John Caraberis and Bonnie Bond (Photo by NCC)
John Caraberis and Bonnie Bond
John Caraberis and Bonnie Bond have been involved with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) as donors and volunteers for three decades. The couple helped establish the Pugwash Estuary Nature Reserve, now an NCC Nature Destination. Located on Nova Scotia’s North Shore, the reserve’s 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of forest surround a large and mainly undeveloped tidal estuary. The reserve provides habitat for many species of migratory and shorebirds. The reserve also features a popular walking trail, developed in partnership with a local community group, Friends of the Pugwash Estuary.
“Nature fuels my spirit and helps make me feel connected,” says John. “Having wild spaces for people to enjoy in their own way, whether hiking, swimming, relaxing and taking in the views, helps to fuel their spirit. What would we be left with if we didn’t have these spaces? This is why we support NCC. Through our company, Bonnie and I support NCC in their efforts to keep wild spaces for now and into the future.”
John is a member of NCC’s Atlantic Regional Board of Directors, and he and Bonnie make annual donations to NCC. In 2018, they provided matching donations through their company Basic Spirit for all Giving Tuesday gifts made to NCC in the Atlantic Region. They say the Nature Conservancy of Canada is the ideal charity for them; one that aligns with their interests and values.
“John and I started working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada in about 1990. It was about that time in our business life we decided that it was time to give back to our community and to the world,” says Bonnie. “Because of our love of nature, one of our first thoughts was to conserve land. So, it was the Nature Conservancy of Canada that we started to work with and partner with. The partnership has been very successful for us.”
John and Bonnie began by looking for a way to protect a special part of Nova Scotia they loved, near their home in Pugwash. Through their connection to nature, to each other and to NCC, they’ve helped create a conservation area in Pugwash. The couple has also supported many other conservation projects in Atlantic Canada. Now, Bonnie and John are supporting NCC’s Landmark Campaign, which aims to accelerate conservation across Canada.
“Donating to protecting wild land is a privilege,” says John. “The Nature Conservancy of Canada is one of the best organizations that I know of when it comes to actually spending money in the field to conserve wild lands. I am thrilled that I have been able to help in a small way in Atlantic Canada as part of the Landmark Campaign. I invite everyone — whether it is ten dollars, a thousand dollars or a million dollars — to do what you can now, because it’s part of our legacy that we leave behind.”
