Mon, 30 May 2016
Tags: Wildlife

Meet the 2015 Fisher Den Box Kits

It's a little hard to make out, but in this photo, Inga the fisher is working hard to remove her kit from the artificial denbox. Fisher moms frequently move their kits around, and Inga later returned with her kit and its sibling to the denbox.

We received the following video update on the Fisher Artificial Den Box Study from biologist Larry Davis. Davis and his team are trying to determine if female fishers will use human-constructed den boxes to raise their young, as there are very few of the fisher’s natural denning sites left in some areas of their range. “Fisher require large diameter trees with heart-rot cavities for reproduction,” says Davis. “These trees are rare in managed landscapes.”

 

2015 was the third year of this HCTF-funded project, and Larry and his team continued monitoring the 56 installed den boxes to see if they were being used by fishers.

“We have been successful in attracting fishers to 50% of the den boxes, with many of the structures used for resting during winter,” reveals Davis. “We identified 45 fisher samples using hair snaggers located at the entrance to the den boxes. Of these, 14 were identified as being unique females, with 8 of them using the structures more than once, and 4 of them detected at 2 different den boxes.”

During the 2015 reproductive season, two fisher females used artificial den boxes to give birth to and raise their young. The video features footage of “Debbie”, who gave birth to one kit in April 2015. Davis explains that fisher moms often move their kits around, and Debbie was no exception: the video shows her leaving the den box with her kit on April 8th and returning the kit to the den box at the end of May. In the Chilcotin, 2 kits were photographed inside a den box on April 8, 2015. A trail cam set up to document the female (“Inga”) and her kits using the den box again in early June, 2015.

 

 

Davis has continued monitoring the den boxes in 2016 and reports there are already 3 being used by female fishers. We look forward to receiving an update on how the moms and kits are doing later this year.

Thu, 19 May 2016
Tags: Fisheries

Kids Take Part in Moberly Lake Trout Conservation Efforts

HCTF Board Chair Ross Peck helps out with the lake trout release at Moberly Lake.

At Moberly Lake last Tuesday, fifty elementary students (and HCTF Chair Ross Peck) helped government staff release 8,000 juvenile lake trout as part of an ongoing effort to rebuild a population that has come dangerously close to extinction.

When the Province began the Moberly Lake rehabilitation program back in 2010, there were less than 400 trout in the lake. Their extreme drop in numbers was thought to be caused by a combination of overfishing and competition or predation from other fish species. Historically, Moberly Lake’s lake trout were an important part of the local First Nations fishery and a favourite of local anglers, but the lake has been closed to all trout fishing since 2002, and is closed to all fishing from September 15 to October 31 to protect lake trout during their spawning season.

Last Tuesday’s lake trout release was the third release of the rehabilitation program, for a total of 36,000 released fish. The Ministry is hopeful these releases will aid in re-establishing a stable lake trout population on Moberly Lake. Over the past four years, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has provided funding to the Ministry to evaluate the effectiveness of their lake trout recovery program. As well as continuing to monitor the total number of lake trout in Moberly, staff are also tracking the survival, growth, fitness and reproduction rates of the stocked juvenile lake trout. The information collected will help detect shifts in the Moberly Lake fish community and hopefully identify why survival of juveniles is low, in the hopes that a long-term solution can be found.

Fri, 15 Apr 2016
Tags: Education

BC Kids Granted Opportunities for Outdoor Learning

Children from the North Okanagan Shuswap School District learning outdoors with help from an HCTF Education GO Grant.

 

Victoria –The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) has announced it will provide over $66,000 for BC schools to get their students out of the classroom and into the outdoors. Their aptly-named GO (Get Outdoor) Grants will be used to pay for bus transportation, project materials and program fees to provide hands-on outdoor learning experiences for more than 4500 students.

