Nature Conservancy of Canada’s green gifts program is a win-win for all involved

Having trouble finding the perfect gift this year? The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) may be able to help.

The organization is offering a meaningful alternative: the gift of nature.

Returning for its 29^th year, NCC’s green gifts program allows people to symbolically adopt Canada’s wildlife or treasured natural landscapes.

Participants can choose to symbolically adopt species such as monarch butterfly, swift fox, wolf, snowy owl, Canada lynx, river otter, Atlantic puffin, Blanding’s turtle, grizzly bear and polar bear.

They can also support the conservation of landscapes in such regions as our Great Lakes, Boreal Forest, East Coast, Gaspé Peninsula and Appalachian Mountains, Canadian Rockies, BC Interior and West Coast.

Funds raised through the green gifts program support NCC’s efforts to conserve forests, wetlands, our native prairie grasslands and shorelines that are home to many species at risk.

“Green gifts are ideal for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts,” says Andrew Holland, Nature Conservancy of Canada spokesperson. “They’re also perfect for those on your list who live far away, seem to have everything or are difficult to shop for. This is an opportunity to give a gift that’s unique, memorable and impactful. We encourage people to consider a gift that protects nature so it can continue to do what it does best: care for us all and make all life on Earth possible. It is a great opportunity to support conservation close to home”

Since the program’s inception, more than $3 million has been raised.

More information about the green gifts program can be found at giving.natureconservancy.ca.

 

• Paperless gift options include a digital full-colour certificate, a digital landscape or species booklet and an informational video. Charitable tax receipts are issued for all green gifts program purchases. Digital gift options are recommended due to the ongoing Canada Post strike.
• There is a great need to permanently conserve land. Canada has lost more than 80 per cent of our original native Prairie grasslands,  70 per cent of our Prairie wetlands, 80 per cent of Carolinian forest and over 80 per cent of wetlands in and around urban areas.
• Canada has 875 species that are in different at risk categories – based on the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). These categories include threatened, special concern, endangered, extinct and extirpated (which means no longer in Canada but occurs elsewhere). Canada’s Species at Risk Act shows an increase of nearly 4% annually since 2002.
• People can have confidence in donating to Nature Conservancy of Canada. NCC earned a grade of “A” by Charity Intelligence Canada and a five star rating.  84% of all funds go to our on-the-ground conservation work.  We are grateful to all donors for their generous support.