Mon, 6 May 2013

Man of the Year

Rod Silver (left) fresh from a well deserved holiday in the sun receives the Barsby Trophy from Ed Mankelow, Past President of the BC Wildlife Federation (and himself a past winner of the Barsby Trophy).

Saturday, April 27th was a very special day when one Roderick Sterling Silver was the deserving recipient of the BC Wildlife Federation’s Barsby Trophy. The trophy is the greatest honour the BCWF can bestow on an individual for their outstanding contribution to conservation in British Columbia over many years. Rod’s nomination was supported by many conservation leaders from across BC who personally attested to his quiet but pervasive influence in many historical and ongoing projects that continue to benefit BC’s fish and wildlife heritage, not least of which were his years as the Manager of the then Habitat Conservation Trust Fund and, since his retirement, in his current role as a Director of the Nature Trust of British Columbia.

Rod’s name has been added to a long list of previous winners – and he’s in very good company. Past Barsby Trophy winners include Ian McTaggart-Cowan, Bert Brink, Otto Langer, Peter Larkin, Ralph Shaw, Don Robinson and many more. Congratulations Rod!

 

 

 

Fri, 26 Apr 2013

HCTF Announces $6 Million for Community Conservation Grants

HCTF is proud to announce that it will provide over $6 million in grants this year to protect BC’s fish, wildlife and habitats.

The list of 2013-14 grant recipients was officially released at the BC Wildlife Federation’s AGM. 139 enhancement and restoration projects will be funded, led by some of the province’s top fish and wildlife experts.

“This money is critical to conserving and managing the diverse range of habitats and species that make BC special,” said Harvey Andrusak, Chair of the Foundation. “Without these grants, much of the critical conservation work happening around the province simply couldn’t get done.”

Since its beginnings in the early 80s, HCTF has contributed over $145 million to conservation projects, and estimates the resulting partnership investments to be worth an additional $400 million.

Some highlights include:

  • Burrard Inlet Restoration Project: the 2007 oil spill in the Burrard Inlet resulted in a $447,000 court award being directed to HCTF as part of the increasing movement towards using creative sentencing in cases involving environmental infractions. HCTF will invest this money into a number of projects working to restore and enhance estuarine, intertidal, and riparian habitats of the Inlet
  • Over $700,000 has been committed to projects increasing angling opportunities, including the Learn to Fish program, lake aerator installation and dock placement.
  • Approximately $ 1 million in grants will be provided to projects conserving and enhancing the province’s deer, mountain goat, wild sheep, moose, caribou and elk populations.
  • Over $250,000 will fund projects focussed on the conservation of non-game species native to BC, such as the endangered Salish sucker and Oregon Spotted Frog.
Wed, 24 Apr 2013
Tags: Acquisition / Habitat Acquisition

Mission Creek Celebration

Mission Creek

On Tuesday, HCTF had the opportunity to take part in a wonderful event on the banks of Mission Creek in Kelowna, celebrating the recent acquisition of 2.7 hectares of land immediately beside the creek (see video). Working with the MCRI, City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan and a cast of others, HCTF is supporting the long term plans to return parts of the heavily-channelized Mission Creek to a more natural state.

Mission Creek was channelized many years ago to control the destructive flooding that was impacting adjacent landowners. What was formerly a sinuous, natural and fish-friendly stream became, in effect, a much straightened “chute”. That straightening helped to solve the flooding problem, but removed important fish habitat.

HCTF has provided $315,000 in funding to purchase some adjacent land from the Casorso family (without whom this project would not be possible) which will eventually be restored to provide critical habitat for native Kokanee stocks. It’s an important first step in a long process, and HCTF is happy to be part of this initiative. For more information on the plan to restore Mission Creek, please visit the MCRI website.

Fri, 19 Apr 2013
Tags: Wildlife

HCTF Staff Visit Delta Farmland Project

A flock of snow geese land in Ladner.

HCTF staff may be coming to a project near you!

On April 12th, Lynne Bonner and Jane Algard visited Ladner to do a project site evaluation on the “Provision of Waterfowl and Raptor Habitat within Managed Grasslands on Lower Fraser River Farmland” project. Christine Terpsma of the Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust took us on a tour of farmlands that are under stewardship agreements in the Ladner/Delta area near Vancouver. HCTF funding ensures local farmers plant winter cover crops (for waterfowl) and grassland set-asides (for raptors) to provide a diversity of habitats for wildlife.

We saw the evidence of success: some winter cover crops were eaten down to bare ground, we spotted a number of hunting northern harriers in the set-asides, and hundreds of snow geese landed in a field next to us. As an added bonus – we sighted three snowy owls! Thanks Christine, for your time and your enthusiasm for wildlife conservation.

 

Wed, 3 Apr 2013

HCTF Launches New Website

We’ve got a new look for our website! New features include a blog and profiles of HCTF projects. We’ve reorganized some of our content, so you may need to update your bookmarks: if you need assistance finding anything, you can try the search bar at the top of the screen, or contact our communications officer. We’d love to hear your feedback!