Teck Announces $2 million contribution to support Columbia Lake conservation

Teck Resources Ltd. has contributed $2 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to help conserve Lot 48 on Columbia Lake. — Photo courtesy Invermere.com

Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TCK.A and TCK.B, NYSE: TCK) is pleased to announce that it is contributing $2 million to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to help conserve Lot 48 on Columbia Lake in southeast British Columbia.

“Teck is proud to support the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Ktunaxa Nation and local communities in working to protect this area of great cultural and ecological significance,” said Don Lindsay, president and CEO of Teck. “This investment will help conserve an important ecosystem in the headwaters of the Columbia River for the benefit of future generations.”

Lot 48 is a 127-hectare parcel of land located on the east shore of Columbia Lake, approximately five kilometres south of Fairmont Hot Springs. It represents a key habitat for bighorn sheep, elk and a number of rare and endangered species. The land also includes important wetlands near the headwaters of the Columbia River system that form part of the longest uninterrupted wetland in North America. Protecting this land will connect over 7,600 hectares of protected land, which together will create critical north-south and east-west wildlife corridors.

“This ecologically and culturally rich property is the last remaining parcel on the east shore of Columbia Lake that is not yet designated for conservation,” said John Lounds, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “We are grateful for Teck’s support, which is a significant contribution to the protection of a natural treasure.”

The land also has important cultural values for the Ktunaxa First Nation. For thousands of years the Ktunaxa used the area as a transportation route to the Prairies and as a site for villages and camps. In their stories the area is celebrated as the cradle of human life. Numerous archeological sites have also been documented in this area, including pictographs and burial sites.

"The east side of Columbia Lake is an integral part of Ktunaxa history," said Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxa Nation chair. “It is the foundation of the Ktunaxa Creation Story, and has been used by our people for thousands of years. Lot 48 is a significant piece of the cultural landscape of that area, and the Ktunaxa Nation have continuously supported all efforts to conserve this area for future generations. We would like to commend Teck, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and all other contributors for their work and dedication to this common goal."

This investment will also build on Teck’s recently announced partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium. The northern leopard frog is a species the aquarium is currently working to reproduce at its facility. Protecting Lot 48 will complete the protection of the east side of Columbia Lake, which is in the crucial headwaters of a potential future frog release site in the Columbia wetlands.