The North Okanagan Shuswap School District was one of many school districts across the province who will be benefitting from GO Grants this spring. In total, 5 of the District’s schools plus an additional 10 classes through a district-wide grant will receive just over $7700 for outdoor, environmental education field trips, including some of the following:

  • Armstrong Elementary’ s grade 4 and 5 classes will visit Kingfisher Interpretive Centre to learn about salmon and salmon habitat
  • Salmon Arm West Elementary’ s grade 2/3 and 4/5 classes will be getting out on the Shuswap River to explore life along the river and conduct local indigenous plantings
  • Shuswap Middle School class of grade 6/7 will be going to Norfolk Wild Regional Park to investigate and measure biodiversity in the park
  • Hillcrest Elementary grade 2/3 classes will take a trip Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park to examine plants and animals in the ecosystem

Now in its fourth year, demand for HCTF’s GO Grant program has steadily increased, and requests for grants now exceed the amount of funding available. HCTF received over 150 applications in its February intake, 68 of which were approved. HCTF Education Manager Kerrie Mortin hopes the amount of funding available can be increased in future years.

“Costs such as bussing, program or leader fees, and outdoor field equipment are huge barriers for many classes here in BC,” says Mortin. “GO Grants are relatively small amounts of money that can make a huge difference to whether or not a class can experience outdoor learning. HCTF believes this is one of our most important investments for our future, and so do educators:”

Teachers who have used the grants to take their classrooms on outdoor learning field experiences report that this type of learning has huge benefits.

“Fieldtrips are a fantastic learning experience for children,” says Nuala Powers, a kindergarten teacher at Sacred Heart School in Prince George. “There’s only so much you can show them or read about in the classroom. But when they go out in the environment and really experience it, it’s fantastic for them.”

Kim Fulton, a retired teacher and administrator, agrees. “Through these grants, children learn about the diverse ecosystems in BC,” says Fulton. “They develop a stewardship ethic to look after these systems and all the critters and plants in them for future generations.”

Since the program’s inception in 2012, GO Grants have allowed more than 25,500 BC students to get outdoors for a total investment of $333,067. The average cost per student is $13.

About the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF)

Since 1981, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has provided more than $160 Million in project funding to more than 2,000 conservation, restoration, enhancement, and educational projects across BC. HCTF believes that the key to the future of conservation is investing in education. GO Grants is just one of HCTF’s Education program areas which also includes WildBC, a long-running and successful program that has been providing and supporting educators with environmental education programs and resources for over 25 years.

For more information, contact:

Kerrie Mortin 250-940-9787

Manager, Education Programs

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation

http://hctfeducation.ca/go-grants/

Tue, 15 Dec 2015

New Nesting Platform Eagle-Approved

Photo by Fiona Wright

Residents of Vancouver’s North Shore have some new feathery neighbours. A pair of bald eagles has moved into a nesting platform built last summer at MacKay Creek estuary, which was recently restored as part of HCTF’s Burrard Inlet Restoration Pilot Program. Eric Anderson of the BC Institute of Technology led the project to construct a platform at the head of the estuary, adjacent to the Spirit Trail. The host tree was selected by biologist David Hancock, whose extensive experience with eagle nest construction was critical to identifying a cottonwood of suitable size, shape, and location. To get the tree eagle-ready, arborists carefully pruned some of the non-dominant stems to improve accessibility. Next, a cedar frame was attached using special lines designed to allow the tree to move and grow unharmed.

The frame is put in place - Photo by Ryan Senechal

Finally, the frame was lined with cedar boughs to make it a little more inviting for any prospective tenants.

Cedar branches are added to make the nest more inviting - photo by Ryan Senechal

It appears to have worked!

Photo by Fiona Wright

HCTF provided a grant both for the construction of the platform as well as complementary studies by four BCIT students? of eagle ecology that will inform future nest construction projects. The grant was made possible through an endowment HCTF received from the Ministry of Transportation as part of a compensation strategy for a bald eagle nest tree removed for the 2010 Highway 91 Interchange project. ?

Mon, 30 Nov 2015
Tags: Wildlife

Return of the Roosevelts

Elk charge out of the truck at the release site near Chehalis, BC. This translocation was part of the Coastal Mainland Roosevelt Elk Recovery and Management Project. Photo: Dan Kriss

 

Elk Translocation Program on Vancouver Island Aims to Restore Roosevelt Elk to Their Former Range

BC’s magnificent wildlife has long formed part of our province’s identity. Take the provincial Coat of Arms: while other Western provinces have chosen to include the likes of lions and unicorns into their designs, a pair of iconic ungulates make up BC’s provincial emblem. On the right, a bighorn ram represents the wildlife of the mainland. On the left, a rather wild-looking Roosevelt elk symbolizes Vancouver Island.

