The Manitoba government is announcing a call for applications for fish and wildlife enhancement projects, with funding of up to $950,000 available.
The Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund (FWEF) provides funding to organizations supporting the enhancement of fish and wildlife initiatives. Up to $950,000 is available for non-profit groups, local agencies and research organizations to apply for grant funding from the new fund. Activities that enhance sustainable use and management of legally harvestable fish and wildlife populations by licenced hunters, fishers, and trappers within Manitoba will be supported, including those that:
• conserving and enhancing Manitoba’s fish and wildlife populations;
• studying of fish and wildlife populations;
• promoting sustainable and ethical hunting and angling practices through education
• protecting or improving critical fish and wildlife production habitat; and
• securing property to provide public access to angling and hunting opportunities or to protect critical fish and wildlife production habitat.
This endowment trust was created last year with an investment of $20 million and is managed by The Winnipeg Foundation, with Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC) administering the FWEF trust, along with the other trusts Manitoba has created, including the Conservation and Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW) and Wetlands GROW trusts, significant investments will be made to projects year-after-year.
FWEF is supporting 17 projects that will make a difference in Manitoba with more than $750,000 being provided to communities and local groups through grants from the fund in 2021.
Funding supports a variety of projects including more than $540,000 for fish enhancement initiatives and more than $215,000 for wildlife enhancement initiatives. Projects receiving support include:
• creel census and improved water monitoring for Sandy Lake to support the management of the Sandy Lake fishery;
• shoreline stabilization efforts to protect vulnerable spawning area in the Souris River;
• pilot project to support enhanced use of technology in large-scale big game surveys; and
• wildlife-friendly fencing education project around Riding Mountain National Park.
For more information on the FWEF, including the proposal process, visit the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation website https://mhhc.mb.ca/fwef/.
The Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Committee reviews funding requests and makes funding recommendations to the province. In order for applications to be considered in this round of proposals, letters of intent must be submitted by Oct. 28.