Grant Eligible Conservation Fund 2007 – 2008 Annual Report Of
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Alberta Conservation Association Grant Eligible Conservation Fund 2007 – 2008 Annual Report of Activities & Synopsis of Funding Recipient Projects For the Period of April 1, 2007 to March 31, 2008 Amy MacKinven August 2008 ACA’s Mission ACA conserves, protects and enhances fish, wildlife and habitat for all Albertans to enjoy, value and use. ACA’s Vision An Alberta with an abundance and diversity of fish, wildlife and their habitats, where future generations continue to use, enjoy and value our rich outdoor heritage. Alberta Conservation Association, 101 -9 Chippewa Road, Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 6J7 Amy MacKinven, Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Project Administrator Email: [email protected] VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://www.ab-conservation.com Front Cover Photo: Photo: taken with remote camera by Miistakis Institute From the project ‘Recreation and wildlife in the Rockies of Southwestern Alberta: Human Use and its effect on wildlife, fisheries and regional connectivity’ (Miistakis Institute 030-00-90-108) Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 PART I 1. Introduction 2 2. Purpose 2 3. GECF Funding Cycle 2 4. Proposal Review Process 2 5. Funding Eligibility 3 6. Funding Allocations 3 7. Major Funding Goals & Priorities 2007–2008 4 8. GECF project contribution to the ACA Strategic Business Plan 6 9. Synopsis of Approved Projects for 2007–2008 8 10. 2002/03-2007/08 Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Project Locations 10 PART II 2007-2008 Project summaries 11 - 112 (For page #s for specific projects see Table in Section 9 on page 8) APPENDICES Appendix A Project Submission Guidelines 113 Appendix B Cooperative Project Agreement 118 Appendix C Table Project Results: GECF Projects and the SBP 2007-2010 126 i Executive Summary The Grant Eligible Conservation Fund (GECF) formally began in 2002, making this the 6th funding cycle in this new streamlined format. The aim of the fund is to aid the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) in the delivery of its mission and Strategic Business Plan. Grants made to partners are intended to enhance and supplement ACA activities. Over $6.2 million dollars have been provided to 343 conservation project implemented by the conservation community, which has leveraged an estimated $40 million in conservation work across Alberta. The aim of this document is to provide an overview of activities and results of projects financially supported through the GECF in 2007/2008 and relate them to the ACA Strategic Business Plan. KEY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS for the GECF 2007/2008: • 102 funding requests were received requesting a total dollar value of ~$2.1 million. • A total of $868,155.00 was granted to 60 projects. • 53 projects were completed, 7 projects were given extensions. • Project budgets ranged from $500.00 to $50,869.00. Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Page 1 1. Introduction: The Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) believes it is our responsibility to join and support the collective effort to conserve, protect and enhance Alberta’s natural biological resources. One of the ways in which ACA does this is to make grants to our partners. Grants made to partners are intended to enhance and supplement ACA activities. Environmental conservation grants have been awarded by ACA since 1997. ACA is proud to have completed its 10th year of Conservation Funding. In 2002 the Grant Eligible Conservation Fund (GECF) formally began in this format. For 2007/2008 up to $1.2 million dollars were available for project funding via the GECF. This document provides an overview of GECF activities for the funding cycle 2007/2008 and an overview of accepted projects carried out between April 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008. A synopsis of objectives, activities and deliverables is provided for each of the 60 conservation projects funded. 2. Purpose: The Grant Eligible Conservation Fund aims to aid the delivery of ACA’s mission and Strategic Business Plan (SBP 2007-2010). Grants made to partners are intended to enhance and supplement ACA’s objectives and activities. 