BC_coat_of_arms_web.jpg

The Roosevelt is a fitting representative for the Island: it remains a stronghold for this species whose range was severely reduced following the arrival of the Europeans in the mid-19th century. Though Roosevelts remain on BC’s list of species of concern, populations in some areas of the Island are thriving, to the point where conflicts are arising between humans and herds.

On the Island’s east coast, near the village of Sayward, the Salmon River watershed is ideal habitat for elk. The moist, rich soils of the river’s floodplain produce optimal forage for Roosevelts, both in the form of native plant species and agricultural crops. This vegetational bounty has allowed elk numbers to increase to the point where herds have become a nuisance for local residents. Crop predation and highway collisions are of primary concern, and elk have also been known to browse nearby forestry plantations. Having a local overabundance of a highly-valued species of concern presents an interesting challenge – and opportunity. Rather than focussing their efforts on culling the herd, wildlife managers have chosen to spread the wealth, so to speak, by moving some of Sayward’s surplus elk to wilderness areas where Roosevelts once roamed.

Wildlife biologist Billy Wilton works for the B.C. Government, helping develop and implement the Roosevelt Elk management plan. The plan aims to increase the elks’ numbers in ranges where ecological conditions are suitable. He also spent four years working with the Government’s senior Roosevelt elk specialist, Darryl Reynolds on the Lower Mainland Roosevelt elk recovery project. Through ongoing financial support from organizations such as the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, this project has achieved a significant increase in the number of elk on the South Coast. Of the 25 wilderness areas identified as candidates for Roosevelt reintroduction in 2000, 19 have been successfully repopulated. By transporting elk from nuisance herds on the Sunshine Coast to these prime habitat areas, the lower mainland Roosevelt population has grown from an estimated 315 animals in 2000 to approximately 1600 individuals in 2015, an increase of more than 500%. These impressive results have inspired Wilton and his colleagues to continue elk translocations on the Island.

“I’ve been really fortunate to work with Darryl and learn from his experiences,” says Wilton. “We work really hard to minimize the stress on the animals, and we’ve fine-tuned the process to protect both the elk and people involved.”

Wilton says the first step is to identify a suitable herd of “nuisance” elk, composed primarily of pregnant cows in order to boost the reproductive potential of the herd. Then, the team set up a portable chain-link corral in an area known to be frequented by the target herd so that they become comfortable with its presence. Once winter sets in, the trap will be baited with a tempting combination of alfalfa, grain, and molasses, along with some minerals to keep the animals healthy.

HCTF Board and staff visit the elk trap that will be used to capture one of the Sayward herds.

“We wait until the elks’ natural food sources start to dry up before trying to entice them with bait,” says Wilton. “Waiting until winter also helps ensure the bears are asleep, as we like to avoid accidently feeding any large carnivores.”

Last year, Wilton and his colleagues trapped and transferred twenty-four nuisance elk from the Sayward area to the Mahatta River population unit west of Port Alice. The project went off without a hitch, and Wilton and his team are eager to repeat the translocation process. Plant communities in the release locations are similar to those in the Salmon River area, but the habitat is not as suitable, making it highly unlikely that the transplanted herd will increase to the levels seen in Sayward. The goal is to establish a sustainable population that will both benefit the ecology of the area and allow for some opportunities for harvest.

“Reintroducing elk to their historic range helps restore biodiversity,” says Wilton. “They’re a piece of the puzzle that went missing. Roosevelts are large, generalist grazers, so taking them out of the system impacts plant composition and has implications for a whole range of species.”

In addition to their influences on habitat, Roosevelts are an important prey species for wolves, cougars, and even black bear. They are also highly valued by hunters and First Nations. Each year, the province receives around 16,000 applications for just 250 Limited Entry Hunt Authorizations for Roosevelt Elk on Vancouver Island, and First Nations harvest around the same number annually. Both groups are eager to see populations return to historical levels, and are willing to assist in making it happen.

“Last year, we talked with the Quatsino First Nation [whose territory the elk will be released in], and they expressed an interest in helping us with the project,” says Wilton. “We also had a really dedicated group of guys from the Sayward Fish & Game Association working with us on the Mahatta River translocation last winter. They were out there every day, baiting the trap, monitoring the cameras, maintaining the equipment – we really couldn’t do this project without the help of the volunteers.”

