HCTF has recently approved over $650k in funding for 42 conservation stewardship projects in BC.

Included in the funding are projects under HCTF’s stewardship grant umbrella: Action, Capacity, and Community Grants.

Newly launched Action Grants support projects that directly involve people and communities to change behaviours and/or practices leading to positive and measurable conservation outcomes in British Columbia.

Projects include:

• $50,000 for the 2024 Wetlands Institute, a 7-day workshop providing necessary tools and knowledge for practitioners to initiate wetland stewardship projects across B.C.
• $25,000 to connect a community of rural landowners and community partners with skills and resources to improve water quality and aquatic habitats in the Langley area
• $50,000 to support a landholder engagement program to share cultural teachings and ways of knowing about Xpey’ (cedar) and relationships with the land, and inspire a range of restoration and management actions

Capacity Grants, now in their second year, provide funding to build and strengthen the capability and capacity of organizations to successfully design and deliver conservation or restoration projects.

Projects include:

• $20,000 to support the development of an Indigenous-led conservation and protection project on Sumas Mountain on the traditional territory of the Semá:th people
• $24,630 to train and provide experience to Kitselas First Nation members in conducting site assessments for restoration work within the Telkwa caribou herd range
  • This project is funded by the Province of BC and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) through the Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund (CHRF)
• $10,000 to create an in-depth management plan to guide moose management in the Chilcotin
  

  Volunteers supporting the Metchosin Parks Holly Eradication Project

Community Grants, formerly the Public Conservation Assistance Fund (PCAF), provide funding to organizations and individuals who need financial help to implement a conservation project with a particular focus on volunteer involvement.

Projects include:

• $10,000 to improve the recovery of native vegetation and enhance breeding habitat for waterfowl and songbirds on Galiano Island through planting of native species and installation of nest boxes
• $9,700 to restore vital tidal marsh habitats in View Royal Park through eco-cultural fencing, the creation of tidal channels, and replenishing marsh banks
• $8,120 for a “Nature is for Everyone” program welcoming those who are currently under-represented in the environment restoration movement, and encouraging families to improve habitat while connecting with nature

See the list of all 2024 HCTF-funded stewardship projects here (PDF download).