Adjacent to Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park in British Columbia is an 83-hectare property that was donated by Dr. David Murdoch to The Nature Trust of British Columbia between 1975 and 1993. The final of several donations, a few hectares around his cabin, carried with it an agreement that he and his family could continue to use it for his lifetime or for another 10 years, whichever was longer.

David Murdoch grew up in the Kelowna area and, as a boy, camped and fished on this land. As a young man he purchased the property, and although he lived and worked in Vancouver, he continued to visit the property every summer. Prior to his death in 1996, Dr. Murdoch said "I kept it in its natural state and felt is should be kept that way. I didn't want to see it developed. This was my solution."

Dr. Murdoch's three daughters and their families spent many happy summer holidays at the cabin by the lake. When the 10 years were completed, the property was leased to B.C. Parks as a part of the larger lakeside park.

I can see my father’s wisdom at work in this arrangement. He died knowing that the land would be kept in its natural state, as he had known and loved it. Although it is in some ways sad to no longer have the property as a place our family can use as before, we can still visit it, as can all members of the public. I cannot imagine anything that money could buy that would be as valuable to me as knowing that this property that we all love is to be preserved rather than developed. 

Ann Ishiguro, Daughter