Darryl_elk_picture_Sechelt_web.jpgA remote camera captures an image of a bull looking rather relaxed inside a temporary elk trap near Sechelt, BC. Biologists set up and bait the corrals well before the planned capture date to get the target herd comfortable with its presence.

While there are no guarantees that elk translocations will result in increased hunting opportunities, the results from the Lower Mainland project are certainly encouraging. Project leader Darryl Reynolds estimates that nine out of ten translocations from that project have resulted in new hunting opportunities, usually within five years of the release.

“The Limited Entry Hunting opportunities we have on the South Coast today can be directly attributed to the success of the Elk Recovery program,” says Reynolds. “Without it, there wouldn’t be any hunt.”

Elk charge out of the truck at the release site near Chehalis, BC. This translocation was part of the Coastal Mainland Roosevelt Elk Recovery and Management Project. Photo: Dan Kriss

Wilton agrees that five years is a reasonable time frame when forecasting potential new harvest opportunities. “Putting 20-25 elk in an area really makes a big difference in terms of the recovery of that population. Their numbers tend to increase quite quickly. We’ll be working with First Nations and stakeholders to evaluate if and when the population can sustain a harvest: we certainly don’t open it up just because it’s been five years, but that’s been our experience in many other areas.”

To keep tabs on how the population is doing, the project team will be conducting helicopter surveys in the spring of each year, as well as using strategically-placed GPS and radio collars.

“Elk differ from most other North American ungulates in that they are social herd animals,” says Wilton. “Matriarchal herds have a lead cow and a couple of other elders that hold knowledge about how to find food, water, and what to watch out for on the landscape. These are the cows we’ll be trying to collar.”

The GPS collars send regular emails to the biologists with information about their locations and habitat use. They also send out a mortality signal if the animal stops moving for 8 hours, hopefully giving the project team a chance to investigate the cause of death before scavengers move in.

“Understanding mortality is important for our management of these herds, and previously it was very difficult to get this information in real time,” says Wilton. “The collars also help us reduce survey helicopter costs by pinpointing the herd’s location.”

Only time will tell if Wilton’s elk relocation project is successful in establishing herds robust enough to provide additional harvest opportunities on Vancouver Island. Regardless, working to restore the iconic Roosevelt to its former range is laudable from an ecological perspective, and an initiative the hunters of British Columbia can be proud to support through surcharges on their licence purchase.

Tue, 24 Nov 2015
Tags: Stewardship

BCWF Wetlands Institute – Building Capacity for Restoring Wetlands

Wetlands Institute participants at Radies wetland demonstration site.

Each year, the BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) hosts an intensive week of workshops led by wetland restoration experts, providing hands-on training for participants interested in constructing wetlands in their communities. The workshops are held in a different region of the province each year, and 2015 was the Okanagan’s turn. As BCWF Wetlands Education Program Intern Kayla Akins reports, this year’s institute was jammed-packed with information and opportunities for participants to get their hands dirty completing wetlands restoration projects in Kelowna and Vernon.

The passion for wetland restoration and protection drew participants from all over BC to the Okanagan for the BC Wildlife Federation’s 13th Wetlands Institute. Participants included Biologists, Landscape Technologists and Architects, Environmental Planners, Coordinators, Educators, Consultants and more. We were joined by members of Environment Canada, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program, the Okanagan Basin Water Board, and the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations, to name a few.

We dove right in on the first day with a presentation on wetland restoration techniques from Tom Biebighauser, a wildlife biologist and wetland ecologist. He covered various strategies for wetland restoration and construction. With this information fresh in mind, we headed over to the Curly Frog Farm in Kelowna to plan a restoration project on site. Flags were laid out marking the boundaries of the wetland areas and the sloped areas where the soil was to be built up creating chinampa-like structures. The “chinampas” (Please click here for a description) will allow property owner, Brenda Dureault, to grow crops on the raised land while having valuable wetland habitat directly adjacent. Here, participants also learned how to use a rod and level to take elevation readings and how to use an auger to take soil samples.

Participants use flags to mark boundaries between the planned wetland area, slopes and

We returned the next morning to observe the excavator begin to build the wetland right before our eyes!

No time to waste- construction of the wetland begins the very next day.

