HCTF has just launched a new newsletter to keep HCTF grant recipients, partners and supporters informed about Foundation projects and news. We’ll be sending out newsletters quarterly (or when we have something really important to share). The spring edition is available here. If you would like to sign up to receive future newsletters, please use this form.
The Public Conservation Assistance Fund grant application deadline is just a little over three weeks away! Apply now for funding to support your club or organization in carrying out a volunteer-based project to help local fish & wildlife. Questions about your application? Contact our Biological and Evaluation Services department.
Read about some of our past PCAF grant recipients on our project profiles page>>
HCTF was recently featured in a YouTube video created by Fishing with Rod about purchasing freshwater fishing licences. The video explains how to use the Province’s e-licencing system, and talks about some of the fisheries and conservation benefits derived from licence fees and surcharges.
Still need to purchase or renew your licence? Use Rod’s tips to navigate the e-licencing system at http://www.fishing.gov.bc.ca/.
Kelowna, BC – The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has announced it has committed another $6.1 Million to fish and wildlife projects across BC. This year’s grants will bring the total amount invested by the Foundation in conservation projects to over $150 Million since its beginnings in 1981.
The Foundation is unique among other environmental granting organizations in that the revenue used for project funding comes from conservation surcharges on angling, hunting, guide outfitting and trapping licences.
“HCTF is a concrete symbol of the user’s investment in the resource,” said Foundation Chair, Harvey Andrusak. “Few people realize how much of the critical conservation work taking place in this Province is funded by anglers, hunters, guide outfitters and trappers.”
Grant recipients include provincial government biologists, municipalities, universities, and local land trusts. They use Foundation funding to improve conditions for many different kinds of native fish and wildlife, from majestic mountain goats and endangered Fraser River sturgeon, to at-risk amphibians such as the Coastal-tailed frog.
“We all benefit,” says Andrusak, “These projects improve conditions for a tremendous range of species, not just those targeted by contributors.”
You can find a complete list of 2014-15 grant recipients and projects here.
Download Regional Copies of News Release:
Photos (click on image for larger version- additional images available upon request)
Vancouver Island:
Okanagan:
Lower Mainland
Kootenays:
Contact:
Shannon West, Communications & Program Officer
Ph: 250 940 9789
HCTF’s Public Conservation Assistance Fund has a new look. The granting program, which provides funding for on-the-ground conservation work with a strong volunteer component, recently had its logo refreshed to be more closely aligned with that of HCTF. Though different in style, the new PCAF logo has maintained some of the design elements of the previous version, inspired by the program’s tagline “A helping hand for fish and wildlife in BC”.
You can download different versions of the logo for use on project communications materials here.
Applying for PCAF Funding
Each year, the PCAF program provides small grants to projects that restore habitat, monitor wildlife populations, or involve other activities that get more people involved in conservation at the grassroots level. If you or your organization has a great idea for a project benefitting fish or wildlife, visit our PCAF grant information webpage to find out how to apply. Applications must be submitted by May 17th, so start working on your proposal today!
Today marks the first day of a new fishing season, and that means licence renewal time. You may already be aware that your licence fees pay for lake stocking programs, but did you know that your licence purchase also provides funding for fish conservation projects across BC? Almost all freshwater fishing licences sold in the province include a conservation surcharge directed to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. HCTF invests angling surcharge revenue into science-based conservation projects working to maintain and enhance BC’s freshwater fish and their habitats. Last year, angling licence surcharges provided approximately $2.5 Million in funding for 60 different fish conservation projects. These include:
Conference Creek Watershed Restoration Project (Vancouver Island, Approved for $42K):
Coastal cutthroat trout are a species of special concern in BC, having become locally extinct in areas of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland where their populations once flourished. The main reason for the species’ decline is habitat loss and degradation caused by forestry, agriculture and urbanization. The Conference Creek project is working to restore degraded cutthroat trout habitat by reconnecting creeks to their historical channels. This partnership of NGOS, government and local First Nations has identified the most productive streams in the area, and undertaken a number of restoration initiatives. These include removal of collapsed culverts, addition of cover logs, and creation of pools below the adjacent highway to provide refuge and spawning habitat for cutthroat trout and other species.
Lower Fraser River White Sturgeon Monitoring and Assessment Program (Approved for $61K): This program uses trained volunteers to apply thousands of PIT tags (similar to the implanted microchips used for pets) to white sturgeon. Regular monitoring by volunteers provides reliable estimates of sturgeon numbers in the lower Fraser River, while simultaneously increasing awareness around the conservation of this endangered species. HCTF also funds sturgeon research on the mid-Fraser River ($16K, Cariboo), with a goal of protecting important sturgeon habitats and key migration routes from development.
Bonaparte Dam & Fishway Operations & Maintenance (Thompson Region, Approved for $24K): The impressive Bonaparte fishway enables steelhead and rainbow trout to traverse the otherwise impassible falls of the Bonaparte River. Dam operation helps ensure drought effects on fish production are avoided or minimized. Together, this infrastructure dramatically increases the amount of available spawning and rearing habitat available to these fish, opening up over 100km of stream. On average, it is estimated that this site supports ~20% of the production of steelhead for the Thompson Steelhead catch and release sport fishery.
Okanagan River Restoration Initiative Okanagan River Restoration Initiative ($30K): The initiative restored the dyked, straight-flowing main stem of the Okanagan River to its historic (pre-channelized) pathway over its wider, natural floodplain. The restored riverside channel, bordered by fast-growing shade forestation, follows a more meandering course with deep feeding and resting pools, and oxygenating riffles – measures which greatly improve the spawning and rearing habitat for trout and salmon. You can read more about this project here.
These are only a few examples of the conservation work made possible through licence surcharge revenue. Learn more about our projects and programs here.
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