Monte Creek Winery Is Raising Awareness And Funds To Support Badgers For July
Monte Creek Winery is running its 2nd annual campaign supporting endangered badgers. BC badgers, also known as Taxidea taxus jeffersonii, are only found in BC, and fewer than 350 of them are left. They are red-listed and ranked S2, or imperilled, by the BC Conservation Data Centre.
The leading cause of badger deaths in BC is highway mortality since they cross large land areas during their mating season in July and August. Monte Creek Winery partnerships with the Wildlife Program British Columbia Ministry of Transportation, the BC Badger Society conservation group, and the Ministry of the Environment to clear out any clogged culverts in order to ensure wildlife can pass under the highway. The next steps are to put up badger crossing highway signs as well as to support research projects around badger conservation.
To raise funds Monte Creek Winery is selling buttons and accepting donations for the month of July. Additionally, they are auctioning off two original badger paintings created by local artists, Ron Parker and Alina Schevchenko. The money raised from these efforts will be going to a conservation group.
The BC Wildlife Park will receive money raised from selling postcards and the proceeds collected by auctioning off two commissioned paintings that Bloom the badger graciously donated to the cause. You can view all of the paintings being auctioned via their website.
Monte Creek Winery encourages everyone to support BC badgers by slowing down this summer and being aware of potential badger crossings while travelling. You can report badger sightings to the BC Badger Society via their website.