Mon, 17 Sep 2018

Now Accepting Enhancement & Restoration Grant Proposals

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is now accepting applications for Enhancement & Restoration grants. Applications must be submitted through HCTF’s online application system by 4:30pm on November 2nd, 2018.

Before beginning your application, please review the updated guides and resources on the Enhancement and Restoration Grant Overview webpage. New applicants can request a User ID and current grant recipients can log into the HCTF Online application portal using your existing ID. Please contact Courtney Sieben at Courtney.Sieben@hctf.ca or 250.940.9781 for support with preparing your applications.

Each year, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation provides approximately $6 million dollars in Enhancement and Restoration grants to help fund projects that support the conservation of British Columbia’s native freshwater fish, wildlife and their habitats. Since the inception of our work in 1981, the Foundation and its predecessors have invested over $170 million in more than 2000 projects across BC.

Tue, 11 Sep 2018

Welcome New and Returning Team Members

We are happy to announce some new and returning team members here at Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.

Alan Martin has returned to the board as one of two representatives appointed by the BC Wildlife Federation. Al has extensive knowledge of British Columbia’s resource management issues from 30 years of experience in the BC Public Service. Learn more about his background here. Al takes over the BCWF board position previously held by George Wilson. We are deeply grateful for George’s generous contributions to the board.

Heather Forbes has joined HCTF as our new Communications Officer. Heather has extensive experience in the charitable communications sector, most recently with Salmon Coast Field Station Society, an off-grid ecological research facility in the Broughton Archipelago.

Welcome Al and Heather!

 

Mon, 10 Sep 2018
Tags: Education

Get Learning Outdoors: GO Grant Applications due September 15th

Kids at June GO Grants Announcement with BC Parks

Teachers: there are only a few days left to prepare your applications for HCTF Education’s GO Grants.

GO Grants provide BC schools and classrooms with up to $600/class or $3500/school to pay for bus transportation, project materials, and leader/program fees for outdoor environmental learning experiences. Applications are due September 15th for field trips scheduled between September 15, 2018 – March 15, 2019. Applicants will be notified of results by the first week of October.

Thanks to a generous partnership with BC Parks, HCTF Education is happy to announce that more funding is available to help meet demand for this popular program. In total, BC Parks has committed up to $85,000 towards enabling young British Columbians to connect to parks and experience the benefits of spending time in nature.

Since 2012, GO Grants have helped over 35,000 BC students get outdoors to learn about their local environment. Full grant criteria and links to application forms are available here. For more information, contact HCTF Education at 250-940-9786 or email gogrants@hctf.ca

Thu, 30 Aug 2018

We’re on the Move!

After eight fantastic years at our Dallas Road location, we’ve outgrown our office space and are making the move to Jutland Road in Victoria. This week will be very busy as we finish packing for our official move date of September 4th. Our administrative staff have been working hard to ensure as little disruption to service as possible, but we do anticipate losing access to phones and email from the afternoon of Friday, August 31st until the afternoon of Wednesday, September 5th. We strongly suggest contacting us this week if there’s anything you need to discuss with HCTF prior to Thursday, September 6th.

Our new mailing address is:
PO Box 9354
Unit 102 – 2957 Jutland Road,
Victoria, BC
V8T 5J9
Thanks in advance for your patience!
Tue, 21 Aug 2018
Tags: Wildlife

Meet Molly – Vancouver Island Marmot Super Mom

Molly the Marmot and one of her six pups. Photo by Jordan Cormack.

Earlier this year, a field crew on an inventory trip made a surprising, and welcome, discovery in Strathcona Park . A new marmot mom, Molly, had six pups! Veteran Field Crew member Jordan Cormack managed to snap some photos of the busy mom and her brood. Vancouver Island Marmots usually have 3 or 4 pups once every second year and field teams have only seen litters of six weened pups a few times, never in Strathcona Park.

