INVESTING IN BC CONSERVATION SINCE 1981

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Investing for the future
of British Columbia's

Fish and Wildlife

AND THEIR HABITATS

HCTF is here to help groups and individuals secure funding for conservation projects and provide education to the general public about BC’s important natural assets.

Featured Stories from our Blog

Salmon Habitat Restoration Underway in Expanded Conservation Area

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Happy Giving Tuesday! Today’s the perfect day to give back to the incredible conservation efforts happening right here in BC! Together, we can protect the natural beauty of our province and planet for generations to come. Please consider donating to ANY of the amazing conservation efforts across BC! We'd also like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to our amazing partners, proponents, and donors for all of their hard work and support!

📢 Scholarship Spotlight: Siobhan Darlington📢 Siobhan is one of this year's T4W Scholarship Recipients! Siobhan is a Doctorate student at the University of British Columbia. Her research is using GPS data from cougars to evaluate their demography, diet, and seasonal habitat use in the southern interior of British Columbia. This research will address important knowledge gaps on cougar populations in the province and the indirect effects of landscape disturbance on native ungulates. For more information about the T4W scholarship head to hctf.ca/scholarship-program/

BC is home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles. These magnificent birds rely on tall trees for nesting and clean rivers for hunting fish, making them a symbol of healthy ecosystems. Spotting a bald eagle in the wild is a reminder of BC’s incredible biodiversity and the importance of conservation. 🦅🌲 By supporting conservation projects across the province, we’re helping ensure these iconic birds continue to soar in BC’s skies. 📸 Greven #grants #biodiversity #bc #beautifulbc #bcconservation #bcnature #nature #conservation #hctf #fishandwildlife #eagle #baldeagle

HCTF is proud to support @naturetrustbc in securing Nighthawk Hill Grasslands, conserving biological diversity, and protecting crucial wildlife habitat. The new Nighthawk Hill Grasslands conservation area, located directly beside the South Okanagan Grasslands Provincial Protected Area, bridges the crucial link needed for wildlife to access almost 100 meters of the Similkameen River safely and undisturbed in this very arid landscape, even during the hot Interior summer. The area is home to a diverse range of Species at Risk, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates. From the American badger to pallid bat, to the tiger salamander and sage thrasher, a wide array of wildlife find refuge in this unique landscape. More than just a beautiful place, this new conservation area contains temperate grasslands – one of the most altered terrestrial ecosystems on earth and endangered on most continents. Rare and endangered big sagebrush and bluebunch wheatgrass ecological communities are prominent throughout the Nighthawk Hill Grasslands—bunchgrass ecosystems being some of the rarest land cover types in B.C. Through partnerships with local communities and partners, this acquisition protects more grassland habitat for many creatures using this land and the adjacent South Okanagan Grasslands Provincial Protected Area; this is a great achievement for habitat conservation in the region.

Did you know that Great Blue Herons can stand over a meter tall and have a wingspan of nearly two meters? These graceful birds are a staple in BC’s wetlands, estuaries, and coastal areas, where they hunt fish and amphibians with incredible patience and precision. Great blue herons are a conservation priority as their nesting habitats are increasingly under threat due to urban development and habitat loss. 🐦🌊 Through the conservation efforts of HCTF-funded projects, we work to protect BC’s vital wetland habitats, preserving spaces where species like the Great Blue Heron can thrive. Supporting heron habitats is just one way we’re committed to safeguarding BC’s biodiversity for the future. Learn more about how you can help! 📸 Brent Wellander

📢 Scholarship Spotlight: Tessa Rehill 📢 Tessa is one of this year's Al Martin Fellowship Scholarship Recipients! Tessa’s study is investigating urchin distribution and control methods to help revive threatened kelp forest ecosystems in BC. In the underwater seascapes of the North Pacific, kelp forests serve as critical habitats for a diversity of marine life, including important fish, like salmon and herring. Tessa’s study aims to map urchin distributions and test different strategies to mitigate herbivory to achieve targeted and enhanced kelp forest restoration and conservation. The Al Martin HCTF Conservation Fellowship supports graduate students aspiring to careers in fish or wildlife conservation and management in British Columbia.

River otters are natural swimmers, spending much of their time in the water and using their webbed feet and powerful tails to glide gracefully through BC’s rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. These playful creatures are more than just charming to watch—they play a key role in maintaining healthy aquatic ecosystems. 🦦✨ 📸 Adam Wang

Good news for stewardship grant applicants! We know finding the right grant to apply for can be tricky, so we've decided to host a short webinar covering the various stewardship-related grants - Action (formerly Stewardship), Capacity, and Community Grants - offered by HCTF. If you think any of these grants may be of interest to you or your organization the webinar will be hosted on Tuesday, November 26th from 1:30 - 3:30 PST Can't make it that day? No problem! We will record and post the webinar to our YouTube channel so that it's available to as many people as possible. We're working to make our granting process as easier because every project funded, large or small, contributes to a bright future for the environment in BC for generations to come. Please note that intake for all 3 grants will be earlier this year, opening mid-January with an application deadline of February 28th, 2025. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_dqp3yaN1TuKYGxt3bA_acg