Campaigns
Ten years after our momentous win in court and subsequent purchase of Wildwood, we have paid down only $114,000 of the mortgage, leaving us with a further $336,000. Fortunately, we have had no problems in meeting our mortgage obligations, but we believe that money is better spent on educational programs and building projects. There are no grants or philanthropic organizations to help pay down debt, so now we turn to you, the public, to make what donations you can in the month of September.
Burn the Mortgage!
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Burn the Mortgage! 🔥
To keep Wildwood Ecoforest in the public domain, the Ecoforestry Institute Society (EIS) was obligated to obtain a mortgage from Vancity as part of the purchase price. In November 2016, after three years of negotiations with The Land Conservancy (TLC), it all came down to a decision by the BC Supreme Court. The Justice declared that the party presenting the best purchase package the next morning would be entitled to buy and steward Wildwood. EIS had fought hard to hold the property on behalf of the people of BC and overnight we scrambled to gather up more donations to add to our purchase price.
In the end, we were able to offer $800,000, of which $450,000 came from the Vancity mortgage. This was in addition to strong community supporters who donated the rest in cash and credit forgiveness to the TLC, the land trust deed and the Ecoforestry Management Plan approved by renowned ecologist Herb Hammond himself.
We thought we had a snowball’s chance, but we worked hard to make the best possible presentation. After a nerve-wracking wait the next morning, the Justice announced the winner – EIS! We won by a mere $30,000! It was the right move at the right time and the stars aligned for us. Since that decision, Wildwood has become an even more important beacon of how ecoforestry practices can honour and respect the forest while yielding benefits for humans.
Last year, we celebrated 80 years since Merv Wilkinson first began practicing ecoforestry at Wildwood, and today we still have a standing, intact, biodiverse forest. Wildwood remains the only working demonstration ecoforest on the west coast of North America and we have important plans for the future.
We understand that in today’s economy, many people have difficulty in paying their own mortgage or rent. We have also heard from our supporters that they would gladly contribute to this campaign, so please – donate what you can, but don’t worry if you can’t. Believe me, we understand.
EIS Dream List:
The Mill Yard Build Out: Upgrade our current mill site with a mill shed, drying shed, workshop, and First Nations carving shed.
The Wildwood School of Ecoforestry: Build a permanent structure to serve as an education centre, meeting space, event venue, and nature house.
Educational Programs: Develop new, engaging programs for all ages that use state of the art tools and technology to inspire students to care for their environment.
The Call for a New Forest Framework in British Columbia
We're calling on you, caring individuals, academics, professionals, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations to sign and send the attached letter to your elected officials to develop a new forest model and perspective. Forests, particularly mature and old-growth systems, are living thriving beings, not simply feedstock or fibre to be clearcut and shipped overseas. We need to change how we live in and with nature if we are to survive. We need to do that now.
We saved the 21 Acres with Wildwood!
Our rare Coastal Douglas-fir forests are disappearing. Read all about this successful campaign here:
We are a non-profit charitable organization, run by a volunteer board
and supported by a strong core of members and volunteers like you.
Thank you for your on-going support!
The Ecoforestry Institute Society is Charitable Registration #88911-10599 RR0001