Less than 10 years ago, no marmots remained in Strathcona Park, and it has been a struggle at times to re-establish the species there. Historically, the Park was part of the Vancouver Island Marmot’s range, but the species was extirpated from the region sometime during the 1990s, with only a small handful surviving nearby at Mount Washington Alpine Resort. Re-establishing the marmot in the Park is an important part of the Recovery Plan for the species. In addition to being a large protected area within the marmot’s former range, marmot habitat in the Park may be more resilient as our climate changes.

Re-introducing a vanished species is never simple, and Strathcona Park is particularly challenging. Weather and terrain in the Park are harsher than in the marmots’ more southern colonies. Even more difficult was the loss of marmot “infrastructure” – burrows and hibernacula – that disappeared when the marmots were extirpated from the Park.

It is immensely rewarding to see a large litter of wild-born pups there. It suggests that Molly must have great body condition, which in turn means she must have had a good hibernaculum, and likely the support of a small, but functional, colony at her home on Castlecrag.

Playtime for two of Molly’s pups. Photo by Jordan Cormack.

Molly’s litter is a small step towards the recovery of her species in Strathcona, and a hopeful sign that the species is beginning to find ways to thrive in this beautiful and rugged wilderness. That Molly and her brood have this chance at all is due to the partners, donors, and funders, including the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, that have supported re-introduction work.

A huge thank you to Adam Taylor, Executive Director of the Marmot Recovery Foundation, for sharing this project update with us. The Reestablishing Vancouver Island Marmots in Strathcona Provincial Park project is funded in part through HCTF’s North Island Conservation Fund.

 

Tue, 14 Aug 2018

HCTF Seeks New Manager of Biology and Evaluation

Kathryn Martell and family

“Everything changes and nothing stays still.”

Heraclitus

Kathryn Martell, HCTF’s head biologist and manager of evaluation, has made the decision to leave her position to spend more time with her young family.

Message from Kathryn:

It’s been almost 3 years since I came to work for HCTF after years on the “other side” of funding conservation projects. We’re about to enter another proposal cycle, which is an exciting time for my role as Manager of the Biology & Evaluation components of HCTF’s work: we never know quite what will come through the hopper each year, and reading ~250 proposals provides an unparalleled bird’s-eye view of conservation issues in the province.

So it is with mixed feelings that I am now planning my departure. I have decided to resign my position. I am excited to have an opportunity to be home with my young kids (and elderly dogs)—but I know that I will miss being part of HCTF’s work. In particular, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with such a dedicated, passionate, and sometimes quirky team of staff, Board members, technical reviewers, and project leaders, and being part of an organization that has the ability to truly effect positive conservation outcomes in BC.

We have posted Kathryn’s position on the Careers page of our website, with an application deadline of September 7th, 2018.

This posting is the latest in what has been a year of substantial change and growth for the Foundation:

  • Jane Algard retired after a long career with HCTF and Courtney Sieben stepped into the role of Conservation Grants Specialist.
  • CFO Aaron Bremner began a two-year leave of absence to spend time with his family. Finance Officer Katelynn Schriner moved up into the role of Acting CFO and Jade Neilson joined HCTF in the Finance Officer position.
  • Our Administrative Coordinator Amy Strange moved back to Ontario and we welcomed new administrator Cherish Fairclough.
  • Dr. Winifred Kessler was elected as Chair of the HCTF Board of Directors following Ross Peck’s decision to retire after 11 years of service on the Board.
  • Communications Officer Shannon West became HCTF’s Manager of Program Development, a newly created position that is currently focussed on administering the Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund. Heather Forbes will start as HCTF’s new Communications Officer this September.
  • The HCTF Board of Directors approved a new position to support HCTF’s Environmental Education program and Communications. We expect to post this position this fall.

In addition to these changing faces, HCTF will also be shifting spaces. After eight years at the Dallas Road location, HCTF will be moving to 102 – 2957 Jutland Road on September 6th to accommodate our growing team. We are working to ensure as little disruption to service as possible and will post further information on what to expect during our office transition closer to our moving date.