Penticton  

Photo: Contributed

The Nature Trust of BC has purchased a 35.4 hectare piece of land east of Skaha Lake.

The Nature Trust of B.C. has purchased a piece of land near Penticton to protect bighorn sheep.

The group announced Thursday they have closed the sale of the 87.5 acre Skaha Lake Eastside property, which they call "critical habitat" for bighorn sheep.

“You only have to take one look at a map to understand the risk of this property being developed and its habitat values lost forever,” said Ross Peck, chair of the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

The land also supports other at-risk species, including the white-throated swift, the western rattlesnake and, potentially, the endangered American badger. 

“It takes you only a few steps to recognize how beautiful this location is and why it is so important that it remain in a natural state", said Nicholas Burdock, Okanagan conservation land coordinator for the Nature Trust of BC. "There are many rare plants and animals that rely on this landscape; it really is a special place in the South Okanagan”.

Photo: Contributed