The deadline to apply for a 2015-16 Enhancement & Restoration grant is this Monday, November 3rd at 4:30pm. Applications must be submitted via HCTF Online. An HCTF staff member will be available this Saturday and Sunday from 1 pm until 3:30 pm to answer any last-minute questions about the application process: phone 250-940-9781 or email jane.algard@hctf.ca for assistance.
Last Friday, HCTF Board member Ian McGregor joined the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in Kamloops to celebrate the successful acquisition of 525 hectares of native grassland in the Nicola Valley. HCTF contributed a quarter of a million dollars to the Napier Lake Ranch project, which will protect habitat for migratory birds, rare grassland plants and mammals such as moose and mule deer.
“Like all of HCTF’s acquisition investments, Napier Lake Ranch was funded because it contains significant habitat values that were under threat of fragmentation,” said McGregor. “By supporting NCC’s purchase of these lands, we can be assured that grasslands, and the plants and animals that live there, will be protected now and forever. This means future generations may have the opportunity to witness Sharp-tailed grouse, spot a Swainson’s hawk, or hear the sounds of Sandhill cranes rolling across the grasslands.”
Indeed, both Sharp-tailed grouse and Sandhill cranes were observed by celebration participants on an NCC-led tour of the newly-acquired lands. One of those participants was the land’s former owner, Agnes Jackson. Her family sustainably managed these grasslands for over 40 years, and her decision to sell to the Conservancy was based on her desire to see them remain a haven for many plants and animals.
“Grasslands hold more endangered species than any other climatic zone,” said Jackson. “Keeping large tracts of land intact is really the only way to protect them.”
In a CBC radio interview earlier this year, Jackson spoke about her hope that others would be able to experience these lands and enjoy them as much as she did. NCC plans to allow non-motorized vehicle access to the property, allowing people to further their connection to grassland conservation.
As part of the celebration, NCC acknowledged the many groups who contributed to this project, including the Government of Canada, the Jackson Family, The Sitka Foundation, the Estate of Thomas T. Forbes and HCTF. HCTF funding of this and other recent NCC conservation land acquisitions was made possible through the contributions of the province’s anglers, hunters, trappers and guides, whose licence surcharges provide approximately $6 Million for conservation projects annually. To find out more about the different types of projects HCTF supports, including conservation land acquisitions, click here.
This fall will see BC students heading outdoors to learn about sockeye in the Shuswap, bird habitat in Boundary Bay, and how bighorn sheep, western rattlesnakes, and little brown bats prepare for winter. These and many more hands-on learning experiences will be made possible through HCTF Education GO grants, designed to support outdoor learning experiences about BC’s environment. The September intake resulted in over $43,000 being awarded to classes and schools around the province. In the coming months, we’ll be publishing some stories about educators’ experiences with the program, so check back soon!
This past week, volunteers from the Summerland Sportsmen’s Association worked alongside the Provincial Conservation Officer Service and the South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program in Garnet Valley between Summerland and Peachland, posting new motorized vehicle regulations and restrictions signs as well as marking and deactivating illegal trails.
Garnet Valley has some of the Okanagan’s most valuable wildlife habitat, with south-facing slopes ideal for winter and early spring habitat for mule deer. The valley is a beautifully diverse landscape – with sensitive wetlands, grasslands, rugged terrain and open forests. It’s a link for wildlife to move and connect to other important natural areas away from the busy Hwy 97 corridor.
With the support of HCTF in the 1980’s, the Province of BC recognized the importance of the Garnet area and purchased a number of private parcels to augment crown land holdings. A significant increase in motorized vehicle damage and illegal trail building over the years has markedly degraded the habitat and resulted in disturbance to mule deer on their winter range.
In early 2014, the Province of BC established new Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulations under the Wildlife Act for Garnet Valley to protect the values. The new regulations for Garnet Valley designate open legal routes and closed illegal routes to protect wildlife and allow habitat to recover. Leading up to the closure, BC Conservation Officers and Forestry Compliance and Enforcement Officers had been providing education and information about the coming changes to the motorized recreation community – now it was time for full implementation.
The partnerships forged during a successful PCAF project in 2012 came together once again with the Summerland Sportsmen’s Association, South Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program and the BC Conservation Officer Service working side by side to assist in the protection of Garnet Valley wildlife habitat. With funding provided by the HCTF Public Conservation Assistance Fund 2014 and in-kind matched by the partners, vehicle closure project was completed during the last week of September. Volunteers and government staff systematically marked the open and seasonally open routes, while marking and deactivating the illegal routes over a number of blue bird fall days. A flat tire on the backhoe was the only hitch in an otherwise seamless project supervised by Sargent Jim Beck of the BC Conservation Officer Service.
“The success of our last PCAF project has inspired all of us, the sportsmen’s club, the conservation partnership and the provincial government to keep working together for habitat recovery in the Garnet”, said Bryn White, SOSCP Program Manager. In 2012, HCTF’s PCAF program supported an application from the groups to fence one of the last wetlands in the valley called Ritchie Lake that had been significantly degraded by mud-bogging off road vehicles and cattle. In one year after the wildlife-friendly fence was built, the dry rutted area was unrecognizable. In its place was a beautiful and lush wetland complete with reeds, dragonflies and ducks. This year, the group took some time to sit and have lunch at Ritchie Lake to enjoy the view. It wasn’t long before talk of another damaged wetland area seen in the north end of Garnet Valley came up that would benefit from excluding cattle and mud-bogging off road vehicles. McLachlan Lake looks very similar to Ritchie Lake – pre-fence. It is holding water for the first time in a number of years, and would be a perfect joint project given its location between the Summerland and Peachland Sportsmen’s Club. Stay tuned to hear how they tackle this one.
Our thanks to the South-Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Program for providing this update on PCAF Project #1032.
We are now accepting applications for 2015-16 Enhancement & Restoration projects through our online application system. Applications can be submitted via HCTF Online until the deadline of 4:30 pm November 3rd, 2014.
Applicants are encouraged to submit early in order to have time to address any issues that may arise.
HCTF Education has extended the application deadline for its Get Outdoors (GO) granting program. Educators and schools now have until September 30th, 2014 to apply for funding for outdoor field experiences taking place between September 1st and March 31st, 2015. For more information on grant criteria and how to apply, click here.
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