would get lost and the bears<br />
would eat you.<br />
FERNANDO LESSA. INSET: COURTESY LORNA SCHUELER.<br />
“But like many other Canadians,<br />
by the seventies, I was becoming<br />
aware of how deeply humans are<br />
linked to the land and that its care<br />
and preservation is in our hands.<br />
I realized that <strong>NCC</strong> was committed<br />
to those concepts in a practical<br />
way. I am a supporter to this day and<br />
after I retired, it was my choice for<br />
volunteer work. During those years,<br />
I was able to see, first-hand, the<br />
dedication and respect for all aspects<br />
of nature that drive <strong>NCC</strong>.”<br />
— Lorna Schueler<br />
<strong>NCC</strong> donor since 1970 and volunteer<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 9
Boreal Wildlands, ON<br />
Nan Thok Natr’iniin’aii, YT<br />
Old Man on His Back, SK<br />
Darkwoods, BC<br />
Yellowknife<br />
Whitehorse<br />
Edmonton<br />
1<br />
Regina<br />
Winnipeg<br />
Victoria<br />
Building<br />
momentum<br />
Conservation from coast to coast to coast<br />
Waterton Park Front, A B<br />
Fort Ellice, MB<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: SONNY PARKER; GORDON MACPHERSON;<br />
BRANIMIR GJETVAJ; ANDREW WARREN; THOMAS FRICKE; BRENT CALVER.<br />
10 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
Tallurutiup Imanga, NT<br />
CONSERVING MORE, FASTER!<br />
In just the last two years, you have helped double the impact<br />
of conservation, ensuring the conservation of an astounding<br />
1 million additional hectares from coast to coast to coast.<br />
Here are two properties that helped accelerate the pace:<br />
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: CHRIS DEBICKI; ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; ROBERT MCCAW; ROBERT MCCAW;<br />
SEAN LANDSMAN; MIKE DEMBECK; SEAN LANDSMAN; KENAUK NATURE; JORDAN MYLES.<br />
Johnson’s Mills, NB<br />
Iqaluit<br />
1. 1 Buffalo Pound, SK<br />
AREA CONSERVED<br />
866 hectares<br />
HOME TO<br />
American badger, Baird’s sparrow,<br />
bobolink, northern leopard frog,<br />
Sprague’s pipit<br />
LANDSCAPE<br />
Native grasslands, shoreline<br />
Located in the Upper Qu’Appelle<br />
Natural Area, Buffalo Pound contains<br />
native grasslands and seven kilometres<br />
of shoreline along the north shore of<br />
Buffalo Pound Lake. One of the most<br />
endangered ecosystems in the world,<br />
these grasslands help filter drinking<br />
water for approximately one-quarter<br />
of the province’s population.<br />
Northern leopard frog<br />
1. 2 Hastings Wildlife<br />
Junction, ON<br />
AREA CONSERVED<br />
5,000 hectares<br />
HOME TO<br />
Eastern wolf, black bear, moose, pine<br />
marten, successfully reintroduced elk,<br />
rare birds and turtles<br />
LANDSCAPE<br />
Forests, wetlands, rivers, creeks<br />
Located at the junctions of the Algonquin<br />
to Adirondacks and The Land<br />
Between corridors, the Hastings Wildlife<br />
Junction’s forests and wetlands provide<br />
essential ecosystem services to the region<br />
and beyond. These include carbon<br />
storage, removal of air pollution and<br />
flood water storage. The carbon capture<br />
and storage benefits of the property<br />
help reduce greenhouse gas levels in<br />
the atmosphere.<br />
Black bear cub<br />
Sprague’s pipit<br />
Grand Codroy, NL<br />
Toronto<br />
2<br />
Quebec<br />
Kenauk, QC<br />
Fredericton<br />
Abram-Village, PEI<br />
Charlottetown<br />
Halifax<br />
Gaff Point, NS<br />
St. John’s<br />
TRADITIONAL LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT<br />
At the Nature Conservancy of Canada, we acknowledge<br />
that the work we do across the country is<br />
on the traditional territories of many Indigenous<br />
Peoples. Canada is both the traditional and current<br />
homelands of many Indigenous Nations and<br />
communities. We make this acknowledgment with<br />
respect and gratitude for the histories, languages<br />
and cultures of Indigenous Peoples who are with us<br />
today, those who have come before us and for<br />
those who come after us, and with the commitment<br />
to work with and support Indigenous people in the<br />
spirit of Reconciliation on the land.<br />
To learn whose land you’re living on,<br />
visit native-land.ca.<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 11
Kenauk, Quebec.<br />
Hansen Ranch, Alberta.<br />
