Mission Statement

The Stewardship Foundation is taking a leadership role in tying together all 3 levels of stewardship to benefit wildlife and their habitat and create a working landbase. In the best interest of the environment, the tool used for measuring the success of efforts is to achieve maximum wildlife population numbers for the habitat‘s potential carrying capacity, this being the indicator for sustainable land management. The efforts are organized in a way that connects research to high level planning to engage ‘on the ground’ activity.

The Stewardship Foundation operates on three levels:

1. High level  – Collection, coordination and assembling of all relevant government supported research and governmental policies, traditional knowledge from wildlife practitioners and direction from past Land and Resource Management Plans in one place and then dissemination of it out for ‘on the ground’ action
2. Mid level – Stewardship plans for regions and sub-regions
   1. These are evolving plans that are updated as our understanding and knowledge improves, new issues arise, and advances are made
   2. The direction within each plan reflects the balance of ecological, economic and social values
   3. All those involved in resource use/management have the opportunity to contribute invaluable information regarding their tenures or areas of use
3. Low level on the ground – Implementing research projects and using the results of the research to determine and implement action required to achieve the goal

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation

Wilderness and wildlife conservation is both our responsibility and our privilege. The stewardship efforts are based on the North American wildlife model and guided by the following principles and beliefs :

• That scientific findings should inform laws and policies in order to promote the long-term viability and optimal health of wildlife populations.
• That society has the shared responsibility of purposefully and proactively managing wildlife populations in a way that recognizes the interdependence of humans, wildlife, and the habitats we live in.
• That the weight of this responsibility reaches beyond national borders and supersedes the interests of commercial marketplaces and privileged groups.

British Columbia’s Wilderness

Rural British Columbia is a unique wilderness unlike any other. It’s a place where wildlife thrives through interconnected ecosystems. Healthy old-growth forests, wetland, alpine flowers and lakes are not a rare sight in the province. The vast land  forged our identity as conservationists and citizens of the global community.

The rich wilderness that we enjoy today was not an inevitable outcome. Instead, rural British Columbia is a vision that has been realized through committed action on a broad scale. The dedication of people who live on the land and depend on it for their livelihood has secured a balanced, thriving wilderness that continues to captivate and inspire.  Destination BC promotes this number one asset to the world and summarizes it through its video The “Wild Within”.

Stewards of the Land

Many times, it’s the quiet heroes who make the biggest impact. Without asking and often without thanks, unknown heroes of conservation have cultivated and safeguarded British Columbia’s wild places and natural resources. Through their daily decisions and interaction with the environment, local citizens and businesses are the caretakers of nature. From wilderness tourism operators, forestry companies, First Nations, ranchers, guide outfitters, to fishing lodges and many more, day in and day out these companies and individuals are doing the work that conservation requires. They maintain habitats and monitor the impact of land management decisions. They advocate for thoughtful, balanced stewardship of the land because they see the real-life impact of policies that many only experience as words on a page. The Stewardship Foundation recognizes the invaluable service these grassroots conservationists provide and strives to support their ongoing efforts.

Vision Statement

Our goal is to promote natural resource use today in a way that maintains and improves the health of the fish and wildlife habitat for future generations. We do this through presenting the Stewardship Plans. In the best interest of the environment, the tool we use for measuring the success of efforts is to achieve maximum wildlife population numbers for the habitat‘s potential carrying capacity, this being the indicator for sustainable land management.