Grant Program 2014–2015 Annual Report of Activities & Synopsis of Funding Recipient Projects For the Period of April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015 Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Program Annual Report 2014 - 2015 Our 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. Our Mission ACA conserves, protects and enhances fish and wildlife populations and their habitats for Albertans to enjoy, value and use. Alberta Conservation Association #101 -9 Chippewa Road Sherwood Park, AB, T8A 6J7 ab-conservation.com Amy MacKinven, Grants Program Administrator Email: [email protected] www.ab-conservation.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 1 PART I 1. Introduction 2 2. The Funding Cycle 2 3. Funding Eligibility 2 4. Major Funding Priorities 2014-2015 3 5. Proposal Review Process 3 6. Funding Allocations 4 7. Synopsis of Approved Projects for 2014-2015 5 8. Grants project contribution to the ACA Funding Priorities 6 PART II 2014–2015 Project Summaries 7-50 Conservation, Community and Education Grants Research Grants APPENDIX Appendix A: Projects in Relation to ACA Funding Priorities 50-55 Front Cover Photo: Smooth brome (invasive grass species) Photo: Gisela Stotz From the project: "Expansion into native grasslands and consequences for biodiversity of smooth brome (Bromus inermis) invasion across Alberta." (University of Alberta, Dr. J. Cahill, 015-00-90-200) iii Grant Program Executive Summary Funded by the province’s hunters and anglers, ACA’s Grants Program supports annually a variety of projects both small and 2014–2015 large which benefit Alberta’s wildlife and fish populations, as well as the habitat they depend on. Operational since 2002, the ACA Grants (formerly known as the Grant Eligible Conservation Annual Report of Fund or GECF) as of the 2014-15 funding round has provided more than $12.9 million to 803 projects carried out in Alberta by Activities & Synopsis the conservation community. Furthermore the funding provided by the Grants continues to leverage approximately six times its value in conservation dollars, estimated at approximately $80.5 of Funding Recipient million - money that has been directly used for conservation work in Alberta. Projects For the last few years, ACA has administered three grant programs: The Hunter, Trapper and Angler Retention, Recruitment and Conservation Education program; GECF Part A: Conservation Support and Enhancement and GECF Part B: Research. In 2014- 15 the grants were restructured; the GECF Part A: Conservation Support and Enhancement was merged together with the Hunter, Trapper and Angler Retention, Recruitment and Conservation Education grant programs to make the ACA Conservation, Community and Education Grants. The name of GECF Part B: Creekfest Water Festival 2014, Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society Research was changed to ACA Research Grants. These popular grant programs received 146 applications (110 to Conservation, Community and Education Grants and 36 to the ACA Research Grants) requesting just under $2.5 million in 2014-2015. A total of $1,120,576 was allocated to 94 projects (75 Conservation, Community and Grants projects and 19 ACA Research Grants projects). The aim of this report is to document the procedures for 2014-2015 and to provide an overview of activities and results of projects financially supported through the ACA Grants (the Conservation, Community and Education Grants and the ACA Research Grants) in 2014-2016. Key Program Highlights for the Grants 2014-15: GECF Part A: Conservation Support and Enhancement and the Recruitment and Retention of Hunters, Anglers and Trappers was combined to make the ACA Conservation, Community and Education Grants. GECF Part B: Research was renamed to the ACA Research Grants. The ACA Conservation, Community and Education Grants received 110 funding applications requesting a total dollar value just over $1.5M. A total of $790,576 was allocated to 75 projects: 27 small grants and 48 large grants. The ACA Research Grants received 36 funding applications requesting just over $930,000. A total of $330,000 was allocated to 19 projects. Project budgets ranged from $400 to $75,000. 