To Lend a Helping Hand for Money Creek

Tiny Saturna Island is home to rare and threatened species of wildlife and vulnerable Southern Gulf Island ecosystems. It was also home to John and Carol Money. John arrived as a “babe in arms” with his parents, siblings and extended family in 1945, and John and Carol raised their family there, creating a number of successful business enterprises and a decades-long family legacy of contributing to the community.

John’s parents purchased numerous tracts of land on Saturna and used them to contribute to the community. In 1946, the Saturna Island School opened on land that the Moneys donated to education. John and his family also refurbished swampy Money Lake into a healthy watershed, and sold it to the Lyall Harbour/Boot Cove Water System to support the island’s water supply.

While the Moneys now live on Vancouver Island they still own property on Saturna Island and the community is very important to the couple. They are deeply committed to the care and protection of the Island’s flora and fauna, from moss-covered meadows to secret groves of cedar trees.

This is why John and Carol decided to contribute land to the community once again, this time through an ecogift to The Nature Trust of BC.

What is an ecogift? The Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts program allows donors to donate part of the value of the land to The Nature Trust of BC and other organizations for conservation purposes. That land can then be purchased and protected at a reduced price, in line with the wishes of their historic owner. The program provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.

John and Carol decided to donate an ecogift to The Nature Trust of BC during our purchase of land along Money Creek, recently formalized into the Saturna Island – Money Creek Conservation Area. The conservation area consists of 58.1 hectares of land adjacent to the Southern Gulf Islands National Park Reserve.

“It is my hope that other people will enjoy rambles over these lands as much as I have throughout my life. I hope they will feel the restorative energy that walks in nature and being in the woods can give you,” said John. “I believe The Nature Trust will maintain the land and the trails so that people can continue to enjoy these beautiful properties.”

Here at The Nature Trust, we intend to do just that.

The Ecological Gifts program is an unconventional yet effective way to donate to The Nature Trust. It helps facilitate the land purchase process to ensure that your land is conserved, and the tax incentives are significant. You can learn more about ecogifts and how to participate in the program on our website.

Thank you to the Money family for their contributions to BC conservation. We are eternally grateful for their work!