Columbia Lake Conservation

In 2012, Teck contributed CAD$ 2 million to the to help conserve Lot 48, a 127-hectare parcel of land located on the east shore of Columbia Lake in southeast British Columbia. Lot 48 was the last parcel of land not designated for conservation on the east side of the lake and securing it connects over 7,600 hectares of protected land that together will create critical north-south and east-west wildlife corridors.

The area represents a key habitat for bighorn sheep, elk and a number of rare and endangered species and includes important wetlands near the headwaters of the Columbia River system that form part of the longest uninterrupted wetland in North America.

The land also has important cultural values for the Ktunaxa First Nation who have used the area as a transportation route and as a site for villages and camps for thousands of years. Numerous archeological sites have also been documented in this area including pictographs and burial sites.