A couple from Bella Coola, B.C., just donated their riverfront property to Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect the thriving wildlife in the area.
The generous couple, Harvey and Carol Thommasen, bought their property a few years ago and wanted to make it a bird sanctuary, but have now chosen to give it away to help keep it safe.
The beautiful property, which is in the traditional, unceded territory of the Nuxalk Nation, spans 122 hectares and is now called the Snowshoe Creek Conservation Area, according to a press release from the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Iris Siwallace, a councillor for the Nuxalk Nation said in the release that the area "could be destroyed by extractive industries such as logging and mining," which is why they worked with the couple and the NCC to help protect it.
The couple made the donation in the hopes of preserving all of the amazing wildlife there, which would be threatened by these industries.
They are now able to maintain a "thriving rainforest, floodplain and riverside habitat that supports an abundance of wildlife and plant diversity," said the release.
Grizzly bears are known to roam the area, as well as 15 different species that have been put on the federal Species at Risk Act. This includes wolverines, which are listed as a special concern in SARA's Schedule 1.
The area is within the Bella Coola Valley, which as a whole has an amazing amount of grizzly bears. There are actually so many that tourists will travel there to take grizzly watching tours, especially during the season when the salmon is running through.
Harvey Thommasen | Nature Conservancy of Canada
"Carol and I donated this land to the Nature Conservancy of Canada mostly to help forest birds, whose populations have declined by 30 per cent since the 1970s," said Henry Thommasen.
It will also "provide a secure travel corridor for animals like deer, grizzly bear and other large mammals moving through the Bella Coola Valley," he added.
Harvey Thommasen | Nature Conservancy of Canada
Not only is the land home to these animals, but it is also stunning.
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