BC Parks Foundation

Vancouver, BC – Even though the Juniper Ridge area is just minutes away from the urban centre of Kamloops, Nancy Flood and other members of the community, are immediately immersed in another world when they go for walks in the region.

“It really is a treasure,” says Flood, President of the Kamloops Naturalist Club. “There’s so much nature here.”

In addition to its natural values, the lands provide majestic views of Kamloops and the surrounding area. 

Members of the Kamloops community recognized Juniper Ridge’s natural and recreational values and contacted BC Parks Foundation to help protect 517 acres (209 hectares) when the land came up for sale. 

The Foundation agreed and secured a purchase agreement. It then raised most of the funding required. Now it is launching a crowdfunding campaign for the rest.

“We have had a great response so far,” says Andy Day, CEO of the Foundation, which has done crowdfunding campaigns successfully with other BC communities. “There’s only two million dollars left to go. We do have a donor who will match up to one million of that if people in the community can do the rest. If everyone puts in whatever they can, it will all add up and we’ll get there. It is always a lot of fun and a great legacy for everyone who gets involved.”

Day believes this project is important to conserve because of the grasslands, like the ones in Juniper Ridge, cover less than 1% of British Columbia and are now considered to be at risk. These grasslands are also home to more than 30% of BC’s threatened species, like bighorn sheep, badgers, and butterflies. This ecosystem is also important for producing clean air and water which is vital to our health. 

Dr. Tom Dickinson, a Kamloops resident and Chair of the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia, echoes the importance of conserving this area. 

“Over thirty species of birds have been sighted in this area as well as some trees that go back 250 years,” says Dickinson.

Dickinson points out that grasslands are particularly sensitive and vulnerable to being disturbed by humans. That’s because below the vegetation lies a fragile microbiotic crust composed of lichens, mosses, and algae. The crust holds the soil together in a rough surface, enabling soils to better capture moisture, stop wind and water erosion, and provide much needed nitrogen to plants.

For Dickinson, Flood and other Kamloops residents, they see the importance of these areas and how much has been lost over the years. Being part of this campaign is their way of trying to make a difference.

“This is a beautiful area and a part of British Columbia’s natural heritage that is becoming increasingly rare,” says Flood. “We want to keep it for everyone to enjoy.”

Anyone interested in participating can go to the crowdfunding page to find out more.

Photos can be found here.