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Head of the class
All of this hard work has ranked us as a leader in our field. For a four th year
running, NCC received top marks in
MoneySense
magazine’s Char i ty 100
review. This year, we received an overall grade of A+, making us Canada’s top
environmental charity and one of the top 18 charities in the country when it
comes to financial transparency and accountability.
We continue to believe that this transparency and accountability are
critically important to our supporters.
Efficient and effective conservation
Independent reviewers Stratos Inc. provided a
of the
Government of Canada ’s Natura l Areas Conservat ion Program to measure
NCC ’s overa l l performance in achieving the outcomes of the program and assess
the economy, ef f iciency and ef fect iveness wi th which funds have been used.
The repor t was exceedingly posi t ive and found that we have achieved effi-
cient and effective conservation from coast to coast . The repor t stated that :
• The program continues to be relevant and is needed to
protect areas of ecological significance in Canada.
• The program is directly aligned with NCC and with federal
government priorities, roles and responsibilities.
• Significant progress has been made and virtually all expected outputs
and outcomes have been achieved over the first five years of implementation.
• NCC has established and implemented a strong program design,
management and accountability regime to meet the terms and
conditions of the funding agreement.
New challenges, renewed support
While it is gratifying to look back on all of these accomplishments, we are already
looking to new challenges.
Once again, our work will be bolstered by the support of the Government of
Canada. This spring, we applauded the extension of the Natural Areas Conservation
Program in Budget 2013, which allotted an additional $20 million to support the
Natural Areas Conservation Program through 2013–14. This additional $20 million will
help to protect more of Canada’s most sensitive landscapes.
The federal commitment will be matched by funds raised by NCC from other
sources. As Canada’s not-for-profit conservation leader we look forward to working
with governments at all levels and contributing fully to the development of this vitally
important framework.
Conservation is work that takes patience and a long-term view. We know that
together, our force for nature will continue to accomplish results you can walk on.
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Caring for Canada
Canadians of all ages have continued to join us in our efforts and to lend a
hand in our work. More than 1,400 Conservation Volunteers (CVs) joined the
Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) at 120 events across Canada in 2012.
Volunteers planted almost 15,000 native trees and more than 6,000 plugs of
native grasses, identified 1,200 species, collected 200 garbage bags filled with
invasive species like dog-strangling vine, woodland angelica, garlic mustard
and leafy spurge and created trails and boardwalks to enhance our visitors’
safety and educational experiences while exploring and learning about our
country’s most important natural places.
Thanks to the support of National Development Sponsor Great-West Life,
our CV program continues to engage more Canadians in more hands-on
conservation events every year. Thank you as well to the Imperial Oil Founda-
tion for supporting CV events from coast to coast.
Nature Days, launched by NCC and HSBC Bank Canada in 2012, turns NCC’s
protected areas into living classrooms where urban elementary school children can
learn first-hand about wetlands, forests and streams and the relationships between
species and habitats. This year, Nature Days events took place at the North Vancouver
Outdoor School and at NCC’s Happy Valley Forest, located north of Toronto.
Focused science and stewardship work
Meanwhile, our scientists have been active on a number of fronts, adding to
conservation knowledge around the globe. In 2012-2013, they participated in
more than 110 formal presentations to external audiences. And in the spring
of 2013, staff conducted a demonstration of NCC’s unique
or conservation scientists in Australia, who were interested in devel-
oping a similar database that would allow them to track and manage informa-
tion about their conservation projects.
Our stewardship team was equally busy, wrapping up the land manage-
ment goals set out in the Natural Areas Conservation Program agreement. They
developed an inventory of all lands conserved under the program along with
plans to manage or restore these properties and protect the species of conser-
vation priority that live on them.
