11 Jul NATURE’S WAYS INSPIRE LABONVILLE-LECLERC FAMILY TO COMPLETE SECOND CONSERVATION PROJECT
(Bolton-Est, July 18, 2022) Appalachian Corridor and its affiliate member, Conservation des vallons de la Serpentine (CVS), would like to thank Réjean Labonville and Gertrude Leclerc for their strong commitment to the environment through the completion of a conservation project of 30.66 hectares in East Bolton.
This land sale combined with a generous ecogift represents the couple’s second conservation project, following the donation of a conservation easement in 2016.
” In 2015, we started to work with CVS and Appalachian Corridor on a conservation easement in perpetuity on the wetland in this area of 15.29 hectares. At the time, Françoise Bricault of CVS and the Appalachian Corridor team had allowed this project to be carried out with foresight and responsibility.
Over time, our way of seeing our property evolved. Nature taught us that life evolves for everyone and that it was time to make decisions for the future of this second, larger piece of land that we loved, but which was becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. There were several options, one of which was to go with a contractor. The site would have been very suitable for development. However, over the past years, we had accumulated a lot of respect and love for this forest, its flora, and fauna. Consequently, the idea of putting it in the hands of entrepreneurs was very unappealing to us.
The members of CVS approached us with a proposal to protect it. With the assistance of Appalachian Corridor and the contribution of a donation determined by the market value of the land, we could ensure that this forest would be preserved in perpetuity.
The steps were taken and now we know that this gift to nature will contribute to the creation and conservation of a healthy and beneficial environment for all.
We had the opportunity to benefit from the competence of the personnel working within responsible organizations (CVS and Appalachian Corridor) to carry out our project. To all those who have made this beautiful project a success, we express our sincere gratitude. Thanks to you, we are happy to have contributed to the protection and conservation of the environment, a gesture and an undeniable legacy for future generations. For this reason, we feel we have done the right thing.”
Gertrude Leclerc, Réjean Labonville
For this project, Appalachian Corridor and CVS would like to give special thanks to the following funders for their essential contributions: the Ministère de l’Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, which granted more than $53 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for its Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels (PPMN), and the program Lieux prioritaires désignés par les collectivités pour les espèces en péril du Fonds de la nature du Canada (LPDC).
“Over the past 20 years, Appalachian Corridor and its 17 affiliated members have helped to carry out more than 100 conservation projects with landowners, either in full title or through donations of conservation easements,” explains Marie-José Auclair, President of the Board of Appalachian Corridor. “All of these visionary gestures for nature represent gains of more than 15,600 hectares of natural environments protected in perpetuity between Granby and Sherbrooke, and from the American border to the north of parc national du Mont-Orford. This is the equivalent of the area of the city of Granby that is now protected forever,” she adds.
ABOUT
Canada’s Nature Fund Community Designated Priority Sites for Species at Risk
The Nature Fund of Canada’s Community Designated Priority Sites for Species at Risk initiative is a four-year, $15.6 million funding initiative of Environment and Climate Change Canada. https://www.canada.ca/fr/environnement-changement-climatique.html
Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels (PPMN)
The Projet de partenariat pour les milieux naturels (PPMN) is a four-year grant of over $53 million from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change to NCC. It provides support for voluntary conservation initiatives to ensure the protection of natural areas of interest by establishing financial partnerships with conservation organizations in the province. The PPMN thus aims to develop and consolidate the Quebec network of protected areas located on private land.
Nature Conservancy of Canada
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with people, communities, businesses, and government to protect and care for our most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares, including nearly 50,000 hectares in Quebec. NCC is a registered charity. With nature, NCC builds a thriving world. To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca
Contact :
Frédérique Vuillermoz
Comunications Coordinator