Tue, 2 Apr 2019

PCAF Grant Deadline reminder

The Public Conservation Assistance Fund provides small grants to organizations and individuals who need financial help to implement a conservation project. Since 1974, the Province of BC and the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation provide approximately $150,000 each year to help implement on-the-ground conservation work, with a particular focus on hands-on, community-based, and public awareness initiatives.

May 16, 2019 at 4:30pm PST is the application deadline.

For more info, visit PCAF Grants

Tue, 2 Apr 2019
Tags: Acquisition

Morrison Headwaters Nature Preserve

Members of the Comox Valley Land Trust and the Comox Valley Regional District cut the ribbon to signal a partnership to protect the Morrison Headwaters Nature Preserve. Fifth from left: HCTF Evaluation Program Manager, Karen Barry. Photo supplied

HCTF welcomes the newly announced Morrison Headwaters Nature Preserve, a joint project of The Comox Valley Land Trust (CVLT) and the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD).

HCTF is pleased to be a major funder towards this biologically rich area.Read more about the land acquisition and its unique resident, the Morrison Creek lamprey.

https://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/news/comox-valley-regional-district-land-trust-form-partnership-to-protect-morrison-headwaters-nature-preserve/

Mon, 1 Apr 2019
Tags: Stewardship

HAT Trains Habitat Ambassadors on South Vancouver Island

Wildwood Group

South Vancouver Island has the highest species diversity in the province, yet protected lands are small and fragmented. Therefore private residents, representing over 80% of the landholders in this region, play an integral role in supporting habitat and wildlife. Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) has been engaging with residents through the HCTF-funded Wildwood Creek Wetland Stewardship Project to establish a network of skilled and knowledgeable Habitat Ambassadors.

Engagement activities have included workshops like “Creating Frog Friendly Spaces with Native Plants” aimed toward landowners with creeks or wetland areas on their properties. The 5-hour workshop included plant identification of common riparian invasive plants, restoration techniques, wildlife identification, and the hands-on planting of over 100 native plants.

Visit http://hat.bc.ca for information on future workshops and other events.

Thu, 28 Mar 2019
Tags: F&W / Wildlife

Congratulations on Grizzly Study Publication

SWBC Grizzly Project

Exciting news from project proponent Michelle McLellan Ph.D.

“We have been monitoring grizzly bears in the threatened Stein-Nahatlach population since 2010. This project was funded by HCTF and we’ve recently published the results of this work. Thanks to HCTF for making this possible.”

View publication on “Divergent population trends following the cessation of legal grizzly bear hunting in southwestern British Columbia, Canada” here:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320718301538

Thu, 21 Mar 2019
Tags: Caribou / Wildlife

Hands-on conservation at the Klinse-Za caribou maternity pen

Maternal pen, photo: Shari Willmott

Transporting crew to the pen, photo: Wildlife Infometrics

More than half of the caribou herds in BC are listed as ‘Threatened’. Given that predation on calves is one of the most direct causes of caribou population declines, two First Nations have partnered with Wildlife Infometrics on a maternal penning project of the Klinse-Za herd, supported by an HCTF grant.

To protect cows and calves from predators during the calving season, a proportion of the herd’s pregnant cows were captured in late March and placed in a guarded pen where they are monitored and fed by a team of First Nations Guardians. The cows and their calves will be released back into the wild in late July when the calves are 2 months old. This project is located in the historical territory of the Klinse-Za herd, northwest of Chetwynd, and the traditional territory of the West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations.

Follow the project on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pncaribou or Twitter at https://twitter.com/CaribouRecovery

 

Fri, 8 Mar 2019

2019-20 Preliminary List of Approved Projects

A preliminary list of approved 2019-20 Enhancement & Restoration projects is now available.

Download the 2019-20 Preliminary Approved Projects List

Projects included on this preliminary list have been approved in principle but may have reduced budgets or funding conditions. Over the next few weeks, all applicants will receive official notification emails including HCTF Board and technical committee comments. For approved projects, these emails will include the grant amount and funding conditions (if applicable).

Proponents of approved projects will receive a Conditional Grant Agreement by mail. Please be aware that until both you and HCTF have reviewed, accepted and signed the Conditional Grant Agreement, there is no confirmation of funding and no legal commitment in place.

Congratulations to all successful proponents! To those applicants who were not funded this time, thank you for your interest. The next opportunity to apply for an HCTF Enhancement and Restoration grant will be fall of 2019.