INSPIRING<br />
CONSERVATION WITH<br />
PARTNERSHIPS<br />
Among the Nature Conservancy of<br />
Canada’s (<strong>NCC</strong>’s) most devoted supporters<br />
are governments at all three levels<br />
— municipal, provincial and federal. In<br />
fact, <strong>NCC</strong>’s status as a trusted delivery<br />
partner has resulted in partnerships with<br />
governments from all 10 provinces, and<br />
of every political stripe. This support has<br />
inspired the conservation of some of the<br />
most unique and rich natural areas in<br />
<strong>NCC</strong>’s portfolio of lands and waters.<br />
In particular, Environment and Climate<br />
Change Canada has supported <strong>NCC</strong>’s<br />
work across the country for several<br />
decades. This support continues largely<br />
through the Natural Heritage Conservation<br />
Program (NHCP), a partnership<br />
model established in 2007, which has<br />
galvanized support from Canadians<br />
from coast to coast to coast. Each dollar<br />
invested by the Government of Canada<br />
is matched by generous contributions<br />
from other non-federal sources. Now<br />
a more than $1.3-billion partnership, the<br />
NHCP has resulted in the conservation<br />
of nearly 700,000 hectares — an area<br />
larger than PEI — which provides<br />
habitat for more than 200 species at risk.<br />
The NHCP was instrumental in establishing<br />
several of <strong>NCC</strong>’s signature projects,<br />
such as the Boreal Wildlands in Ontario,<br />
Shaw Wilderness Park in Nova Scotia,<br />
Kenauk in Quebec and Darkwoods in BC.<br />
These conservation milestones contribute<br />
directly to Canada’s goal of protecting<br />
30 per cent of our lands and fresh<br />
water by 2030. They would not have<br />
been possible without the NHCP.<br />
Visit natureconservancy.ca/nhcp for<br />
more information.<br />
I have always viewed every place we conserve<br />
as being a gift to future generations, to people<br />
I don’t know and will never meet.<br />
Larry Simpson, senior advisor of strategic philanthropy and conservation, <strong>NCC</strong> Alberta<br />
...continued from page 8<br />
authorities. The plan kick-started the saving<br />
of the escarpment, which is now part of<br />
a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, and<br />
set a pattern for future projects.<br />
Jennifer Ivey Bannock, daughter of<br />
Richard and Beryl Ivey, continued the family<br />
passion for conservation through her work<br />
on <strong>NCC</strong>’s board.<br />
“My parents were passionate about the<br />
environment,” she says. “I spent many happy<br />
years on the board of <strong>NCC</strong>, and thanks to<br />
them, came to appreciate Canada’s wide variety<br />
of landscapes. With our natural world<br />
under so much pressure these days, <strong>NCC</strong>’s<br />
work to conserve Canada’s remaining natural<br />
treasures seems even more critical.”<br />
Other nimble new joint efforts followed<br />
the escarpment project. Larry Simpson,<br />
now senior advisor of strategic philanthropy<br />
and conservation for <strong>NCC</strong> in Alberta, joined<br />
the organization in 1990, “the first employee<br />
west of Toronto,” he says, chuckling. It was<br />
the start of a decade-long expansion across<br />
the nation, which, in turn, set the stage for<br />
an outpouring of new possibilities identified<br />
through local connections.<br />
“What we’re trying to do is help people<br />
be part of a movement to create the kind of<br />
country that we want our kids to be able to<br />
thrive in,” Simpson says. “It’s a wonderfully<br />
powerful mission.”<br />
But Simpson quickly realized that Canada<br />
lacked the tax mechanisms to allow citizens<br />
and corporations to donate land at a fair<br />
value or to create conservation agreements<br />
restricting certain uses on the land in the<br />
future. With a small gift from Neil Harvie, the<br />
rancher who owned Alberta’s fabled Glenbow<br />
Ranch, Simpson visited directors of wildlife<br />
in several provinces to sound them out about<br />
new conservation-friendly tax rules.<br />
The result was Canada’s Ecological<br />
Gifts Program, begun in 1995; a muscular<br />
collaboration among dozens of partners<br />
across federal departments and other layers<br />
of government, plus non-governmental organizations.<br />
