Point of preservation

By Philip Raphael - South Delta Leader - April 11, 2008

NewS.48.20080410175552.LilyPoint_20080411.jpg

Land purchase—This aerial image shows the area supporters Lily Point want to preserve by buying from its current owners. Contributed photo

Fundraising drive in final stretch to buy Lily Point

The days remaining to preserve a sensitive Point Roberts shoreline habitat are counting down. And the funds needed to ensure its development-free future are going up.

But those supporting a bid to purchase Lily Point are confident they can meet the April 30 deadline to raise the remaining $250,000 for the $3.5 million, 90-acre property.

“We should be able to reach that goal, but we still need the support of the public to ensure the land is preserved,” said Gordon Scott of the Whatcom Land Trust. “We have to because the land provides a natural flow of sediment to the Boundary Bay area that is important to the eel grass and the wildlife that depend on it.”

Scott said the property belongs to a Canadian development company. Past plans for the site have included a golf course and residential property, moves that could interrupt the sediment flow.

To help raise awareness about the fundraising drive supporters of the land purchase will be holding a tour of the site on April 26.

“We’re inviting members of the public to join us on this guided tour and see this landscape firsthand and understand why it is so important to preserve,” said Samantha Scholefield, who has a summer cottage in Point Roberts.

The initial drive to preserve the land was undertaken by the The Whatcom Land Trust and local conservation group The Point Roberts Conservation Society.

Half of the land cost was met by the Whatcom County and the State of Washington, leaving a balance of $750,000.

An anonymous donor provided $200,000. And now just $250,000 needs to be raised to complete the deal.

Donations, which are tax deductible, can be made in the U.S. to the Whatcom Land Trust (www.whatcomlandtrust.org) or in Canada to the The Land Conservancy (www.conservancy.bc.ca).

n editor@southdeltaleader.com

Email | Print | Letter to Editor | Share on Facebook

Point of preservation

Most read in your Region

Most read across BC