INVESTING IN BC CONSERVATION SINCE 1981

The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) administers a funding program for invasive mussel monitoring in British Columbia lakes. This program was initially made possible by a $450,000 contribution from BC’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy (ENV). Additional support for ongoing monitoring work is provided by both federal and provincial funding.

For 2023 the Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund is funding 11 projects for a total of $140,224. The following organizations received funding to undertake the sampling:

  • Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society
  • Coastal Invasive Species Committee
  • Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council
  • Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society
  • Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society
  • Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society
  • East Kootenay Invasive Species Council
  • Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
  • Boundary Invasive Species Society
  • Christina Lake Stewardship Society
  • Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society

For 2022 the Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund is funding 9 projects for a total of $115,579. The following organizations received funding to undertake the sampling:

  • Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society
  • Coastal Invasive Species Committee
  • Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society
  • Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society
  • Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society
  • East Kootenay Invasive Species Council
  • Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
  • Christina Lake Stewardship Society
  • Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society

For the 2021 season, the Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund funded 12 proposals for a total of $148,863. The following organizations received funding to undertake the sampling:

  • Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society
  • Coastal Invasive Species Committee
  • Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council
  • Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society
  • Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society
  • Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society
  • East Kootenay Invasive Species Council
  • Okanagan Nation Alliance
  • Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
  • Boundary Invasive Species Society
  • Christina Lake Stewardship Society
  • Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society

For the 2020 season, the Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund funded 12 proposals for a total of $148,678. The following organizations received funding to undertake the sampling:

  • Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society
  • Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance
  • Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council
  • Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society
  • Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society
  • Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society
  • East Kootenay Invasive Species Council
  • Okanagan Nation Alliance
  • Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
  • Boundary Invasive Species Society
  • Christina Lake Stewardship Society
  • Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society

For the 2019 season the Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund funded 12 proposals for a total of $149,395. The program includes plankton tow sampling at 150 sites on 60 lakes for a total of over 800 samples, plus installation of over 75 substrate monitors. The following organizations received funding to undertake the sampling:

  • Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society
  • Coastal Invasive Species Committee
  • Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council
  • Fraser Valley Invasive Species Society
  • Lillooet Regional Invasive Species Society
  • Central Kootenay Invasive Species Society
  • East Kootenay Invasive Species Council
  • Okanagan Nation Alliance
  • Invasive Species Council of British Columbia (Cariboo)
  • Boundary Invasive Species Society
  • Christina Lake Stewardship Society
  • Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society

Intake for applications is now closed.
The next opportunity to apply will be winter 2024-25.

Application guidance documents are now available on the Resources Tab.

Please see the newly updated Program Guidelines, Application Instruction, Word Worksheet, Waterbody Sampling Table and Survey Apply FAQs for instructions on how to create, fill out and submit your application. Application intake will open in December 2023. These new resources will assist you in getting started before intake opens.

APPLY ONLINE

 

  • Ineligible Expenses

    • Salary expenses for regular provincial government employees
    • Any expenses unrelated to the sampling activities
    • If an administration fee is charged, separate additional charges for overhead (photocopying, office space, etc.) are not eligible
    • General volunteer recruitment expenses

For any questions on this granting program, please contact Barb von Sacken at bvonsacken@hctf.ca or 250-940-3013. For questions specifically about the Field Protocol, please contact Martina Beck, Unit Head, Freshwater Applied Science and Programs, Aquatic Ecosystems Branch, Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship at Martina.Beck@gov.bc.ca.

Congratulations on the approval of your Invasive Mussel Monitoring Grant!

Here are a few things you need to know about managing your Invasive Mussel Monitoring Grant:

  • Conditional Grant Agreement

    Please note that your project final approval is subject to entering into a Conditional Grant Agreement with HCTF. You will receive a notification from HCTF via DocuSign to sign your agreement electronically when it is ready. Please read your grant agreement carefully, and complete all requirements before returning to HCTF.

    View a sample of the Conditional Grant Agreement here.

  • Sample and Data Submission Procedures

    A Sample and Data Submission Procedures document is included as an appendix to your Conditional Grant Agreement and includes information on how to submit plankton tow samples to the lab. The procedures refer to the Chain of Custody Form for Veliger Sample Collection. This form can be found on the Reporting tab.

