Save Cottonwood Lake

Head on over to our Instagram page and check out some of the amazing gift certificates up for auction. Thank you to all the amazing businesses stepping up with these generous donations! BIA BORO, Wearestories, Main Street Diner, Whitewater Ski Resort, Kootenay Backcountry Guides, El Taco and many more! Just leave your bid in the comments section. Auction closes Feb 28th. #savecottonwood #nelsonbc. More items coming!

We're having an Instagram Auction! Head over to our feed to bid on some amazing items coming in from artists and businesses throughout the community! It's shaping up to be a great finish as we push to our Feb 28th $400,000 fundraising deadline! #savecottonwood #nelsonbc Nelson & District Arts Council Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce

Thanks to our good friends at Nelson's Kootenay Co-op for helping you, the good people of this town, give to the Save Cottonwood campaign. Over the month of December, the Co-op positioned us as their "Organization of the Month," which allows visitors to the store the ability to donate to Save Cottonwood Lake. The results? $800.97! Thanks so much to everyone who participated! #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #cottonwoodlake

What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another. Chris Maser #savecottonwoodlake #savethetrees #cottonwoodlake

We're taking a short break from our fundraising push over the next few days in the want to celebrate the beauty that is Cottonwood Lake. From the woods right down under the ice. Check out this winter rainbow from Kootenay Casting. If you've got sweet shots to share, make sure to tag us! #savecottonwoodlake #cottonwoodlake #nelsonbc #conservation #winterfishing

The good folks at Ambler continue to support #savecottonwood as we push to our Feb. 28th deadline. This weekend they are donating 100% of their sales to our campaign. Visit www.amblermw.com and outfit you and yours with high quality wares from a local company! And save a lake at the same time! Thank you for your amazing support Ambler Mountain Works!! @savecottonwood

Today we give a big shout-out to Katie Macpherson, a local Nelsonite who’s been working with the Save Cottonwood Lake Society through KEA Canada Ltd. on the grant application side of the things. Humble and hard-working, Katie has played a huge role in securing some of our larger grants and donations, and people need to know that we wouldn’t be where we are today without her efforts. Thank you Katie! "I am deeply honoured to work with the dedicated and passionate team at Cotto...nwood Lake Preservation Society. Humans have a major role to play in determining ecological health and it has been overwhelming to see the vast amount of support coming from this community in support of preserving Cottonwood Lake. This historically significant area is home to a variety of plants and animals, and it is our responsibility to take care of them so these habitats can thrive. To the people that have written letters, volunteered, made donations and stepped up in support of saving Cottonwood Lake, we thank you for taking a stand, and offering your support. Social change begins with the transformation of culture, behaviour, social institutions and social structure over time. This initiative is an example of how we, as a community can work together to protect our natural resources from extractive purposes and conserve and protect the environment." - Katie Macpherson #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #conservation #nelsonbc

It is acts like these that inspire us. It is acts like these that will #SaveCottonwood. Amidst all the difficulty of running a retail store in a small town in the midst of a pandemic, our friends at Zinnia Textiles, as a thank-you to great local support they received over the holidays, are making donations to three Nelson-based not for profits: Save Cottonwood Lake, Valhalla Wilderness Society, and Ankors West. Thanks a ton to the folks at Zinnia for your support and all you... do for our community. Make sure to stop by their beautiful store and pick something up! #shoplocal #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #nelsonbc