So far, more than 200,000 ecologically<br />
sensitive hectares valued at nearly<br />
$1 billion have become part of the program.<br />
And it’s growing: more landowners participate<br />
each year.<br />
Simpson often reflects on the inspiration<br />
<strong>NCC</strong> has drawn from its donors to help propel<br />
its work. “Donors like The Weston Family<br />
Foundation and John and Barbara Poole,<br />
whose donations in the late 90s first made<br />
our work in the Waterton Park Front in Alberta<br />
possible, helped <strong>NCC</strong> realize that there<br />
were some significant supporters who wanted<br />
us to take on bigger and more inspiring<br />
projects; and we did,” he notes.<br />
“I have always viewed every place we<br />
conserve as being a gift to future generations,<br />
to people I don’t know and will never<br />
meet. Every single time, it’s a warm glow.”<br />
As <strong>NCC</strong> evolves, so does the list of innovations,<br />
explains Kamal Rajani, <strong>NCC</strong>’s chief<br />
financial officer. <strong>NCC</strong> has made a practice of<br />
working with partners to buy development<br />
rights from resource companies on large<br />
tracts of land, saving important habitat from<br />
being significantly altered.<br />
KENAUK NATURE. BRENT CALVER.<br />
12 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
The tactic alone has helped spur the<br />
creation of some of Canada’s most iconic protected<br />
areas, including Gwaii Haanas National<br />
Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site in<br />
BC, Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan<br />
and Tallurutiup Imanga Marine Conservation<br />
Area in the Arctic.<br />
And there’s more to come. Plugging into<br />
the carbon-storing value of <strong>NCC</strong> properties<br />
will be a powerful source of funding for<br />
future projects. Rajani is excited to track<br />
how corporations, spurred by socially conscious<br />
investors to address their environmental,<br />
social and governance commitments,<br />
participate more fully in conservation efforts<br />
in coming years.<br />
“The beauty is that Canada has<br />
a vast amount of land to conserve, so the<br />
opportunity is there,” Rajani says. “And<br />
the world is thinking about climate change,<br />
so there are going to be significant<br />
investments.”<br />
Innovating for the future<br />
That bold thinking is not just on the financial<br />
side, says Lisa McLaughlin, <strong>NCC</strong>’s vicepresident<br />
of conservation policy and planning.<br />
“The innovation, whether that’s with the<br />
science or the planning or the stewardship<br />
work and the landowner relationships, has<br />
Introducing young children<br />
to nature is the first step in<br />
fostering future generations of<br />
conservation-minded citizens.<br />
“Living in Halifax, I am very much aware of the gradual loss of local natural<br />
spaces. We are losing not only access to nature but also the biodiversity<br />
and the ecosystem functions that they support. I congratulate (and<br />
support) <strong>NCC</strong> in its efforts to preserve and restore our wild spaces in<br />
eastern Canada and across this country for future generations.”<br />
— Dusan Soudek<br />
<strong>NCC</strong> donor since 1988<br />
FERNANDO LESSA. INSET: COURTESY DUSAN SOUDEK.<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 13
Mentor and mentee: Mark Stabb and Sara Meyer.<br />
Boreal Wildlands, Ontario.<br />
Ecological Gifts<br />
Program<br />
Environment and Climate Change<br />
Canada also supports <strong>NCC</strong>’s work<br />
through the Ecological Gifts Program<br />
(EGP). The EGP provides a tax<br />
incentive for private landowners who<br />
donate land or interests in land to<br />
qualified conservation organizations<br />
like <strong>NCC</strong>.<br />
It has been an overwhelming success.<br />
Since its inception in 1995, the<br />
program has inspired more than 1,500<br />
gifts of land across Canada. Of these,<br />
more than 340 generous donations<br />
have been made to <strong>NCC</strong>, totalling<br />
more than 140,000 hectares.<br />
just always evolved,” McLaughlin says. “I think<br />
that can be tied back to our philosophy as a<br />
learning organization and as an evidence-based<br />
organization, where you take what you<br />
learned and then you build on it. And you<br />
