If there is one thing that the Canadians understand extremely well, it’s remote wilderness living. The country has a land area significantly larger than the United States, yet only about one-tenth of the population.

Once you get outside of the cities, it’s pretty much vast expanses of untouched nature as far as the eye can see.

Now thanks to a recent deal put together by the independent charity, B.C. Parks Foundation, the country has been able to secure an additional 800 hectares of territory for future generations to enjoy.

The group worked alongside governmental agency B.C. Parks to raise $3 million in order to buy the land from a private seller and save it from development.

The natural area is named Princess Louisa Inlet and it’s located about 60 miles northwest of Vancouver.

“It’s really a huge portion of the inlet and we’ll do our best to make sure that that area stays protected forever,” Andrew Day, CEO of The B.C Parks Foundation, told the CBC.

It’s a beautiful mountainous wooded region that will now be able to be used for recreation by outdoor enthusiasts for many years to come.

If it wasn’t for the thousands of individual donations that came pouring in, the Inlet would have been sold to loggers who would have stripped it down to nothing.

“We knew that there had been a couple offers from forestry companies to buy that property and that’s why we got involved in the first place,” said Day.

One by one, donors from all over the country chipped in whatever they could afford to save the land.

It was all part of a massive crowdfunding campaign.

“It’s just an amazing, amazing thing that people have done,” said Day. “It was so many people who gave us $10 or $15 and said, ‘This is all I can do, but this is a wonderful thing that you’re doing.'”

Now that the $3 million goal has been reached, the only thing left to do is sort out the final details for the purchase of the coastal wilderness area. The foundation will be working in tandem along with the Sechelt Nation and the local government to hopefully integrate the property into other surrounding protected areas. The property is bordered by various other pieces of Crown land, conservation areas, and parks.

Ultimately, the idea is to turn the entire 9000-hectare inlet into one giant provincial park.

It’s an amazing dream and one that is easily within reach thanks to all of the caring citizens who invested their hard-earned money into the project.

Although, it’s certainly not your typical investment.

There will be no financial gain for anyone involved, except for the individual selling the land. The rewards are more of an intangible variety. Things like spending a warm summer day hiking through the trails along the Sunshine Coast or fishing for salmon in the waters just offshore. Without conservation efforts like this one, these sorts of activities just would not be possible.

Saving the Princess Louisa Inlet is about giving a gift to all the Canadians of the future and keeping these incredible natural areas viable for many generations to come. It’s so amazing what can be accomplished when thousands of individuals come together with a common goal in mind. We commend their efforts and hope to see many more projects like this one getting off the ground in the future.

Check out more photos of the Princess Luisa Inlet wilderness below.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: CBC