Mon, 7 Jan 2019
Tags: Habitat Acquisition

New Year, New Land

Park Rill Creek by Nick Burdock

HCTF is pleased to announce the acquisition of two new parcels of land in the Okanagan. A hotspot of biodiversity and of species at risk in Canada, the Okanagan has experienced significant conversion of wild land to other uses in recent decades.

The Park Rill Creek property was purchased by The Nature Trust of BC. Located in the White Lake Basin in the South Okanagan, this 32.2 hectare (80 acre) parcel is home to some of the most endangered and rare species in our province such as the endangered Half-moon Hairstreak butterfly and the rare Painted Turtle. The property is rich with vegetation including aromatic gray sagebrush, desert grassland and broadleaf woodlands.

The R.E. Taylor Conservation Property, is named in honour of Ron Taylor of Winfield, BC, whose dedication and commitment to wildlife conservation in BC has spanned more than half a century. Ron helped to create the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT), the purchasers of this property.

The property is a gem of intact streamside Water Birch forest, one of very few remaining in the Okanagan-Similkameen. It provides habitat for at least five federally-listed species at risk, including the Yellow-breasted Chat, Western Screech Owl and Lewis’s Woodpecker. It is also good habitat for deer, bear, bobcat and badger that travel across the valley, and for rainbow trout in the creek.

Significant contributions from HCTF, along with other funders mean long-term protection for these valuable ecosystems.

Tue, 18 Dec 2018

HCTF Holiday Office Closure

Happy Holidays! Our office with be closed between December 25 and December 31. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Through this time we will still be responding to inquiries about the Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund. Please contact Shannon West at Shannon.west [at] hctf.ca

Tue, 18 Dec 2018

Job Opening – Program Support Coordinator

HCTF has an opening for a full-time Program Support Coordinator. If you’re energetic, self-directed, and have a positive approach to your career, work, and colleagues, apply by Jan 15, 2019! This is a full-time position in Victoria, BC. For more details, visit our Careers webpage.

Thu, 6 Dec 2018
Tags: Fisheries

HCTF Makes New Sturgeon Commitment

Sturgeon and 3 Fisherpeople

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has made a substantial new commitment to white sturgeon in BC, which will see the foundation provide an additional $250,000 over the next 5 years towards projects that contribute to the conservation of sturgeon and associated habitat.

Starting in 2008, the Province of British Columbia introduced new conservation surcharges on licences to fish for sturgeon on the middle and lower Fraser River. The surcharge funds are directed to a dedicated account overseen by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, to be reinvested in important work to sustain these sensitive populations.

The amount of revenue generated annually depends on the number of sturgeon licenses sold. Over the past 8 years, the average annual revenue from sturgeon surcharges was $250,000. In 2017/18, it was approximately $325,000.

In October 2018, the HCTF board decided to provide an additional $250,000 for sturgeon projects, over and above the annual amount generated through sturgeon angling surcharges. This means that HCTF will provide an additional $50,000 annually in new funding for sturgeon conservation projects for each of the next 5 years, starting in 2019.

“HCTF recognizes the unique value of sturgeon and the need to protect this irreplaceable species,” explains HCTF CEO Brian Springinotic. “We want to augment the already significant contributions of the sturgeon angling, guiding and scientific communities, who act as sturgeon advocates and ambassadors, citizen scientists, and, through license fees, financial supporters of conservation projects.”

Over the years, HCTF has funded a variety of sturgeon conservation projects in BC. Recent examples include long-term acoustic tracking of adult sturgeon and a collaborative project focused on the removal of ghost nets (read more).

Tue, 4 Dec 2018

Applications Now Being Accepted for Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund

Caribou

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) is now accepting applications from the public for the Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund. This fund was created through a $2 million grant from the Province of British Columbia to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation to aid in caribou habitat restoration.

“Our provincial Caribou Recovery Program recognizes the need for a number of actions to help recover caribou populations, including habitat restoration,” says Forests, Lands, Natural Resources Operations and Rural Development Minister Doug Donaldson. “Earlier this year we were able to direct funding to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation for that purpose.”

Since the Fund was first announced in April 2018, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has supported projects in the Kootenay-Boundary and Skeena regions designed to support caribou habitat. Approximately $1.5 million is available for projects in this funding round.

Human influence on the landscape – including forestry, mining, and roadbuilding – has altered caribou habitat. Projects pursued under the Fund will focus on restoring habitat through both functional and ecological approaches. Examples of functional restoration activities include planting trees, spreading coarse woody debris and installing fences to disrupt linear thoroughfares that advantage predators, whereas ecological restoration activities include encouraging native plants and trees that support the return of caribou habitat to its undisturbed state.

“Investing in habitat restoration is a key component of caribou recovery,” said Brian Springinotic, chief executive officer, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. “We are pleased to work with the Province to improve conservation outcomes for these vulnerable and iconic herds.”

Interested applicants are encouraged to visit the CHRF webpage to learn more about funding priorities. Applications will be accepted until January 11, 2019 and successful projects will be announced in spring of 2019.

Since its inception in 1981, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has invested over $180 million in grant money to more than 2,800 conservation projects in B.C., with the goal to restore, maintain or enhance native fish and wildlife populations and habitats.

Thu, 29 Nov 2018
Tags: Fish & Wildlife / Fisheries

Coquihalla River Rehabilitation Project Update

Crew working to break up boulder on Coquihalla River

HCTF is delighted to share an update from one of our more explosive recent projects, the Coquihalla River Summer Steelhead Migration Rehabilitation Project.

In the spring of 2014, an unfortunate combination of erosion, shifting of boulders and the settling of a failed bridge foundation introduced a new obstacle for summer steelhead attempting to access the upper 20 km of the Coquihalla River. The location of Othello Falls, combined with seasonal water levels, have always made this stretch very difficult to pass, but the 2014 events made this barrier almost fully impassable. Loss of access to the upper river threatened the long-term viability of this unique steelhead population. In response, a dedicated group of biologists, engineers, conservationists, and fisheries enthusiasts came together to make a plan.

Northwest Hydraulic Consultants was contracted to oversee modifications to the barrier. In September 2017, the team rappelled down the bridge at Othello Falls, drilled holes in the most problematic boulder, and used low-impact explosives to break the blockage into smaller pieces. Over the winter, high water flows redistributed the rocks, creating a more accessible passage for steelhead.

While it is still too early to assess the full impact of the rehabilitation work, preliminary results are encouraging, according to Mike Willcox, project leader and Fish Biologist with Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development for the South Coast Natural Resource Region. His team conducted snorkel surveys both up- and down-stream of the barrier in late summer 2018 to determine the percentage of summer steelhead that successfully traversed the blockage. “Our observations indicate the works were at least partly successful in improving access at the barrier,” says Willcox. “As well, anglers were pleased with the fishery upstream of the barrier this season. We will continue to monitor fish movement each year past the barrier to determine whether any further works are required.”

The Coquihalla River supports one of only two natural, coastal summer-run steelhead stocks on the lower Fraser River. This stretch of river provides a rare opportunity for artificial fly-only summer steelhead fishing. From both a conservation and recreation viewpoint, individuals and organizations from across BC are very keen to support this important piece of habitat. HCTF is keen to follow the monitoring updates from the talented and creative folks on the ground and in the water at the Coquihalla River.

This project was supported by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, the Steelhead Society, Kingfisher Rod and Gun Club, the BC Conservation Foundation, BC Parks and the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.