Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund for Restoring High-Value Habitat for Caribou (Canada)

Deadline: 6-Nov-20

Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation is currently accepting applications for Caribou Habitat Restoration Fund – Canada (CHRF) for the purpose of restoring high-value habitat for caribou in BC using functional and ecological restoration methods. The CHRF is made possible by a contribution from the Province of BC.

Priorities

• For this funding cycle, priority will be given to functional restoration projects that will reduce the use of linear features by predators and people so as to reduce caribou mortality in the short term. Ecological restoration is important to meet the long-term goals at many sites and can be done in conjunction with functional restoration.
• Focus on the functional restoration of roads or other linear features adjacent or leading to areas of intact, high-value caribou habitat.
• Focus on treating disturbance features where natural vegetation recovery is not occurring, or is limited, with the treatment focused on the site-specific limiting factor.
• Focus on reducing the suitability of matrix habitat for primary prey such as planting or treating areas with high shrub production.

Priority Areas

• The Province of BC requires a coordinated and strategic approach to restoring caribou habitat.
• The Province has identified the following high and medium-priority herd ranges for caribou habitat restoration proposals submitted for the 2021-22 funding cycle:

High-priority herds for 2021-22 habitat restoration projects

• Barkerville
• Klinse-Za (Moberly)
• Narraway
• Narrow Lake
• North Cariboo
• Quintette
• Scott
• Telkwa
• Wells Gray North

Medium-priority herds for 2021-22 habitat restoration projects

• Burnt Pine
• Calendar
• Central Selkirks (Nakusp and Duncan)
• Charlotte Alplands
• Chase
• Chinchaga
• Graham
• Groundhog
• Hart Ranges
• Itcha-Ilgachuz
• Maxhamish
• Muskwa
• Pink Mountain
• Rainbows
• Snake-Sahtahneh
• Takla
• Tweedsmuir – Entiako
• Wells Gray South
• Westside (formally Prophet and Parker)
• Wolverine

What type of restoration projects within these areas will be prioritized for funding?

For this funding cycle, priority will be given to functional restoration projects that will reduce the use of linear features by predators and people so as to reduce caribou mortality in the short term. Ecological restoration is important to meet the long-term goals at many sites and can be done in conjunction with functional restoration.

• Focus on the functional restoration of roads or other linear features adjacent or leading to areas of intact, high-value caribou habitat.
• Focus on treating disturbance features where natural vegetation recovery is not occurring, or is limited, with the treatment focused on the site-specific limiting factor.
• Focus on reducing the suitability of matrix habitat for primary prey such as planting or treating areas with high shrub production.

Eligible Activities

All expenditures must be for activities directly related to the restoration of habitat for caribou in BC as a means of supporting caribou population recovery.

• Pre-treatment inventory and planning
  • Pre-treatment inventory and development of treatment prescriptions for sites that have been identified as high priority for caribou habitat restoration.
  • Completion of documentation necessary to support permitting requirements
  • Purchasing plant stock (trees and shrubs)
• Operations
  • Functional restoration treatments designed to reduce the use of linear features by caribou predators and people. Activities can include: Mounding/berming, Ripping/scarification, Roll back and placement of coarse woody material, Tree felling, Winter planting, Sowing of native shrub and tree seed, Tree bending, Line blocking, Bar mounding, Angle slicing, Constructing and installing fences.
  • Public education signage to explain access control measures (not regulatory signage)
  • Ecological restoration treatments designed to return disturbed ecosystems back to their predisturbed state.
• Monitoring
  • Field verification to ensure treatments are delivered as planned.
  • Monitoring vegetation response to treatment: Vegetation surveys, Lichen surveys
  • Monitoring wildlife response to treatment, Natural sign and track surveys, Remote cameras
  • Monitoring human response to treatments reducing access: Questionnaire surveys, Track surveys, Remote cameras
• Reporting
  • Conducting analysis and reporting on results of operational treatment
  • Production of extension material to highlight project specific results and to garner general support for habitat restoration activities.

Ineligible Activities

Ineligible activities include, but are not limited to:

• High-level landscape or range plans, including planning strategic coordination and prioritization of restoration efforts (development of restoration plans/site prescriptions for areas identified as being high priority for caribou habitat restoration by the Province are eligible)
• Consultation or engagement with Indigenous communities September 2020
• Archeological assessments
• Rehabilitation, captive breeding, feeding or control of wildlife species
• Maternal penning
• Law enforcement activities and general patrols
• Regulatory signage or information projects on regulations
• Training costs for contractors
• Mapping projects that are not essential to site-specific caribou habitat restoration activities
• Salaries for regular government employees
• Development or production of hunting, tour, or curriculum guidebooks or publication materials
• Conferences, lecture series, or conventions
• Production or sponsorship of commercial programs
• Organizational fundraising
• Creation or management of electronic databases, websites or file systems
• Insurance costs
• Legal fees
• Capital Assets (item per unit over $1000)
• Activities to fulfill statutory or legal requirements.

Who can apply for funding from the CHRF?

• Any individual or organization capable of restoring habitat for caribou in British Columbia. In order to maximize the benefits for caribou using the funds available, the Province has identified priority herds and developed guidelines for selecting restoration areas and activities that will benefit these herds.

Additional Considerations

• Proposed activities must not be part of an existing statutory/legal obligation.
• Implementation of proposed treatments should not result in additional habitat disturbance.
• Mitigation must be undertaken to minimize the environmental impact of treatments, such as archaeological resources, watercourse crossings, minimizing impacts on other Species at Risk, etc. It is the proponent’s responsibility to ensure appropriate permitting is in place.
• Collaboration between the applicant and the affected regions (i.e. biologist contacts) must occur (concept to delivery) when the proposed project spans regional boundaries.
• The Province is currently developing an Operational Framework for Woodland Caribou habitat restoration in British Columbia to provide guidance for the planning, implementation, and monitoring of caribou habitat restoration initiatives in BC. The Framework will provide a comprehensive approach for restoration efforts to support those who may be involved in the implementation and monitoring of habitat restoration. The framework is not yet complete, but the Province has created an interim summary document with information relevant proponents submitting applications for CHRF funding this cycle. Please review this document prior to beginning your application.
• In response to requests for additional guidance around monitoring expectations, HCTF has created a CHRF project monitoring guidance document for proponents to assist with planning this component of your project. You can download the guidance document below.

For more information, visit https://hctf.ca/grants/caribou-habitat-restoration-grants/