    Substrate monitoring is encouraged. If you have conducted substrate sampling please fill in the Substrate Monitoring Tracking Form 2021 , and include it with your final report. The substrate monitoring form helps ensure consistent data is recorded for waterbody, location (site name), date of installation, and frequency of inspections, along with helpful information of water temperature, pH and Secchi depth.

    If you have not received your forms or if anything is unclear, please contact Barb von Sacken at bvonsacken@hctf.ca or 250-940-3013 if you have any questions about sample and data forms.

    Reminder: To ensure proper tracking of lab samples, sample site names used in the field must correspond to sample sites names approved in your sampling plan and provided to the lab.

  • Additional Data

    Please note that if you have collected any additional field data that does not fit on the Chain of Custody form, please submit this information separately directly to Martina.Beck@gov.bc.ca.

  • Change Requests

    If you wish to make any changes to your sampling plan (e.g. change a sampling site) or adverse conditions require changes in sampling, or you have other changes to your project, please contact Beck, Martina at Martina.Beck@gov.bc.ca or Amalis Riera Vuibertat Amalis.RieraVuibert@gov.bc.ca and cc Barb von Sacken at bvonsacken@hctf.ca.

  • HCTF & Province of British Columbia Communication Approval and Acknowledgement

    Funding for the HCTF invasive Mussel Monitoring Grant was originally provided by a $450,000 contribution from the Province of B.C., ongoing funding has continued to be supported through provincial funding. Therefore, HCTF and the Province of British Columbia must be acknowledged in any publicity issued, printed or distributed, including signs, displays, reports, announcements, articles, press releases, or media interviews. Funding acknowledgement requirements are detailed below.

      1. HCTF communication guidelines and logos are available here.
      2. Any signage funded by the invasive mussel monitoring program must be reviewed and approved by the Province and must include the HCTF logo. Please contact Amalis Riera Vuibert at Amalis.RieraVuibert@gov.bc.ca
      3. For text based materials such as press releases, reports and brochures, in addition to the HCTF logo, you must include the following acknowledgement statement: “The (insert Name of Recipient) recognizes the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, and the Province of British Columbia for making significant financial contributions to support the (insert Name of Project). These lake monitoring efforts support the Province’s ongoing delivery of the Invasive Mussel Defence Program.
      4. All materials* must be reviewed and approved by the Province prior to publication. Ensure the province has at least 10 working days to review and approve, prior to your planned publication date.
        *EXCEPTIONS – Short (200 words or less) Facebook, Instagram or Twitter posts that do not discuss the technical details of the Invasive Mussel Monitoring Program do not require Provincial review and approval prior to publishing. Hashtags #HCTFgrants @HabitatConservationTrust, #ProvinceOfBC, @governmentofbc must be included.

 

Congratulations on completing the 2023 monitoring field season! Please ensure that all data is submitted to the lab before October 31st, 2023. You will also need to download, complete and submit the following reporting forms to HCTF by November 30th, 2023:

The Grant Report and lab results will be reviewed to ensure that samples were received by the lab and data was submitted in accordance with the approved plankton tow sampling plan. The Grant Report and all data must be submitted in order to receive the final payment under your grant. Please send completed forms to reporting@hctf.ca.

Application Resources

Invasive Mussel Monitoring Fund Grant Program Guidelines 2024

Invasive Mussel Monitoring Fund Grant Application Instructions 2024

Invasive Mussel Monitoring Fund Grant Application Form Word Worksheet 2024

Waterbody Sampling Table 2024

Invasive Mussel Monitoring Fund Grant Survey Apply FAQs

BC Dreissenid Mussel Lake Monitoring Field Protocol

Manage

Sample HCTF Conditional Grant Agreement

Change Request – Please see Manage Tab for 2023. Form and Instruction to come for 2024

Communication Request – Please see Manage Tab for 2023. Form and Instruction to come for 2024

Reporting

Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Fund Grant Report Template 2023 – as a Word document

Appendix 1 – Sampling Sites by Waterbody 2023 – as an Excel file

Appendix 2 – Collated Chain of Custody Form 2023 – collated copies of the forms provided to the lab with your samples – as an Excel file

Appendix 3 Substrate Monitoring Tracking Form 2023 (if applicable) – as an Excel file

 

Invasive Mussel Project Profiles