A campaign is underway to protect more than 122 acres of forest, wetlands, estuary, and shoreline in Deep Bay.

The BC Parks Foundation has reached an agreement to purchase the property for $4 million.

With support from the Wilson 5 Foundation and other donors, $495,000 is still needed.

The Comox Valley Land Trust and Nanaimo and Area Land Trust have each committed $50,000 to the effort.

They’re now working with the BC Parks Foundation to rally their members, donors, and communities to raise the remaining $395,000 by September 30th.

The Comox Valley Land Trust says the Deep Bay property has been one of its top conservation priorities for more than 10 years.

The 122.5-acre property includes mature forest, salmon-bearing waterways, wetlands, estuary, and shoreline habitat.

It includes the estuaries of Cook Creek, Sandy Creek, and other waterways that flow into Baynes Sound.

The property is next to an 83-acre site already protected by the BC Parks Foundation.

Together, the two properties would connect more than 4,300 acres of protected land to Baynes Sound and nearby marine protected areas.

That would create a continuous conservation corridor stretching from inland forests to the Salish Sea.

The Nanaimo and Area Land Trust says protecting the property would help maintain connections between marine waters, natural shoreline, freshwater ecosystems, and mature forests.

Comox Valley Land Trust volunteers will also contribute to restoration work on the property, including creating artificial nurse logs to support forest regeneration.

The goal is to permanently protect the Deep Bay property and preserve an intact connection between forests, freshwater, estuary, and the Salish Sea.

For more information, visit Comox Valley Land Trust.