 

We finished Tuesday with a presentation from Tom on “How we pulled the plug on North America”. We learned just how common it was to drain wetlands in the past for agriculture and construction. The presentation focused on wetland drainage techniques and their impacts on the land; highlighting the importance of restoring the lands back to their natural state where possible. Many of us are now walking around seeing through a new lens, seeing evidence of drained wetlands everywhere.

Exploring the Radies site. The institute participants started Wednesday morning with a presentation on landowner contact from Shawn Black, formerly with The Land Conservancy of Canada, Land Trust Alliance, and Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program. This high-density presentation covered a half-day workshop in a mere 90 minutes! This was followed by participants returning to the Radies site to observe initial construction of the site. The afternoon featured a presentation by Jim Dumont, a Senior Water Infrastructure Engineer, on stormwater management and how to incorporate wetlands into development design.

We then visited Marshall Fields where site engineer Bill Mahoney from Stantec gave us a tour and explained the construction at the site. We saw two wetlands at the site that had been incorporated into the construction plan to play a role in stormwater management.

Overflow channel at Marshall Fields.

Thursday was a fun-filled day starting with Don Gayton (contractor with Okanagan Basin Water Board and Grass-land Specialist) introducing the group to the Okanagan Wetland Strategy. Neil Fletcher then gave a presentation on wetland classification based on soil, pH, mineral content, water flow and more. We then had a presentation from Josie Symonds (Ministry of Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations) on alkali wetlands, which are wetlands that have alkaline water and soil giving them unique plant types. Josie also discussed species and ecosystems at risk and touched on provincial wetland guidance with the group. Don wrapped up the morning with a presentation on grasses, sedges, rushes, cattails, and horsetail species of the Okanagan. As part of his talk he introduced many of the common invasive species and stressed that alkalinity is very influential over plant communities.

Next on the agenda was the Scenic Canyon Regional Park where we explored some flooded transition areas (and some very thick vegetation in the shallow water which made a lovely wig). The group then headed up Knox Mountain and walked the beautiful trail to Kathleen Lake, an alkaline wetland. We saw many different types of invertebrates and identified three dragonfly species.

 

When testing the water we found a very high pH of 9.89 and a very high conductivity reading, in addition to seeing a salt ring all around the wetland. Josie Symonds explained the difference between alkali wetlands and saline meadows and dug up a soil sample in the wetland and about 2m away in the saline meadow to show us the difference. Due to their often-immediate proximity, saline meadows are often associated with alkaline wetlands; however there are differences between the two environments in terms of how water influences these communities. A unique plant community of Bolboschoenus maritimus was also found along the Northern edge. Guest blog post author Kayla Akins takes a water sample from Kathleen Lake.

The last site visit of the day was to a turtle crossing site in northern Kelowna that was constructed to help turtles safely travel from one wetland area to another across the road. Turtle droppings were observed at both entrances to the crossing culvert, indicating path use. However, it did not appear that the fencing on both sides was fully intact and a recently killed turtle was observed on the road above the culvert indicating that some turtles are able to get under or around the fencing.

A custom-built culvert helps turtles safely travel from one wetland area to another.

Thursday was concluded by a presentation on bird banding by René McKibbon, an Environmental Assessment Officer of the Canadian Wildlife Service. Participants learned about the requirements, history, and many uses of bird banding which they then got to observe on Friday morning at Curly Frog Farm. Eight birds were captured for banding before being released. We then had a short session on GPS training before heading over to KLO Middle School to observe construction activities at the Fascieux Creek project.

Rene McKibbon of the Canadian Wildlife Services teaches participants about bird banding.

Darryl Arsenault from Golder Associates, Michelle Hamilton from KLO Middle School and Carol Courtney from the Central Okanagan Naturalists Club explained the process of gaining approvals, planning for the project and the construction phases as well as the bumps along the way for the Fascieux Creek naturalization. One major take away was to be persistent in gaining approval and reaching out to others for help where needed (i.e., identifying someone with knowledge on the various stages to implement the project).

Darryl Arsenault shows off the newly-restored Fascieux Creek site at KLO Middle School in Kelowna. The site will act as an outdoor classroom for students.

