Alberta Conservation Projects to Share $1.2 Million in Grants

From the Sept 5, 2005 Issue of Agri-News

Since 2002, ACA's Grant Eligible Conservation Fund has approved 227 projects that have made a significant contribution to conservation in Alberta.

"This program supports the efforts of conservation groups and individuals, with funding they might not find from other sources," says Garry Scrimgeour, ACA's manager of Science and Research. "In some cases, there's also a leveraging effect. Having ACA funding might allow groups to qualify for other conservation-related grants. Overall, the grants play a key role in building conservation capacity among these organizations."

In early 2005, ACA approved 67 projects under the Grant Eligible Conservation Fund program, totaling just under $1.2 million. This was from a pool of 120 applications requesting nearly $3 million in project funding. The 2005 projects covered many Alberta regions and addressed a broad range of conservation interests: fisheries, wildlife, habitat and recreational issues. For a complete list of projects, visit the ACA website.

A few of these projects include:

compiling an Atlas of Breeding Birds of Alberta
enhancing habitat and post interpretive signs at Cochrane's Big Hill Creek
studying how bobcat and long-tailed weasel use wooded parts of agricultural land on Alberta's prairies
identifying essential habitat for burrowing owls
assessing the economic benefits of recreational fishing on the Bow River between Canmore and Bassano
studying cougar predation on wild ungulates in a multi-prey, multi-predator system in West-Central Alberta
Hardisty Creek Restoration Project (HCRP) in the Hinton area
new field techniques for estimating wolf densities and predation rates in the Central East Slopes of Alberta, including models for wolf sightability and kill-site identification
late-fall fisheries investigation on Southern Alberta's diversion canals

A similar level of funding, nearly $1.2 million, will be available for projects funded in 2006.

David Fairless, ACA's provincial programs coordinator, explains that the program is intended to reach out to a wide variety of interested parties.

"Any individual or organization in Alberta can apply," says Fairless. "Applications come from members of the public, community groups and conservation groups that want to do significant conservation work." Staff members of ACA and Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) are not eligible to apply for funding under this fund.

Two application forms are available. A simplified short-form application is for grant requests of $2,000 or less. The standard grant application is for amounts over $2,000. The smallest grant approved last year was for $300, the largest was for $60,000, with the average project grant being $18,000.

A funding committee composed of three non-voting ACA Board members and 10 private citizens assesses applications. Funded projects must advance ACA's mission - to conserve, protect and enhance Alberta's biological natural resources - as well as address a well-defined issue or problem in an achievable way.

The application process isn't just a yes-or-no exercise. Unsuccessful applicants receive ACA's advice on how to improve their chances next time. "We can't fund everyone," says Fairless, "but it's our job is to help them in any way we can."

Fairless urges interested groups and individuals to be aware of the program's key deadlines. Final funding criteria guidelines will be published on December 15, 2005. The window for ACA to receive applications is from January 1 to 31, 2006. Grants will be reviewed by ACA in February, for projects extending from April 2006 to March 2007.

"All project applicants are making a vital contribution to the cause of conservation in Alberta," says Scrimgeour. "These organizations have a wealth of keen, creative volunteers and they get results. These people have a great heart for conservation, and we're here to support their work."

Groups and individuals who have a project in mind that can assist and advance conservation in Alberta, whether that projects is big or small, are encouraged to apply to ACA's Grant Eligible Conservation Fund by January 31, 2006. For more information, visit the website.

Contact: Alberta Conservation Association (780) 427-5192


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