keep moving forward.”<br />
That momentum has been propelled by<br />
<strong>NCC</strong>’s determination to respect the voices of<br />
all players. Over the past decade and a half,<br />
as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s<br />
findings on the residential school system have<br />
educated the public, <strong>NCC</strong> has done its own<br />
internal reflection on Indigenous issues.<br />
That’s led to what McLaughlin, who began<br />
at <strong>NCC</strong> as an intern more than two decades<br />
ago, calls “the single biggest change in the<br />
culture of <strong>NCC</strong> and in the expression of<br />
our work.”<br />
“It just became very obvious that as<br />
a private land organization, we are in a very<br />
unique position to consider ‘What does Reconciliation<br />
look like?’ given that the history<br />
of conservation in Canada has been largely<br />
detrimental to Indigenous Peoples,” she<br />
says. “Now, as the very first aspect of the<br />
conservation work we do, we are thinking<br />
hard about how to engage Indigenous<br />
Peoples. What does it mean, what are the<br />
rights, what are the responsibilities? And<br />
how do we honour that?”<br />
Back at the Cavan Swamp, Stabb<br />
and Sara Meyer, <strong>NCC</strong>’s new coordinator<br />
of conservation biology for the Greater<br />
Toronto Area, are preparing to visit<br />
another <strong>NCC</strong> project one road south. It’s<br />
the Taylor Nature Preserve, where an<br />
old barn has just been removed. Metre by<br />
metre, the barn site will be restored until<br />
it, too, is a riot of original native species,<br />
including white spruce, basswood, black<br />
cherry, sugar maple and beech. In a few<br />
years, that barren spot will be bustling with<br />
life, like the lush landscape we see before<br />
us at Cavan Swamp.<br />
That dream of caring for ecosystems<br />
over the long term, restoring them and<br />
helping them become more resilient to climate<br />
change so that nature can thrive, is<br />
what draws Meyer to <strong>NCC</strong>. Stabb, her mentor,<br />
is helping her become part of the next generation<br />
of conservation leaders.<br />
“I love learning more about past conservation<br />
methods and how to apply them to<br />
current efforts,” Meyer says.<br />
She looks around her, listening to the<br />
birds, weighing the meaning of this place.<br />
“It’s very cool. It was <strong>NCC</strong>’s first major<br />
project. I see the history. And I feel a sense<br />
of wanting to protect it for the future,” she<br />
says. “It’s beautiful.”1<br />
ANDREW WARREN. MIKE FORD.<br />
14 FALL <strong>2022</strong><br />
natureconservancy.ca
<strong>NCC</strong> staff member setting her<br />
sights at Happy Valley Forest, ON.<br />
Pipestone Creek, SK.<br />
“Congratulations <strong>NCC</strong> on 60 years of<br />
conservation success! We’ve been<br />
proud to partner with you as you’ve<br />
grown into one of the world’s<br />
foremost conservation organizations.<br />
BRIANNA ROYE; INSET: JASON BANTLE.<br />
“The Weston Family Foundation<br />
shares your commitment to<br />
protecting and restoring biodiversity<br />
in Canadian landscapes. We look<br />
forward to continuing our work<br />
together to conserve a thriving<br />
natural world for all.”<br />
— Emma Adamo, Chair,<br />
Weston Family Foundation<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 15
21 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca<br />
TKTKTKTKTKTKT
TKTKTKTKTKTKT<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 22
Your<br />
natural<br />
legacy<br />
The Nature Legacy Society is<br />
a group of over 2,000 Canadians<br />
who have left a gift to <strong>NCC</strong> in<br />
their Wills<br />
A<br />
s we look back and celebrate<br />
60 years of the Nature<br />
Conservancy of Canada’s<br />
(<strong>NCC</strong>’s) history, we can’t help but<br />
think about the thousands of Canadians<br />
who have supported us on this<br />
journey, and the vital lands and waters<br />
that will be sustained well into the<br />
future. <strong>NCC</strong> has set ambitious goals to<br />
ensure that our most cherished habitats<br />
and the species that depend on<br />
them are conserved for the long term.<br />
Legacy gifts have been instrumental<br />
to the foundation of <strong>NCC</strong>. They have<br />