We all headed back to the classroom at Winfield Easter Seals Camp for a few more presentations. Clinton Coates from Golder Associates taught the participants about the process and regulations around doing work on a potential or known archeological site; advising us that berms or hills around wetlands may be potential hotspots for artifacts. Josie, with FLNRO, then presented on the 4 types of wetland legislation in BC as well as the tools that local governments have for wetland protection. She discussed the gaps in legislation but also pointed out that the current tools can be used more often.

Graham Watt, an Environmental Planner and Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist, then gave a presentation on the Kettle River Watershed and Landscape Level Planning. Graham discussed the impacts of sedimentation on watershed health and discussed his findings about safe buffer distances to minimize sedimentation. We were also privileged to have Richard Armstrong from the En’owkin Centre in Penticton join us to hold a powerful discussion on his connection with the land and the history of the land relating to water. He explained the First Nations spiritual connection to the watersheds and expressed the importance of conserving and restoring the land we have. His discussion inspired many of us and left participants more motivated to complete their projects and work closer with First Nations on projects.

Friday ended with Graham holding an optional presentation on Q-GIS software, a free, open-source system that can be used for data analysis and offers a quick projection mode as well. This is a great data analysis tool and it comes with a user guide and training manual to instruct people on its uses.

Saturday was a busy day starting off with a soil identification activity where Neil Fletcher led groups in identifying three mystery soils by completing a series of simple tests that can also be performed in the field. We were then joined by Thompson Rivers University professor Brian Heise, who gave a presentation on wetland aquatic invertebrates. Brian’s contagious enthusiasm had the whole class standing up pretending to swim like predaceous diving beetles. This theme carried into the field at the Winfield Nature Reserve where participants caught live invertebrates from each of the ponds. Participants found all sorts of invertebrates including: dragonfly, damselfly and caddisfly larvae, leeches, snails, amphipods, water boatmen, mayflies, predaceous diving beetles, crawling water beetles, nematodes, water striders, and cranefly larvae.

Checking out their catch: participants sample invertebrates at the Winfield Nature Reserve.

It was now time for planting at the Radies Site as construction was complete. Within 2.5 hours we planted over 600 plants, spread top soil, and seeded the grounds with oats; making it a very successful planting session. Participants broke out into groups after planting to compete in a “build the best frog and toad house” activity around the wetland. Neil was the judge checking for suitability of habitat of the houses and picked the top 3 as winners.

Wetlands_institute_clay_model.jpg

Now tired and dirty we returned to the classroom for a wetland model building activity. Under Tom’s guidance everyone built the design of their current wetland projects or the design of their ideal wetland using modeling clay. The containers allowed for the different layers to be seen which is useful to visualize for clay-liner or other liner wetlands. Participants kept their models to help them visualize their wetlands during construction of their project. Saturday ended with a much needed social night of board games and a movie on wetland restoration in Iraq.

 

The last day of the Institute kicked off with a presentation on successful grant writing by Neil Fletcher. Neil explained what is needed for a successful grant application and gave helpful tips for the writing process. Many participants took a lot away from this presentation. Neil then led the group into sharing their future steps with regards to their wetland projects and conservation plans. Everyone shared their thoughts on the three topics: head, heart, and hand; meaning what have they learned, what they loved, and how they will apply their new skills and knowledge. This was an emotional time for many of the participants and coordinators who have been deeply inspired throughout the week to pursue wetland conservation and restoration, and overcome their own personal fears or hesitations. Guest blog post author Kayla Akins helps to seed the Radies site.

 

The Institute concluded with a planting session at the Curly Frog Farm site. Over the last 6 hours of the Institute, the group put in their sweat and work to strategically place and plant over 1300 plants, seed the entire wetland area and lay straw over all of the seeds and soil on the slopes. After a hard day’s work, the Institute came to an end and everyone said their good byes.

The completed wetland site at Curly Frog Farm.

A big thank you to all of our instructors: Tom Biebighauser, Jim Dumont, Don Gayton, Brian Heise and Rene McKibbon; and to our guest speakers: Richard Armstrong, Darryl Arsenault, Shawn Black, Clinton Coates, Josie Symonds and Graham Watt. A very special thank you to all of our funders who made the Institute possible including the Government of Canada, the Government of BC, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Environment Canada, and Wildlife Habitat Canada.

HCTF has provided annual funding for the Wetlands Institute since 2009. The 2016 Institute will be held in the Lower Mainland. For more on the BC Wetlands institute, visit the BCWF Bog Blog.