Salmon, Bears and Owls Benefit from Conservation Projects
Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program Approves 2015 Projects
CAMPBELL RIVER – Salmon, owls and bears will all benefit from four hands-on restoration projects announced today by the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program (FWCP).
In the Elk Falls area, gravel placement infrastructure to improve salmon spawning habitat will continue with support from the FWCP. Funding will also be used to continue creating new habitat for over-wintering black bears. The innovative use of culverts as dens in an area where naturally occurring dens are in short supply has been successful in other watersheds and will be tested here. The third project announced today will increase the availability of nest boxes for the small at-risk Western screech-owl.
All of these hands-on projects are expected to have almost immediate benefits to the target species.
Together the four local projects will receive more than $150,000 from the FWCP, which conserves and enhances fish andwildlife impacted by BC Hydro dams.
These projects get underway this spring and conclude by early 2016. They are among 41 projects approved by the FWCP-Coastal Region Board, which will provide approximately $2 million in projects this year.
The Board, which includes First Nations, public stakeholders, BC Hydro, the Province of BC and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, funds projects that align with its watershed and action plans. The Board may direct funds later in the year to other projects it deems a priority for the region.
“Each project we approve for funding aligns with our local Action Plans, and goes through a technical review before being reviewed by our Board members who make the final decisions,” says FWCP Manager, Trevor Oussoren.
The FWCP-Coastal Region includes Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Southern Interior.
For more information contact
Stephen Watson, on behalf of the FWCP
BC Hydro, Vancouver Island Community Relations 250-755-4795
steve.watson@bchydro.com