B.C. philanthropists donate Okanagan Lake shoreline property to help protect salmon

A valuable stretch of Okanagan Lake shoreline and a critical Kokanee salmon spawning ground in B.C.'s Interior are receiving new protections.

Roughly 117 hectares of land has been purchased by Kelowna-area locals and donated to the B.C. Parks Foundation, the charitable organization focused on habitat conservation announced this week.

Among those who put up money to buy the property is Colin Pritchard, a retired lawyer who grew up in the region and has made several contributions toward conservation efforts in the area.

"What's the Okanagan without Okanagan Lake?" he said. "The possibility of saving any of this is important."

Kokanee salmon are a land-locked subspecies of sockeye salmon found in the B.C. Interior. Unlike other salmon populations, they do not migrate to the sea, but instead live out their entire lives in freshwater lakes.

Their numbers have fluctuated greatly in recent years, leading to calls from conservation groups and First Nations for more protections to be put in place.

Research has pointed to factors such as pollution, lake levels, habitat loss, and climate change as risk factors in some areas.  

Pritchard said that as a boy, he spent his days fishing for Kokanee salmon but their habitat is increasingly threatened by new developments and "any way to protect them seems worthwhile."

The donated property was owned by Pritchard, as well as Gordon Baughen and Robin Durrant. The value of the property was not disclosed.

B.C. Parks Foundation president Jennie McCaffrey said acquiring the shoreline land is an important first step to establishing wider protections from development in the region, which is highly sought after for vacation properties, marinas and tourism operations.

"We're going to be working with First Nations and community groups in the area to create that management plan so that people can enjoy it forever," she said, adding that in addition to salmon the shoreline property is important to many other species, as well.

"The salmon spawning habitat that this lakeshore provides is incredible, it's really unique."