Image Credit: SUBMITTED/naturetrust.bc.ca
June 25, 2023 - 10:30 AM
An invaluable ecosystem in the Similkameen will remain in its natural state forever if the Nature Trust of British Columbia reaches its goal of raising $425,000 by the end of the year.
The goal is to purchase 11 hectares of the Nighthawk Hill Grasslands in Cawston to make sure “it will never be sold or developed,” according to a release from the Nature Trust.
“Grasslands provide critical support for biodiversity,” Dr. Jasper Lament, CEO of Nature Trust, said in the release. “Mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles all rely on grasslands. Grasslands cover less than one percent of British Columbia's land area and are one of Canada's most endangered ecosystems. By protecting this land, we ensure that the at-risk species that call it home have a chance to flourish.”
Numerous “imperiled” species live in the Nighthawk Hill Grasslands, the release says. Mammals include the Pallid Bat, American Badger, Western Harvest Mouse, and Nuttall’s Cottontail. At-risk birds that can be found in the ecosystem are the Sage Thrasher, Barn Swallow, Common Nighthawk, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bobolink, Bank Swallow, and Lewis’s Woodpecker. And a “plethora” of reptiles are drawn to its hot and dry climate – like the Western Yellow-bellied Racer, Western Tiger Salamander, Great Basin Spadefoot, Western Rattlesnake, and Great Basin Gophersnake.
Nature Trust says the $425,000 has to be raised by the end of 2023. Anybody interested in donating can do so through this link.
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