Campaign at $235,000!
Can you help us get to our goal of $250,000?
Watch a video on the Acadian Forest and a clear cut that took place on land bordering that of Friends of Redtail Society.
Find out about “A Naturally Sweet Fundraiser for FRS” and our new T-Shirts.
Rare ferns.
Plant species that date back to the dinosaur era.
Deeply indented fossils of unusual, unstudied creatures and plants.
Naturally regenerating Hemlock, a process no longer occurring on the West Coast.
A synergy of Yellow Birch and Hemlock acting in concert to purify the air and water — a life-giving gift to all breathing and spawning beings.
These are just a few of the observations of scientist Diana Beresford-Kroeger, who toured a small portion of the land in December 2010. Her discerning eye has shed new light on what would now be lost if we hadn't acted so quickly in 2006. Her full paper on her observations brings renewed understanding of the significance of our Sheltering Forests campaign.
On December 9, 2010 Friends of Redtail Society completed the purchase of 313 acres of land near Scotsburn, Nova Scotia. With much hard work from many members and supporters, and with financial support from people literally all over the world, we raised $207,000 of the $250,000 goal (and spent less than $20,000 doing so). A generous friend lent us the remainder of the funds so that we could complete the purchase and continue fundraising in 2011 with the knowledge that our hold on the land is secure.
Our Sheltering Forests project is unique. Most projects of this sort aim at preservation, and a part of this land will indeed be preserved. But a larger part will be used to demonstrate human use of the forest in a responsible way, with consideration first for the non-human community. We will pursue activities that invite the human community into a relationship with the land that, in effect, helps each of us to redefine our sense of community to include the plants, the animals, the air and the water. We envision a demonstration woodlot to remove logs for sale or other use, but where other such projects aim at maximizing the amount of wood removed, we will focus first on a high level of protection of habitat and deeper ecological values. And we will study the implications in order to find out what that implies in terms of being able to remove wood for human use.
We hope to be able to convince many other landowners that it is possible to take from the forest while still preserving its ability to provide the other things we need like clean water, clean air, a reservoir for the carbon that our lifestyle produces, and a home for all of the other living beings which are essential to our existence in ways that are mysterious to most of us, and usually not discovered until they are gone. We realize that a healthy forest is part of what is needed to provide the economic base for our rural communities.
We are continuing to fundraise for this land. Now that we have our tax number and can give a tax receipt, many of our donors are giving larger amounts. The tax credit on donations is substantial. If your only donation is $500 to Friends of Redtail, you could claim a tax credit of $187, so that the donation would cost you $313. If you had already made charitable tax-receipted donations of $200 or more to various causes, a further $500 donation would cost you only $267 after the tax credit.
Over the past two years, we have received about 120 donations of about $100, and about 50 donations in the $500 to $5000 range. We admire those people, many of whom are not in the least “well-to-do”, who understand the environmental, social and economic implications of this project and how important it is to make this happen.
We hope that if you have not already made a serious commitment to Sheltering Forests, that you will take this opportunity to help bridge the final gap, so that we can turn from fundraising to planning and then to action.
If you can, please Donate Now, your gift is tax deductible*. We would be most appreciative if you would share this link with your contacts.
Read Diana Beresford-Kroeger's "Green Alert: A Scientific Report on the Forest of Pictou County, Nova Scotia Canada".
* Minimum eligible donation for receipt is $20.
We are now a registered charity and can provide donors of $20 or more with tax deductible receipts
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At the time of making your donation please be sure to indicate: • if you would like a receipt for tax purposes • if your donation is in support of Ben & The Tandem Tour
Donors to the Sheltering Forests Campaign are If you do not wish to have your name published please indicate“anonymous” at the time of making your Request a tax receipt (eligible for gifts of $20 or greater since Februrary 24, 2010).
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by mail on-line secure
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If a donation is not within your means, there are other ways you can help.
Read more about our plans for the land.
View endorsements from respected environmental organizations and leaders.