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Fri, 7 Nov 2014
Category: News
Fri, 7 Nov 2014
HCTF Hosts Wildlife Evaluation Workshop
What difference does your HCTF project make to wildlife conservation? We asked 14 wildlife project leaders this question at the annual HCTF Project Evaluation Workshop recently held in Kelowna. These workshops have become an annual highlight for HCTF Board members and staff and, as it turns out, for many project leaders as well. We learned how $14 million provided 60 project-years’ worth of habitat enhancement, population monitoring and habitat requirement studies for a multitude of species: elk, deer, moose, sheep, bear, cougar, wolves, marten, weasel, mink, bats, frogs, owls and bluebirds. The following is a list of presentations given at this year’s workshop:
| Presenter | Project Name |
| Erin Rutherford | South Coast Bat Conservation |
| Michelle McLellan | Population trend, vital rates, and habitat condition of the endangered Stein/Nahatlatch grizzly bear population |
| Larry Davis | Inventory of fisher populations and dens in the Bridge River watershed |
| Kevin Duncan | Lytton elk (Cervus canadensis) population enumeration and habitat enhancement. |
| Tara Szkorupa | Kootenay Moose General Open Season Monitoring |
| Tara Szkorupa | Mule Deer Population Composition Surveys |
| Lisa Tedesco | Boundary Ecosystem Restoration |
| Doris Hausleitner | Western Screech-owl Habitat Stewardship and Home Range Analysis in the West Kootenay |
| Dennis Jelinski | Assessing predation risk from wolves and cougars for caribou in the Purcell Mountains. |
| Thomas Sullivan | Enhancing Marten and Weasel Habitat on Clearcuts |
| Melissa Todd | Terrestrial Habitat Requirements of Coastal Tailed Frogs in Northwest BC |
| Dexter Hodder | North American Mink Population Densities, Habitat Selection & Diet in Central BC |
| Daniel Lirette | Efficacy of UWR”s and survey optimization for bighorn sheep in MU 7-19 |
| Alicia Goddard | Peace-Liard Burns |
| Jemma Green | Georgia Depression Western Bluebird Reintroduction |
Each person provided a 20 minute presentation summarizing project objectives, results and what these accomplishments implied for conservation and management. Immediately following each presentation, workshop attendees were given time to fill out a presentation evaluation form requesting their comments, suggestions, and opinions on the degree to which the project contributes to wildlife management in BC. In the coming months, HCTF will be collating this project feedback (along with participants’ assessment of the workshop itself) and incorporating it into an evaluation workshop report. We’ll post a notification on our blog when the report is available: in the meantime, you can view reports from past workshops here.
Our sincere thanks to the grant recipients who participated in the workshop, both for sharing information on your project and providing valuable insight on the work of your peers.
Wed, 5 Nov 2014
Bringing Wetlands Back
The Salt Spring Island Conservancy (SSIC) shared this great video of the habitat restoration work happening on their recent conservation land acquisition, Blackburn Lake. In the video, wetland restoration expert Tom Biebighauser talks about the process of unearthing wetlands buried under a metre and a half of soil, and the dedication of the many volunteers working to restore the former golf course to a more natural state. You can read more about how HCTF grants are helping to make this restoration project a success in this post.
Thu, 30 Oct 2014
Reminder: HCTF Application Deadline This Monday
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.
Mon, 20 Oct 2014
Tags: Habitat Acquisition
Historic Grasslands Conserved
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.
Tue, 14 Oct 2014
Back to School – Outdoors!
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!
