The tree loving, forest-buying, self-sufficient members of the community of Read Island are back to buy more forest land to preserve, a month after buying 20 acres of land.

Recently the Surge Narrows Community Association, consisting of members from the the islands of Read, Maurelle, Rendezvous, and Owen Bay on Sonora Island, raised funds to buy 20 acres of forest land on Read Island, which is located at the top of the Strait of Georgia near Quadra and Cortes.

They began raising funds for this plot of land, B次元官网网址楲ot 302,B次元官网网址� that belonged to a Read island couple in October 2019 and within three to four months they raised approximately $200,000 through crowd funding site GoFundMe and other donations.

After buying the land for $150,000, followed by legal feels and all other associated costs, they had a surplus. The community will use this amount to invest in another stretch of old-growth forest and sensitive ecosystems, said Rosie Steeves one of the directors of the Surge Narrows Community Association.

B次元官网网址淚 believe we may have an additional $50,000 left and we will use that money to purchase more land and protect it,B次元官网网址� Steeves said.

This will be the third project the community undertakes to buy forest, with Surge Narrow residents raising $78,000 back in 1992 to purchase their first 20 acres of forest land, the B次元官网网址楲ot 309B次元官网网址� Fish and Forest Reserve. With the purchase of B次元官网网址楲ot 302,B次元官网网址� the community has created a 40-acre ecological reserve.

The land will eventually be transferred over to the Strathcona Regional District once the covenants to ensure the land is completely protected are ready.

A landmark event for the community, Steeves said that it reflected the energy of the community and how everyone wanted to protect this small island from logging.

B次元官网网址淭he degree and percentage of logging on such a small island was distressing and for a very long time people on the island felt helpless about it,B次元官网网址� Steeves said.

Which is why, once the opportunity presented itself, almost everyone jumped in and contributed for B次元官网网址楲ot 302B次元官网网址�.

B次元官网网址淧eople donB次元官网网址檛 have big incomes here and despite that, they donated generously,B次元官网网址� she said and added this collective effort generated a lot of B次元官网网址渆nergyB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址減ositive feeling.B次元官网网址�

For a small island with a population of around 50 to 100 residents to pull off this feat is a game changer, says Steeves who feels that this could set an example for a lot of other places that want to save their environments.

B次元官网网址淓verybody is blown away, not only by how we did it but also how quickly we did it, B次元官网网址� said Steeves, and added B次元官网网址淚f we can do it, a lot of folks can too.B次元官网网址�

Steeves said that the age of internet helped further the conservation, a tool that was not previously available to the generation that took two to three years to raise funds back in 1992.

External funding came in from people outside the region too, who heard about the cause and wanted to support this act of preservation.

Some of the residents who lived on Read Island in the past and have shared histories with the land also came forward to donate money.

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