3. GECF Funding Cycle: The funding priorities, guidelines and application forms were made available to the public mid December 2006 via the ACA website. Details of the 2007/2008 funding cycle are in the Table below: 2007/2008 FUNDING CYCLE DATES Posting of the Guidelines and Application Forms on ACA’s website December 15 2006 Window to receive completed applications January 1-31 2007 Proposal Review Committee Adjudication Meeting February 28 2007 Notification of Applicants as to Funding Status March 2007 April 1 2007 through Projects Work Occurred March 31 2008 4. Proposal Review Process The ACA Board of Directors appointed a Granting Committee comprised of three board members and ten citizens of Alberta, who referee and assess the grant applications based on the established funding criteria. The proposal review meeting was held on February 28th, 2007 at the Percy Page Centre, Edmonton, Alberta. Reviewers were tasked with: • Providing rankings for the respective proposals based on the funding priorities and guidelines provided by ACA. • Providing funding recommendations for suitable proposals to the ACA Board. Proposals were evaluated on their merit and content using a three-tiered ranking system: A: Top proposals; recommend funding in whole or in part. B: Proposal contains merit, recommend funding in whole or in part if funds available. C: Do not recommend funding Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Page 2 5. Funding Eligibility: The GECF funding supports a wide variety of applicants and project types. In fact, applications are received from a diverse cross section of the population including: ordinary Albertans, community groups, conservation organizations and leading edge scientific researchers. The conservation community is responding to these funding opportunities very positively by submitting funding requests for vital conservation work. The increasing numbers of applicants shows that ACA programs are becoming widely known and that the funds are contributing to conservation efforts in Alberta. • Any organization or individual may apply to the GECF if they have a suitable project. • ACA and ASRD staff are not eligible to apply to the fund. • Recipients of funding from ACA Grants in Biodiversity (www.biology.ualberta.ca/biodiversity) are not eligible to receive funding from the GECF for the same project in the same calendar year. For more details on funding priorities and criteria see Section 7 and Appendix A: Project Submission Guidelines for Funding 2007-08. 6. Funding Allocations: For the 2007/2008 funding cycle $1.2 million dollars were available for project funding via the GECF. • 102 funding requests were received requesting a total dollar value of ~$2.1 million. • A total of $868,155.00 was granted to 60 projects. • 53 projects were completed, 7 projects were given extensions. • Project budgets ranged from $500.00 to $50,869.00. All projects approved for funding by the Granting Committee must sign the Cooperative Project Agreement with the approved proposal and budget appended. The Cooperative Project Agreement outlines the reporting and payment schedules and other contractual obligations between ACA and the grant recipient. All projects are expected to provide an interim and a final project report. For the full copy of the Cooperative Project Agreement used in 2007-2008 please see Appendix B. Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Eligible Conservation Fund Page 3 7. Major Funding Goals & Priorities 2007 – 2008: Major Funding Goals & Priorities of the Conservation Fund 2007 – 2008 Grants made to partners are intended to aid in the delivery of the ACA mission and Strategic Business Plan. The following funding priorities for the GECF are derived from the Strategic Business Plan 2007- 2010 and was contained in GECF document the “Project Submission Guidelines for Funding in 2007- 2008” (for full document see Appendix A), which is used by project applicants and was downloadable from the ACA website. ACA Wildlife Program Priorities for 2007-2008 The Wildlife Program supports and enhances conservation activities that retain the diversity and abundance of populations and communities of wildlife in Alberta. It includes consideration of all non-fish taxa, but has a strong focus on harvested species. The Wildlife Program includes components related to wildlife populations, their habitats and the ecosystems that support them. The ACA Wildlife Program informs and supports ASRD in their role of determination of species status; the development, communication and implementation of species recovery or management plans, and management of consumptive and non-consumptive use and users. This program supports the inventory and monitoring of priority species and their habitats, the retention and enhancement of priority habitats, and the restoration and reintroduction of priority populations. Inventory monitoring may provide a baseline for programs to assess and monitor ecological goods and services. Program activities may include, but are not limited to, population enhancement, applied ecological studies, and understanding and facilitation of users’ needs and wants. An essential element is the monitoring, evaluation and adaptation of wildlife and habitat conservation activities. ACA strives to enhance the sustainability of wildlife species through science-based conservation. The Wildlife Team has developed a program that focuses on four thematic areas including ungulates, upland game birds, waterfowl