BC Parks Foundation
Protected: Okanagan Mountain
Thank you for keeping the magic of parks alive!
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Donate a Car Canada accepts Vehicle Donations for the BC Parks Foundation. Free towing is provided in most areas across Canada, or you can drop off your vehicle to maximize your donation. When you donate your car, truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle to the BC Parks Foundation through Donate A Car Canada, it will either be recycled or sold at auction (depending on its condition, age and location). Donate a Car Canada will look after all the details to make it easy for the BC Parks Foundation to benefit. After your vehicle donation is complete, Canada Helps will send you a tax receipt and remit proceeds to BC Parks Foundation to be put to good use. Please click here to donate a vehicle.
Note that Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t allow charitable gift receipts for services.
Including real estate or publicly traded securities as a charitable gift to the BC Parks Foundation in your will is also a great way to leave a legacy. For your consideration, sample wording for your will could include, "I wish to make a gift to BC Parks Foundation of 625 Howe Street, Suite 1550, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2T6, charitable registration number 731307492BW0001, as follows:
(i) select from publicly traded securities that I own, if any, at the date of my death, securities (the “Gift Shares”) that collectively have a total fair market value as of the date of my death of not more than $____ (the “Donation Amount”) and transfer the Gift Shares to the BC Parks Foundation;
(ii) if the value of the Gift Shares is less than the Donation Amount, pay the BC Parks Foundation an amount equal to the difference between the Donation Amount and the value of the Gift Shares; and
(iii) it is my hope that the Donation Amount will be applied by the BC Parks Foundation to support the work of the BC Parks Foundation."
Please contact us if you would like to discuss including a legacy gift, real estate, or securities in your will. You can use the form below, email gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca, or call 604-343-3975.
Other ways you can help enhance BC’s world-class parks system
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YOU DID IT!
Okanagan Mountain
Crowdfunding Goal Reached
I am glad to let you know that through your generosity all funds have been secured and the property will be protected. Wildlife and threatened species in the area will have a home free from disturbance and people will be able to enjoy the viewscape and health/recreational benefits--- forever.
This is fantastic news and I want to recognize everyone who contributed, whether through donations, sharing the campaign, volunteering, or media. Every paddle stroke carried the canoe closer to our destination, no matter the size, shape or colour.
I wanted to give special thanks to Colin Pritchard for his passion and active involvement in contributing and raising funds, the Wilson 5 Foundation, and to special donors Cynthia and Paul Rodgers, who helped carry it across the finish line. We also want to thank our partners at the Central Okanagan Land Trust, Southern Interior Land Trust, Okanagan Nation Alliance, BC Parks, and Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program.
I also wanted to thank everyone who made wishes for nature to our Wishing Tree- when people wish alone it is only a dream, but when people wish together, magic happens.
This land will be protected forever because of the spirit of people like you, who care about BC and want to keep it beautiful. You are the source of the magic and result.
Please take a moment to feel proud of what you have accomplished, and to celebrate this wonderful news. It’s a wonderful gift you have made together--- one that will keep giving to species and people now and in the future. Thank you!
Yours Truly,
Andy - CEO BC Parks Foundation
Okanagan Mountain
Together you have reached the crowdfunding target and protected all 151.7 acres of remarkably beautiful and ecological significance habitat. This property is surrounded by Okanagan Mountain Park, and holds a cherished place in the heart of British Columbia's interior.
Okanagan Mountain Park is located within the traditional territory of the Westbank First Nation and Penticton Indian Band near Kelowna in the interior of BC.
YOUR DONATIONS HAVE CREATED A SANCTUARY FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES AND A CORRIDOR FOR WILDLIFE
The purchase helps support and kick off a larger campaign by the Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program to create a wildlife corridor that runs 65 kilometres to Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. That is part of a larger vision to continue a corridor down into Washington State.
Dixon Terbasket is the Cultural Coordinator with the Okanagan Nation Alliance. He sees the corridor and the protection of lands in it as essential to survival. "If we block the animals...we're slowly going to peter out the numbers, the numbers are going to decrease, and we're not going to have any more."
The Okanagan is home to one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in Canada, with a significant concentration of threatened species.
Butterflies, turtles, badgers, and dragonflies are only a fraction of the 150+ species who will all have a better chance at long term survival with this land protected and the corridor expanded.
"The park protects a whole host of species at risk" says local resident and University of British Columba Okanagan Professor Emeritus Dr. Ian Walker. "There are elk and mountain goats and bighorn sheep down in the park, as well as cougars and bears. Golden eagles are known to nest in the park. And you just go on and on.
KEEP THE COASTLINE BEAUTIFUL AND SAFE
Scott Boswell, Program Manager at Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program emphasizes, "This property is one of the key remaining private properties left along Okanagan Lake. Studies over the last 16 years have shown a steady decline of natural areas around the lake. With continued development, we would see the loss of all natural areas around the lake within a generation or two. Protecting this property is so important for the entire region because it is one of the large fragments that we need to include into the park and to the connectivity to the other parks in the region as well."
PROTECT NOW, ENJOY FOREVER
To protect this beautiful natural area and ensure it is never developed, we have negotiated an agreement to purchase all 151.7-acres. With dedicated community groups and caring donors, $3.25 million of the $4 million needed has already been raised. You have the opportunity to act now to complete the purchase and close the deal before the clock runs out.
CAMPAIGN FUNDED - THANK YOU
DONATE NOW!
Your gift is helping to protect 25% of BC's land and sea by 2025!
Contact Us
Phone: 604-343-3975 ext. 101
Email: gifts@bcparksfoundation.ca
Once we complete the purchase of the land, we will issue charitable tax receipts for all donations of $20 and over, which can be used to claim charitable tax credits - the more you donate the more you can save! Any excess funds raised will be used to create a Stewardship Fund for long term maintenance of this property or on our next Parks Bank initiative.
Protect, Now | Enjoy, Forever
Photography Credit: © Ian Walker
“I can't conceive of anything being more varied, rich and handsome than planet earth: its crowning beauty is the natural world. I want to soak it up, to understand it ... then put it together and express it in my painting. This is the way I want to dedicate my life.
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