“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Greek Proverb

Progress in nature conservation shares that sentiment; each step is a movement towards a bigger future goal. In the case of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the steps have been getting progressively bigger.

Between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017, the Nature Conservancy of Canada acquired and finalized 56 private land conservation projects across Canada, altogether totaling 14,324 hectares of land.

“Here in Canada, we have a great diversity of landscapes that go from valleys to mountaintops. There is a network of areas we’ve studied and more and more are elected by scientists as having the potential to be monitored,” says Joel Bonin, vice president of the Nature Conservancy of Canada Quebec region, when asked about the purchases.

The group recently celebrated the acquirement of Big Trout Bay on June 16, a dense coastal boreal forest that is home to species such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon. The statement came shortly after another announcement of their historic purchase of the 6,000-hectare Kenauk property on June 6. 

“We have a lot of pride from this accomplishment, and a sense of responsibility, but we are also looking to the future. There is so much potential for the [Kenauk] landscape to become a natural learning laboratory,” says Bonin.