The Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society (OSSS) is holding a community enhancement day this Saturday, June 6^th at Max Lake Road wetland near Penticton, BC. This wetland is one of the few marshes remaining in the Penticton area, and is a refuge for Western Screech owls, tiger salamanders, painted turtles, and many other Okanagan wildlife species. OSSS is looking for volunteers to help remove garbage and invasive weeds from the property from 9am to 2pm: for details on what to bring, click here, or email okanaganstewardship@gmail.com for more information.

HCTF is proud to support OSSS efforts to promote voluntary habitat stewardship in the Okanagan Basin (project #8-90).

Here are some more of our favourite images recently submitted by HCTF project leaders along with their reports (click here for Part One of the gallery).

Surveys in the Mountains

A group of bighorns from the most northerly herd in North America are photographed from a helicopter as part of project 7-400, which is collaring and tracking the movements of these animals near Tumbler Ridge, BC. Photo: Mike Russel

Protecting Native Grasslands

In October, HCTF joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) on site at Napier Lake Ranch to celebrate the acquisition of this Nicola Valley property. HCTF contributed to the purchase of these lands through our acquisition granting program. Photo: Rick Howie

Mustelid Hide and Seek

A mink pops up from under the snow in the central interior of British Columbia. Project 7-379, North American Mink Population Densities, Habitat Selection & Diet in Central BC, assessed this mammal’s habitat selection, home range, movements and diet, constituting the first detailed work on mink in the interior of BC.

Renewal through Fire

The Frog block burn (shown above) was conducted as part of project 7-12, the Peace Liard Burns, to renew forage for elk, moose, Stone’s sheep and mountain goats. The photo below shows Sulphur Creek after burn treatment (also conducted as part of project 7-12).

Collaring Caribou

Above: Minuscule against the mountain backdrop, members of the Telkwa caribou herd are photographed from a helicopter near Smithers, BC. The Telkwa herd is in serious decline, and biologists working on project 6-236 used GPS collars (such as the one on the caribou bull below) to better understand the reasons behind their dwindling numbers.

Planting Pine in Decline

Volunteers plant locally-grown, whitebark pine seedlings at the Nanika Falls wildfire site in Nenikekh/Nanika-Kidprice Provincial Park as part of project 6-227, Restoring Whitebark Pine Ecosystems to Enhance Subalpine Grizzly Bear Habitat. Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) are an important source of food for grizzly bears, black bears and other subalpine wildlife species on the leeward slopes of the central BC Coast Range to as far north as Smithers, BC. Unfortunately, whitebark pine is in rapid decline due to combined effects of mountain pine beetle, the introduced disease white pine blister rust, fire suppression practices and climate change and was listed as endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act in 2012. The Bulkley Valley Research Centre has studied the ecology of this species in west central BC since 2007 and in 2011 began a collaborative restoration program with a variety of partners to plant blister-rust resistant seedlings in areas of high value bear habitat.

Building Bat Homes

Marlene Herbert finishes installation of a bat box as part of PCAF project #810, the Kootenay Community Bat Project. Half the bat species in BC are red- or blue-listed and an additional species, the little brown myotis, has recently been assessed as Endangered in Canada. With the spread of White Nose Syndrome (WNS), an invasive fungus that has caused the death of approximately 6 million bats since it was first detected in 2006, enhancing bat habitat and monitoring bat populations is critical. This project engages stewardship groups and residents of the Kootenays by providing funds for bat-house materials. In return, citizens will build, install and monitor at least two bat-houses on their property in order to test bat-house designs and effective locations, and to gain information on bat population trends.

Thanks again to our project leaders for sharing these images with us. If you’ve got additional project photos or videos you’d like to share, please contact Shannon West.

We love hearing about the great work being done by HCTF grant recipients, and really enjoy when project leaders send us photos of the animals, activities and people that are part of their projects. Here are some of our favourite images submitted during the recent reporting intake:

Working for Wetlands

A team replaces a water control structure at Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island. This was one of five sites having its water control structure refurbished or replaced as part of the 2014-15 Wetland Partnership Program led by Ducks Unlimited Canada. The work on these water control structures will benefit approximately 283 wetland hectares.

Family Time

Dad and daughter enjoy some outdoor time with the Prince George Young Naturalists Club (YNC). YNC is a outdoor discovery and environmental action program that encourages young people ages 5-12 to learn about nearby nature, building the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts and lifelong environmental stewards. Photo: YNC Prince George

Amphibian Monitoring

Biologist Purnima Govindarajulu checks a live trap for amphibians as part of a monitoring program on Blackburn Nature Reserve, led by the Salt Spring Island Conservancy (Project 1-490, Conservation and Restoration of Priority Wildlife Habitat on Salt Spring Island). Photo: Laura Matthias

Seed Collection

A volunteer with the Salt Spring Island Conservancy collects plant seeds to be used in restoring native vegetation to newly constructed wetland sites. Photo: Laura Matthias

Long Lost Ball

A volunteer unearths a golf ball from Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve. The former golf course site being restored as part of a project led by the Salt Spring Island Conservancy. Photo: Laura Matthias

Climbing the Walls

This little Pacific Treefrog is part of a trial to see see which fencing material options would best direct our local species towards culverts specially designed to reduce amphibian road fatalities. Project leader Barb Beasley and her team chose four different types of materials that have been used for similar purposes in other places in Canada. The team tested to see whether our local species – Northern Red-legged Frogs, Northern Pacific Treefrogs, Northwestern Salamanders and Rough-skinned Newts could be contained within fence enclosures made of each material. You can read about the results of their trial here.

