The Cumberland Community Forest Society is in the final push of ‘Project Perseverance’ to raise $2,386,000 by March 31 to purchase a 91.4-hectare parcel along Perseverance Creek.
The site is part of the Perseverance Watershed that feeds into Comox Lake, which supplies drinking water to most people in the Comox Valley.
“From that standpoint, it’s critically important to protect it from further industrial activity, especially since the majority of the lands surrounding Comox Lake remain privately owned by timber companies,” CCFS board chair Evan Gough said. “Our drinking water resources are under pressure from climate change, and that pressure will only increase. The area also contains wetlands and riparian areas, which support all sorts of life, including species at risk. It’s also part of a significant habitat corridor between the ocean and the inland mountains, lakes and streams. It’s also part of the Village’s heritage story with many trails, signage and artifacts within the property that link to Cumberland’s history.”
The society is $150,000 away from closing the deal with Hancock Resource Group. Funds raised at the next trivia event, March 13, will go towards the purchase.
“The CCFS Trivia Night might be our longest-running fundraiser,” Gough said. “It raises several thousand dollars each time.”
To date, the society has purchased 110 hectares of forest and placed it under a conservation covenant to ensure its future protection. The most recent purchase, in 2016, was a 36-hectare area known as Space Nugget.
FMI: cumberlandforest.com