On September 1 the Cumberland Community Forest Society completed the purchase and protection of 226 acres of forest and creek in the Perseverance Creek Watershed. This collaborative effort to protect this portion of the Cumberland watershed was a 2.5 million dollar undertaking. The society was formed in 2000 by a small group of Cumberland residents. Since then they have purchased and protected over 500 acres of threatened forest lands. With this purchase the Cumberland Community Forest Society has become a conservation covenant holding organization. In partnership with the Comox Valley Land Trust they hold responsibly for the long-term protection of the forest. Restoration, regeneration and biodiversity projects are now under development.