By Mike Vanden Bosch

Land acquisition

Vancouver foundation acquires roughly 55 hectares of land, forest inholdings in the Fraser Canyon for local band

Feb 18, 2026 | 8:35 AM

FRASER CANYON — The Nature-Based Solutions Foundation in Vancouver says it has recently acquired two clusters of private land inholdings totaling just over 55 hectares within the traditional territory of the Kanaka Bar Band in the Fraser Canyon for conservation purposes.

According to a news release from the conservation organization, the 55 hectares of land are inside the boundaries of Kanaka Bar’s proposed Indigenous Protected & Conserved Area (IPCA).

The foundation says the acquisitions will safeguard exceptionally diverse old-growth forests, including habitat that features Canada’s largest documented Rocky Mountain juniper, and they build on NBSF’s earlier purchase of the “Old Man Jack’s” parcel in 2022, thereby bringing the total to three private properties to be returned to Kanaka Bar through Indigenous-led conservation, title-registered legal protection, and long-term stewardship funding.

“Return of these properties to the Kanaka Bar Band helps us secure and protect lands and waters at the heart of our IPCA,” said Sean O’Rourke, Director of Lands and Culture, Kanaka Bar Band.

Commonly known as the Jackass Mountain and “Across the River” properties, the foundation says the land purchases secure two of the last remaining private inholdings within the proposed IPCA. Together, they close key gaps in a high-priority conservation landscape contiguous with the Stein Valley Heritage Park, strengthening landscape connectivity and reinforcing the long-term integrity of the broader conservation area. They also protect ecosystems with critical importance for species recovery. The “Across the River“ parcels include a key low-elevation habitat along the Fraser River, in the range of the imperilled Stein–Nahatlatch grizzly bear population.

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The Jackass Mountain lands fall within federally identified/designated critical habitat for the Northern Spotted Owl, considered essential to the species’ recovery.

“Across the River” consists of five contiguous parcels near Kwoiek Creek on the west side of the Fraser River, where an exceptional range of ecosystems comes together; old-growth Douglas-fir, cedar, and cottonwood forest, ponderosa pine and juniper woodlands, and a wetland–riparian complex fed by a waterfall and active beaver ponds.

Jackass Mountain features four adjoining parcels on steep, west-facing slopes above the Fraser River, in a rare transition zone where wet- and dry-adapted forests meet. The area protects mature and old stands of Douglas-fir, western redcedar, bigleaf maple, ponderosa pine, Canada’s largest documented Rocky Mountain juniper, as well as dry-belt grassland patches.

Image: Nature-Based Solutions Foundation / Jackass Mountain.

Pioneering conservation agreements registered on title
The foundation says each property will be re-gifted to Kanaka Bar and protected by a pioneering conservation agreement registered on title, designed to reflect Kanaka Bar’s vision for conservation and stewardship and to align with the IPCA framework. The agreements will make sure that Kanaka Bar owns and governs the lands, with uses guided by community priorities and cultural stewardship, while placing legally binding conservation protections on title. A dedicated stewardship endowment tied to each property will provide long-term care and monitoring to support stewardship for generations.

The stewardship endowment: strong protection requires long-term funding
Long-term protection depends on long-term stewardship. These private lands will be supported by a dedicated stewardship endowment tied to the properties, set at 30% of land value. NBSF has already secured over 50% of the stewardship endowment required for these private lands.

“We’re proud to be closing in on the funding we committed to ensure the protection and stewardship of both the private lands and the unceded crown lands within the 320km² proposed protected area of the Kanaka Bar Band,” said Emilie Carrière, National Conservation Director, Nature-Based Solutions Foundation. “These ecosystems are among the least represented in BC’s protected-area system. They support multiple species at risk and include rare interior Douglas-fir old-growth forests, which are also of great cultural significance.”