More than $20,000 in private donations has been secured to try to preserve a 107-hectare parcel of land on Gambier Island.
Since last December, the community has responded generously to the fundraising efforts of the Gambier Island Conservancy and Islands Trust Fund to protect a parcel of land on Mount Artaban as a natural reserve.
The parcel of land is being offered to Islands Trust Fund as a free Crown grant from the Province of B.C. Its estimated value stands at $1.2 million.
The land adjoins several other parks and reserve areas that together would create a protected area of 525 hectares, an area 25 per cent larger than that of Stanley Park.
In December, Coast Reporter reported that the land grant is dependent upon the Islands Trust for a land survey and management plan for the reserve.
Through fundraising efforts collaborated by the Gambier Island Con-servancy and a $7,000 donation made by the Sunshine Coast Regional District, the group is $15,000 away from its goal of $42,000.
The $42,000 currently being fundraised is intended to cover the high costs of the land survey, due to its remote location and the rugged terrain.
