Deadline: 14-Feb-25
Applications are now open for the Invasive Mussel Monitoring Grant to ensure lakes and rivers across the province of B.C. are actively sampled and monitored for the presence of invasive zebra and quagga mussels.
HCTF is administering this fund to provide support to various agencies and community organizations across the province to participate in the sampling of waterbodies. This program has and continues to be funded through contributions to HCTF from both the Province of B.C. and the federal government. Funds such as the Canada Nature Fund for Aquatic Species at Risk and the Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Fund, both administered by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, have provided financial support for this program. 2025 marks the seventh year of funding through the Invasive Mussel Lake Monitoring program.
Funding Information
- There are no specific restrictions on the amount of funding that may be provided, but typical grants for this program are in the $5-20K range. Requests significantly over $20K will require a strong rationale.
- This call for applications is for the 2025 field season only. They anticipate sending notifications of funding in late March to early April 2025, and reports will be due November 30, 2025.
Eligible Activities
- This grant opportunity is available only for the following specific activities, as outlined in the Field Protocol, including:
- Collecting plankton tow water samples from waterbodies as identified by the province to test for the presence of zebra and quagga mussel veliger larvae.
- Material costs to build substrate samplers to test for the presence of adult or juvenile zebra and quagga mussels. Substrate samplers may be deployed at locations where plankton tow samples are being taken or at other waterbodies opportunistically. The application does not require a list of locations of where substrate samplers will be deployed; however, successful proponents will be asked for a list of waterbodies where substrate samplers were deployed in the Grant Report.
- Preserving, packaging, and mailing samples to the designated lab only.
Eligibility Criteria
- Invasive Mussels Lake Monitoring Grants are available to community groups, non-profit organizations, local, regional and provincial governments, First Nations, and others. For applicants to be successful, the application must demonstrate that applicants have proven experience, knowledge, and capacity to carry out the activities in the proposal. Activities may be conducted by paid staff, volunteers, or a combination, but the applicant must clearly demonstrate that they have the experience necessary to complete the proposed activities according to the sampling methods as outlined in the Field Protocol, including direct experience with sampling of waterbodies.
For more information, visit Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.