The donations continue to come in from this amazing community. Thank you Cindy Fillion (https://www.facebook.com/cindy.fillion) for your support! A retro photo from the old raft days, a more current picture with her son Jude, and some heartfelt words. Thanks to everyone who is stepping up to make #SaveCottonwood a reality! My family made a donation to Save Cottonwood because we see the importance of this place to our community. It’s a quiet, accessible spot where families ca...n come and spend a few hours enjoying the seasonal outdoor activities that take place on and around the lake, or simply to soak up the peace and beauty of the natural setting. Jude won a fishing rod on Father's Day Family Fishing Day at Cottonwood Lake when he was four years old. His passion for fishing began on that day out at the lake, and he's since gone on to catch a 13 pound Dolly Varden Trout with that same rod. This winter we've been going up to ice fish on Sundays and there are always several groups of families huddled around their own fishing holes or fire, enjoying the nature. The rink is always in use, and the fire pits are crackling along. Families are staying in their bubbles, but are also able to safely spend a little time with others in the community. When I see huge ships of raw BC logs being shipped overseas, or think about our wood and pulp being used to make toilet paper I sometimes become despondent and feel powerless to make changes. Helping to save the slopes above Cottonwood felt like an obvious and tangible way for my family to speak out against unregulated natural resource extraction and to save the lake from the consequences of clearcutting. Hopefully Cottonwood Lake will remain a precious community commodity for future generations to enjoy with friends and family. -Cindy Fillion #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #nelsonbc #westkootenays #conservation #familyday #ilovecottonwood

We have received so many amazing donations over the last couple of weeks. It is truly inspiring how much love our community has for this special place. This couple wishes to remain anonymous, but their $1000 donation, beautiful quote and gorgeous photo from JaceyKendall Photography won't soon be forgotten. "Cottonwood Lake was a hidden gem in my life for many years. I loved passing the pristine trees when driving between Nelson and Whitewater, but only later in life did I dis...cover how perfect it is for a winter or summer adventure. This land brings joy simply through its existence and also by creating space for skating, cross country skiing, fishing, picnics and walks. And, thanks to the Save Cottonwood campaign, we believe it is also bringing joy by uniting people with a beautiful common goal of working together to preserve this perfect spot for future generations." -Anonymous Thank you! #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #nelsonbc

FUNDRAISING UPDATE - JAN 4, 2021 $365,000 raised to date, extended fundraising deadline. We put out the call and you answered. Quite incredibly, since December 29th we’ve raised almost $20,000 from over 100 donors, bringing our total fundraising tally to $365,000. We can’t thank you enough for your participation in the #SaveCottonwood campaign. ... As many of you know, we have been pushing to raise $400,000 by Dec. 31st and have made huge strides toward that goal, but we are still $35,000 short. Fortunately, however, we’ve been able to extend our fundraising deadline to February 28th. While we realize our campaign has been going on for quite some time, the extension helps us out on two key fronts. Firstly, based on the amazing support we’ve been seeing from the community, we can be quite certain we will meet and exceed our crucial $400,000 deadline. A huge congratulations to everyone involved, we can’t thank you enough. Secondly, it allows us to continue to pursue grants and larger corporate donations, which take time to secure, but will be critical to the long term management of the 49 hectares of forest above Cottonwood Lake we are trying to protect. Remember, the $400,000 is the amount needed to purchase the land, but there will be additional funds needed thereafter to cover surveys, legal bills and the endowment itself. Exceeding $400,000 in the next two months, which we feel we can do, will be hugely advantageous to the campaign overall. But for now, let’s just cross one bridge at a time. And let’s cross the big one first. Let’s capitalize on our momentum and get to $400,000 as soon as we can. Once there, we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, and know that the trees above our beloved Cottonwood Lake will stay trees for generations to come. Happy New Year everyone. And thanks again. Reach out if you have any questions, and stay tuned to our socials and website for updates on our progress. Photo: Adrian Wagner Studio #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #savetheworld #nelsonbc #westkootenays #conservation

Happy New Year! Many of you are eagerly awaiting news of our drive to hit $400,000 by December 31st. Because today is a holiday, and we're heading into the weekend tomorrow, we won't be able to report on the total amount raised until Monday, January 4th. Thanks for your patience, and know that our savecottonwood.com/donate/ portal is still active if you're feeling so inclined. Thanks again to everyone who helped get us this far. We're hoping to share some good news on Monday! Photo: @ambler122 #savecottonwoodlake #savecottonwood #westkootenays #conservation #nelsonbc