Back to the Nest

A pair of Western Bluebirds originally fledged as part of the Georgia Depression Western Bluebird Reintroduction Project return to a nestbox at the Cowichan Garry Oak Preserve. This spring’s surveys recorded 18 returned bluebirds, consisting of both translocated and island-hatched individuals of multiple generations — the greatest accomplishment of the recovery effort to date! You can read the latest news about this project on the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team’s website.

Urban Restoration

Members of the City of Surrey Salmon Habitat Restoration Program (SHaRP) release chum salmon fry into Bear Creek. SHaRP promotes watershed stewardship and performs habitat enhancement within Surrey through outreach programs and restoration work to improve fish habitat. The program also provides youth with career-orientated experience in stewardship practices and community involvement.

Farmland Habitat

This gorgeous photo of a Short-eared owl soaring over Delta farmland was submitted to us by the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust. Their long-running project improves habitat values for waterfowl and raptors on farmland in Delta, BC, establishing on average over 500 acres of grassland set-asides, 3,000 acres of winter cover crops, and over 12 km of hedgerows & grass margins annually. Photo: Hank Tseng

The Ultimate Tree House?

This worker is constructing a nesting platform as part of project 2-551, Nest Site Creation of Bald Eagles in Urban Vancouver Estuaries. This platform is located in the MacKay estuary, which was recently restored as part of the Burrard Inlet Restoration Pilot Program.

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It was with great pride that HCTF presented its 2014 Silver Award to Dr. Tom Sullivan at the recent BC Trappers Association (BCTA) AGM & Convention in 100 Mile House. Dr. Sullivan received the award in recognition of the outstanding contribution made by his HCTF-funded project, Enhancing Marten and Weasel Habitat on Clearcuts. The project examined whether debris from clearcuts shaped into windrows could provide important habitat for small mammals, thereby mitigating some of the impacts of this forestry practice: you can read more about the project here . Congratulations, Tom, on this well-deserved accolade!

The Silver Award was presented at the convention by HCTF Board member Don Wilkins. Don was recently appointed as the BCTA representative on the HCTF Board, replacing Mike Green, who regrettably had to resign for health reasons.

Our sincere thanks to the BCTA event organizers for providing us with time on the agenda to present the award, and for allowing us to share some of the great work being funded with their members’ licence surcharges.

The next HCTF Silver Award winner will be decided following this year’s Fisheries Evaluation Workshop.

We are pleased to announce that 119 BC fish and wildlife projects will receive HCTF Enhancement & Restoration grants in 2015-16, totalling over $6.5 million dollars in funding.

You can view the complete 2015-16 HCTF Approved Project List here, or download one of the region-specific lists below. The lists describe the conservation projects taking place in each region, their approved grant amounts, and project leader contact information. Please note that some of our multi-region projects may also be taking place in your area: check back soon for the updated 2015-16 interactive project map.

(Click on any of the photo thumbnails below to display a larger image)

Multi-Region Project List

Vancouver Island Project List

A pair of Western bluebirds return to their nestbox. The pair are being reintroduced to the Cowichan Valley by the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team.

The British Columbia Conservation Foundation received a grant to monitor summer Steelhead migration in the Loup Falls Bypass Channel on Gordon River (click on photo for larger image).

Lower Mainland Project List

Thompson-Nicola Project List

Kootenay Project List

Ministry of Environment staff member Mike Gall looks out on some of the restoration work completed at Premier Lake Park as part of the East Kootenay Grassland Ecosystem Restoration program. HCTF has provided financial support for this program since 2002 (click on photo for larger image).

Cariboo Project List

A buoy marks the location of an acoustic receiver in Quesnel Lake as part of project 5-271, Quesnel Lake Angler Exploitation Study.

Skeena Project List

Peace/Omineca Project List

Okanagan Project List

A volunteer assesses a badger burrow at the Princeton Golf Club as part of a project to promote habitat stewardship in the Okanagan Basin. HCTF has supported this program led by the Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society for almost 20 years (click on photo for larger image).

The Public Conservation Assistance Fund grant application deadline is rapidly approaching! Apply now for funding to support your club or organization in carrying out a volunteer-based project to help local fish & wildlife.

We’ve recently made some revisions to our application forms, so please be sure to read the instructions, even if you’re a seasoned applicant (please note: if you have already sent us your 2015-16 application, you do not need to resubmit using the new form). Questions about the PCAF grant application process? Contact our Biological and Evaluation Services department.

Read about some of our past PCAF grant recipients on our project profiles page>>