American Friends of Canadian Conservation has a focused purpose and unique role – protecting ecologically important land in Canada owned by conservation-minded Americans, in collaboration with Canadian conservation organizations.

American Friends of Canadian Conservation is protecting land all across Canada, from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia. Canada’s spectacular natural lands – seacoasts, forests, prairies, lakes, rivers, and islands – provide important ecological, economic, recreational, cultural, social and scenic benefits. These landscapes are defined by nature rather than political boundaries. Canada’s treasured landscapes, particularly those within a day’s drive of population centers in the US and Canada, are increasingly threatened. Demographics are causing big ownership shifts; as aging landowners sell their highly appreciated properties the new owners of these expensive properties are using them more intensively.

US taxpayers own a significant percentage of those priority conservation lands, for example:

  • 25% of Nova Scotia’s coast is owned by non-Canadians, most of whom are US taxpayers
  • In parts of Lake Huron’s ecologically-significant Georgian Bay, Americans own up to 80% of the properties
  • Americans own as much as 30% of private land in the beautiful Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia

Land protection professionals identify protection of American-owned lands as critical for conservation success in many parts of Canada. Before the creation of American Friends in 2007, they found US and Canadian tax laws to be nearly insurmountable barriers to donations of land or conservation easements from US taxpayers.

American Friends of Canadian Conservation removed those tax and legal barriers, encouraging and facilitating “cross-border conservation” – Canadian land protected by US property owners. In less than eight years, American Friends and its Canadian partners have permanently protected 26 remarkable properties in five provinces. Generous gifts of land from conservation-oriented US taxpayers have leverage contributions to American Friends $80:$1. Every dollar you donate protects $80 USD in high priority Canadian property!

American Friends can accept gifts of securities and land, bequests or planned gifts such as Charitable Remainder Trusts. Contact us at info@conservecanada.org to discuss your charitable giving. In Canada, contact us at (250) 688-1508. In the United States, contact us at (360) 515-7171.

Download American Friends’ Case For Support