1 Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Program Annual Report 2014 - 2015 1. Introduction 2. The Funding Cycle Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) believes it is our The funding priorities, guidelines and application forms were made responsibility to join and support the collective effort to conserve, available to the public September 27, 2013 via the ACA website, by protect and enhance Alberta’s biological natural resources. One email to existing contacts and by environmental list servers. Details of the ways in which ACA does this is to make grants to other of the 2014-2015 funding cycle are in the table below: members of the conservation community. The projects supported by ACA’s grants are intended to enhance and supplement ACA 2014-2015 FUNDING CYCLE DATES activities, and aid in the delivery of ACA’s Vision, Mission and Posting of the Guidelines and Application Forms on Strategic Business Plan. ACA has been awarding conservation ACA’s website September 27, 2013 grants since 1997, with the GECF process starting in 2002-03. As of the 2014-15 funding round the Grants program has granted Window to receive completed ACA Research November 1, 2013 - applications $12.9 million dollars since 2002-03 to 803 conservation projects November 29, 2013 implemented in Alberta; these projects have leveraged an Window to receive completed CCEG applications January 1-31, 2014 estimated $80.5 million in conservation work across the province. After the project selection process, a total of $790,576 was granted ACA Research Grants adjudication meeting February 9, 2014 to 75 ACA Conservation, Community and Education Grants (CCEG) and $330,000 was granted to 19 ACA Research Grants projects. This document provides an overview of the activities of the CCEG and CCEG adjudication meeting February 27, 2014 the ACA Research Grants for the 2014-15 funding cycle. ACA Board approval and notification of applicants as to funding status End of March 2014 Cooperative Project Agreements signed, initial payments made, and project work begins From April 1, 2014 Interim reports due & second payments made (if required) September 1, 2014 Final reports due March 15, 2015 Projects end & final payments made (if required) March 31, 2015 3. Funding Eligibility The ACA Grants (CCEG and ACA Research) support a wide variety of applicants and project types. Anyone with a suitable project working in Alberta can apply for funding, with the exception of ACA staff and Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (AESRD) staff, and individuals without the proper insurance. Certain project types and budget items are not covered by the CCEG and the ACA Research Grants, for example land acquisition, emergency funding or over-head costs. Since fiscal year 2009–10, funding priorities have been used by the Grants to guide applicants in drafting their applications. The list of funding priorities changed in 2014-5; two Funding Priority lists were produced, one for CCEG and another for the ACA Research Grants (see Section 4: Major Funding Priorities Grants 2014-15). The lists were split so those Priorities that were more suited to Research were removed from the CCEG list. Three new priorities relating the recruitment and retention of hunters, anglers and trapper, as well as outdoor education were added to the CCEG Funding Priority list. These grants do accept applications that do not relate to the suggested areas; however, projects that address one or more of these priority areas have a better chance of being funded than those that do not. The eligibility criteria and funding priorities can be found in full in the document “Project Submission Guidelines for Funding 2014-2015” (this document is available from the Grants Project Administrator). 2 Alberta Conservation Association – Grant Program Annual Report 2014 - 2015 The CCEG offers small grants for projects with budgets of $3,000 waterfowl, elk and deer). and under and large grants for projects with budgets over $3,000. 7. Projects related to the retention, recruitment and education The small grants have a simplified application form; although the of hunters, anglers or trappers (including attracting new eligibility criteria and funding guidelines are the same for both mentors, training mentors and providing mentors for new small and large grants. hunters/anglers/trappers; sharing information in schools and The CCEG and the ACA Research Grants are widely known amongst with the general public about the link between conservation the conservation community working in Alberta and applications and hunters/anglers/trappers; this category also includes were received from a diverse cross-section of the population educating new hunters/anglers/trappers). including: community groups, grassroots organizations, provincial 8. Generate awareness of the hunting/angling/trapping and national institutes, as well as leading scientific researchers. opportunities available to the public. 4. Major Funding Priorities 9. Projects related to nature /outdoor education. Grants 2014 – 2015 Funding Priorities for ACA Research Grants This text is taken from Section C of the Project Submission Please refer to the document “Research needs for fisheries and Guidelines for Funding 2014 – 2015. wildlife in Alberta” available on the