The Elk River Alliance (ERA) is facing a major roadblock. In the last two months, two employee vehicles have broken, and with the field season nearing, ERA is stuck.

The local charity is hoping the community can help raise $15,000 towards a reliable work vehicle that can be used for stream restoration and water monitoring work. Donations will be matched by a BC government grant, up to $30,000 raised.

For the past 15 years, ERA has relied entirely on staff and volunteer vehicles to drive conservation forward. Last year, staff vehicles logged over 15,000 km to plant 8,000+ trees, install 1.5 km of fencing, monitor 11 water quality sites, and five water quantity sites.

Many of the sites are in remote areas with rough resource roads, and due to the wear-and-tear, two personal vehicles are out of commission. In 2025, ERA will need to travel 15,000-20,000 km to complete fieldwork.

“Relying on staff vehicles is simply not appropriate for the work we do and locations we drive to, and a reliable truck will improve field safety and efficiency” said Chad Hughes, ERA’s Executive Director, “Unfortunately, grant applications for an electric vehicle were unsuccessful. But the good news is that we secured a Province of BC Gaming Grant, which allows us to match donations up to $30,000, which we’re really grateful for.”

Hughes added that this effectively doubles all community donations.

Restoration and monitoring technicians Sarai Ramírez Saldaña and Fynley Kuijt are not sure what will happen if a reliable vehicle is not found.

“My motor seized after last field season and I’m pretty sure driving over 4,000 km for fieldwork didn’t help,” said Kuijt, “I’m not sure how we will manage fieldwork without a vehicle and putting the work on pause is not really an option. It’s a challenging position to be in.”

ERA Community Liaison Anne-Caroline Kroeger says that the Elk Valley community has always stepped up, and is hoping this time will be no different.

“The Elk Valley community has shown tremendous support over the years,” said Kroeger, “This is a really crucial moment for us, and we are really hoping this fundraiser will be a success.”

To incentivize donations, ERA staff will complete challenges at donation milestones. These vary from getting pied in the face at $500, to Executive Director Chad getting a full body wax at $15,000.

Additionally, campaign donations over $1000 will be commemorated with the donor’s name on the truck wrapping, and campaign donations over $5,000 will have the opportunity to have their logo featured as a funder (some restrictions apply).

To learn more about the Elk River Alliance’s fundraiser to keep conservation on the move, visit elkriveralliance.ca/trucked or email [email protected].

Elk River Alliance photo

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