Kamloops, B.C.: The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is proud to announce over $8.5 million in funding for 178 fish and wildlife conservation and conservation stewardship projects across B.C. this year, with more than $1.5M allocated to projects in the Thompson Okanagan region.

Listen to the interview on Radio NL with MSc student researcher Steffani Singh.

Among this year’s projects in the Thompson Okanagan region is a two-year study of how wildfires of different ages affect the distribution of owls in the Okanagan Valley. “Owls help regulate prey populations and are culturally significant to local Indigenous communities. They are threatened by wildfire, which removes forest features needed for breeding and hunting,” says project leader Karen Hodges of the University of British Columbia Okanagan. MSc student Steffani Singh is surveying which owl species are present in post-fire forests and determining where owl nests are and what the owls are eating in these burned landscapes. The project will thus inform the management about what features of burned forests are essential for owls, leading to better habitat conservation. The project is being supported by the HCTF and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), with $66,401 in funding this year.

 Photos left to right: An owl spotted during the study to find out how large wildfires affect the distribution of owls in the Okanagan Valley. Photo Credit: Marcus Cosentino; View of an area post-wildfire, part of the owl habitat study. Photo Credit: Nikita Karitsky; Researchers studying a wildfire-impacted area. Photo Credit: Steffani Singh.

Steve Kozuki, executive director of FESBC said, “HCTF has some of the best expertise in wildlife biology and habitat management. That’s why FESBC is so pleased to collaborate with HCTF. Together we have improved wildlife habitat on numerous successful projects all around British Columbia. And we will continue to endeavour to assist wildlife to thrive and flourish for generations to come.”

For over 40 years, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) has provided funding for conservation projects throughout B.C. Projects are led by a range of partners including community groups and rod and gun clubs, environmental non-government organizations, First Nations and Indigenous-led organizations, and the British Columbia government. Since 1981, the HCTF has funded over 3,800 projects representing an investment of over $232 million for conservation in the province.

Dan Buffett, CEO of HCTF, said, “Over the last seven years, FESBC contributed over $4.5M to HCTF to fund wildlife projects in our forests. Our partnership enables project leaders such as UBC to assess the impact of wildfires on wildlife and develop guidance on how to better manage forests for wildlife. Projects such as Dr. Hodge’s work on owls, along with many other wildlife projects, will continue to fill our knowledge gaps to improve habitat for wildlife.”

Other HCTF-funded projects taking place in Thompson Okanagan include:

  • $22,730 to measure how changes in Douglas-fir forests affect mule deer habitat and how to better support the mule deer population in the Bald Mountain range west of Summerland (co-funded by FESBC).
  • $295,500 to rebuild the Mission Creek Spawning Channel intake, ensuring spawning migration access and higher survival rates for juvenile kokanee.
  • $62,750 to restore habitat on approximately 23 km of roads within the Caribou North and Groundhog caribou herds’ range.
  • $93,615 to install a resistivity counter in the Upper Shuswap River to monitor Bull trout migration and provide spawning and movement patterns.
  • $24,906 to build capacity for and understanding of environmental and wildlife initiatives in the Nlaka’pamux Homeland.

Each project funded by HCTF undergoes a multi-level, objective, and technical review process prior to the final Board review and decision. HCTF’s Board of Directors ensures that species important to B.C. anglers and hunters are supported but also places great importance on conserving whole ecosystems, species-at-risk, and investing in environmental education across the province.

The FESBC-HCTF partnership exemplifies how collaborative efforts can lead to significant environmental and community benefits. As the two organizations look toward the future, the lessons learned from this partnership will continue to guide efforts in forest and wildlife habitat management.

To read more about these projects, visit www.hctf.ca.  

FESBC would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Forests.