The Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation has announced $9.2 million in funding for more than 180 individual wildlife, freshwater fish and habitat conservation projects across B.C. this year.
Three will be happening in the Revelstoke area:
- Got Bats? B.C. Community Outreach, Conservation and Citizen Science Project
- Identifying wolverine reproductive dens in the Columbia Mountains
- Gerrard Rainbow Trout Critical Monitoring
Got Bats is a network of community bat projects across B.C. that promotes bat conservation through the detection and protection of bat roost, education to counter negative attitudes towards bats, installation of bat-houses, and a province-wide citizen science bat count to engage the public and detect population declines due to white-nose syndrome and other threats.
The wolverine project will located reproductive dens in the Columbia Mountains using citizen science, known locations, habitat-based modelling and targeted searches with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in order to inform efforts to secure habitat for this species, which is at risk.
The trout project monitors the conservation status of the fish by estimating escapement through spawner counts, protecting spawners, estimating harvests of these fish in the Kootenay Lake sport fishery, and monitoring critical spawning habitat parameters.
READ MORE: Two bears killed in Revelstoke so far this year
Another project funded by the trust is a study of grizzly bear mortality in the Kootenay region.
“This project builds upon a large base of research to provide recommendations on how best to solve pressing conservation concerns in a region with one of the highest rates of human caused grizzly bear mortality in the province,” said a news release from the Habitat Conservation Trust and the Forest Enhancement Society of B.C.
The trust strives to improve the conservation outcomes of B.C.’s fish and wildlife and their habitats.
The society was formed in Feb. 2016 by the provincial government with initial funding of $85 million. The purpose is to advance environmental and resource stewardship of B.C. forests.
@RevelstokeRevue
editor@revelstoketimesreview.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.