provided us with the funds that support<br />
the day-to-day operations of Canada’s<br />
largest land conservation charity.<br />
These gifts provide resources that<br />
allow us to set ambitious goals and<br />
commit to milestone conservation<br />
initiatives across Canada.<br />
Nature Legacy Society members<br />
share a vision for the future where important<br />
ecosystems, habitats and wildlife<br />
are protected well beyond their<br />
lives. They have trusted <strong>NCC</strong> with the<br />
most precious of gifts: their legacy.<br />
We are honoured to receive bequest<br />
gifts from donors and are grateful to<br />
the more than 2,000 members of the<br />
Nature Legacy Society who have informed<br />
us of a future provision to <strong>NCC</strong><br />
through a gift in their Will.<br />
The successes we share as an organization<br />
working to conserve our<br />
most valuable natural spaces can be<br />
directly attributed to the dedication<br />
and commitment of you, our donors.<br />
Laurie Arbeau with a 10-week old beaver rescued from the side of the road.<br />
Laurie Arbeau<br />
“My whole life, I have always felt a connection to nature. If one can just take a moment to<br />
sit, block out all the human-made sounds and activities, allow yourself to listen and really look<br />
at what is before you, it doesn’t take long to realize just how amazing, beautiful and balanced<br />
nature is, and to think it costs us nothing to be able to enjoy this reality.<br />
“I have a personal saying that is very dear and meaningful to me. It represents how I feel about<br />
nature and the lessons my father taught me on several camping trips as I was growing up: “Fly<br />
free, swim free, roam free.”<br />
“I choose to leave a gift in my Will to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as to me this<br />
organization represents the very saying that is dear to me. It brings me comfort and peace<br />
knowing <strong>NCC</strong> is hard at work trying to protect wilderness and wildlife for the good of all.”<br />
– Laurie has been an <strong>NCC</strong> donor since 2010 and a Nature Legacy Society member since 2019.<br />
Keith Brooks, Georgian Trail, Meaford, ON.<br />
Keith Brooks<br />
“From Cathedral Grove in BC, to the Skerwink Trail in Newfoundland, to my own backyard,<br />
I have seen many amazing sights offered by nature. I’m entrusting <strong>NCC</strong> currently with my<br />
financial support and leaving a gift in my Will, as they have demonstrated a love for our natural<br />
heritage and a science-based approach on how to conserve it for future generations. By setting<br />
priorities and working with others, <strong>NCC</strong> has set a great example of how, together, we can make<br />
a difference, both today and in the years to come.”<br />
– Keith has been an <strong>NCC</strong> donor since 2001 and a Nature Legacy Society member since 2011.<br />
Greg Oneschuk<br />
Greg Oneschuk, Balancing Rock, NS.<br />
“I have always held a strong position in favour of a healthy and sustainable environment for<br />
future generations to enjoy. I believe the goals and policy of <strong>NCC</strong> closely align with that philosophy.”<br />
– Greg has been an <strong>NCC</strong> donor since 2014 and a Nature Legacy Society member since 2018.<br />
PHOTOS COURTESY LAURIE ARBEAU, KEITH BROOKS AND GREG ONESCHUK.<br />
18 FALL <strong>2022</strong> natureconservancy.ca
A NATURAL LEGACY<br />
FOR THE FUTURE<br />
A Gift in your Will to the<br />
Nature Conservancy of<br />
Canada will go to protect<br />
our most vulnerable natural<br />
areas and the wildlife that<br />
live there, for generations<br />
to come.<br />
TKTKTKTKTKTKT<br />
For more information on how you can leave a gift<br />
for nature in your Will, please contact Jackie today<br />
to request your free information booklet.<br />
877-231-3552 x. 2275 | planned.giving@natureconservancy.ca<br />
natureconservancy.ca<br />
FALL <strong>2022</strong> 19
THANK YOU!<br />
SCAN TO<br />
SIGN UP<br />
Thank you for 60 years of conservation success! As we celebrate<br />
the last six decades with you, we look ahead to the next 60 years.<br />
To get the latest on conservation, connecting with nature, upcoming<br />
events and more, sign up for our email newsletter at<br />
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With nature, we are building a thriving world.