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$2.5 million addition made to Cumberland’s community forest

Perseverance Creek land purchase expands forest by 225 acres
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Spring at Perseverance Creek. Photo by Lorenz Jimenez

A major land purchase for the Cumberland Community Forest has been finalized.

More than 225 acres of forested land has been acquired in the Perseverance Creek watershed for protection — the result of a collaborative partnership between conservation organizations, local governments, and a private timber company.

The land purchase was championed by the Cumberland Community Forest Society (CCFS), a conservation organization formed 20 years ago by residents concerned about logging next to their community. Since its inception, the CCFS has purchased and protected over 500 acres of privately owned forest next to the Village for ecological protection and low impact recreation.

The CCFS conservation model involves raising purchase funds through diverse donors and community engagement efforts. The CCFS then negotiates a conservation covenant, which is a legal agreement to ensure the long-term protection of the forest lands to be purchased. The lands are then acquired and managed by the Village of Cumberland as the Cumberland Community Forest and protected by guidelines laid out in the covenant.

“We are proud of the rich partnership we have had with the Cumberland Community Forest Society over the past 20 years,” said Cumberland Mayor Leslie Baird.

“The Cumberland Community Forest contributes greatly to the quality of life of Village residents and the wider Comox Valley. This project has also strengthened inter-regional relationships and shown that small communities are capable of great things when people work together.”

The $2.5 million purchase is the largest to date for the CCFS, and is unique from previous purchases because of the creek system that runs through it. Perseverance Creek is a salmon-bearing tributary of Comox Lake, the drinking water supply for over 45,000 Comox Valley residents. The protection of the Valley’s drinking water is the responsibility of the CVRD and the purchase was supported as part of Comox Lake Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) recommendations.

The Perseverance Creek acquisition was financially supported by the Cumberland Forest donor community, the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD), the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Program, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Village of Cumberland, the Courtenay Fish and Game Protective Association and Guardian Donors including the Li-Grimmer Family, Rob H. Daniel, the Flanagan Foundation, The Perseverance Trail Run, The Cumby, Cumberland Brewing Company and other conservation partners who choose to remain anonymous.

Cumberland Community Forest lands have been purchased from Hancock Timber Resource Group, a Manulife Investment Management Company and one of the major landowners of forest lands in the region. They have worked closely with the CCFS and the Village as active partners in the sale.

“Source water protection is key to ensuring the Comox Lake watershed is healthy, resilient and able to provide drinking water for our community into the future,” explained Ken Grant, chair of the Comox Valley Water Committee. “We are pleased to partner with the CCFS and the Village of Cumberland in this unique watershed protection collaboration that benefits the whole Comox Valley.”

Amanagementplanningprocesswillbeinitiatedsoontoconsiderrestorationplanning,andtrailmanagementtoaddresshistoric,currentandfutureimpacts,andonthelandscape.CCFS-lededucationalinitiativesandbiodiversityprojectsarewellunderway.

“The business of buying and protecting land doesn’t stop once the purchase is made. The CCFS takes our responsibility as stewards and active partners in caring for these lands seriously. We look forward to working with our community partners to help plan the important work ahead,” said Evan Gough, chair of the CCFS.

TofindoutabouttheCumberlandCommunityForestortheCumberlandCommunityForestSociety,visitwww.cumberlandforest.com