Elk Valley Regional Land Trust is restructuring its priorities after falling short of the federal government's fundraising target to purchase land for a wildlife corridor.
Last year, the Trust reached an agreement in principle to purchase the Alpine Trail Lands on Fernie's western slope for $7 million, to be incorporated into a wildlife corridor that would protect animal species as they migrate from Canada to the U.S. The Trust had gathered over $2 million in funding from the federal government and the land owner EK Land Corp. and was searching for additional funding to make up the difference.
While it did obtain half of the required funding, it was not able to raise enough to meet the $7 million target in time for the federal government's Jan. 17 deadline, so the federal funding lapsed.
Executive director Kevin LaRoche said the Trust was hopeful that conservancies would provide the remaining funds necessary to secure the land purchase, but the organizations it approached turned out to have more of a national focus.
"The project that we have on offer here simply didn't meet the priority requirements of those conservancies. We're not a national or regional land conservancy. We're an Elk Valley land conservancy. We live here," he said.
LaRoche added that the Trust plans to reorient its funding plan this year and widen its search.
"Going forward, recognizing that we've had that deficit in the past, we're going to be much more careful and much more vigorous in approaching major corporations around North America and major foundations to see if we can't get commitments for that sum," he said.
The Alpine Trail Lands are 83 hectares of land that include Mount Fernie, Fairy Creek Falls and Mount Proctor trails. It is one of 16 parcels of land on Fernie's western slope the Trust would like to incorporate into the wildlife corridor, either by purchasing land or reaching agreements with land owners.
In October, Fernie city council voted to enter discussion with the Trust about potentially purchasing recreational trails on The Alpine Trail Lands, but with the Trust falling short of its funding goal, discussion on the matter was halted.
"Before staff could advance that meeting, we were informed that the EV Land Trust had put this project on hold due to other funding shortfalls and that they were no longer advancing it. So, the project was halted before we could discuss it let alone decide on a path forward," stated Mayor Nic Milligan.
LaRoche said the Trust has turned its attention towards getting conservation status for crown land on the western slope, either through the British Columbia Parks Act or as a Wilderness Management Area.
"There are 168 declared sets of conservation lands in B.C, so it's not something that is particularly exceptional, but it would provide a significant level of protection for those lands," LaRoche explained.
LaRoche said the Trust would respect pre-existing legal rights for crown land use, such as trapping and recreation tenures.
"We would move towards attaining some sort of conservation status for the land, but we want to do so in a way that accommodates and respects existing interests and historical interests," he said.