Toronto, Aug. 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grizzly bear research in British Columbia, a pollinator forest in Ontario and insect nesting boxes designed to boost declining bird populations in Quebec are among the newest projects to receive Go Wild Community Grants , awarded today. The Go Wild Community Grants program, presented by TELUS, helps thousands of Canadians connect more deeply with nature and find solutions to conservation challenges affecting their communities and wildlife across Canada. Since 2015, more than $350,000 has been awarded to 87 projects across the country.

Sarah Winterton, WWF-Canada’s director of Nature Connected Communities, says:

“The unwavering commitment to bolster biodiversity and improve habitat for wildlife from all corners of the country is awe inspiring. This season’s Go Wild grant recipients give reason for hope as they set their minds to collecting information about bears and salmon on the West Coast, revitalizing a boreal forest trail in Manitoba, monitoring wild rice for the effects of climate change in Ontario, installing insect nesting boxes to help at-risk birds in Quebec, and engaging youth as Nature Guardians on the East Coast. WWF-Canada is proud to help support these and other conservation projects that engage Canadians in taking action for nature.”

The 2018 summer and fall projects, which will receive between $1,000 and $7,000 each, include:

 

  • Vancouver: Sea to Cedar (a Tides Canada initiative) and Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis First Nation will use wildlife cameras and non-invasive hair snagging stations to gather baseline information about the number of bears and their key prey, salmon, in the remote Wakeman River watershed.
  • Sidney, B.C.: Rainforest Conservation Foundation will help foster the next generation of Salish Sea environmental stewards during a semester-long educational program that includes exploring coastal habitats and conservation issues, as well as leadership and skills training.
  • Surrey, B.C.: Green Teams of Canada will engage 100 youth in activities that raise awareness about biodiversity and make a tangible difference for nature.
  • The Pas, Man.: The Rosie Mayne Nochmek Trail will revitalize a boreal forest trail and add interpretative panels in Cree and English to celebrate Indigenous knowledge of the land.
  • Toronto: Friends of Guild Park and Gardens will host a native plant giveaway in Guild Park, educating the community about the benefits of native plants and how to create habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.
  • Toronto: Shoresh Jewish Environmental Programs will transform two acres of its 20-acre bee sanctuary (previously funded by Go Wild) into a pollinator-friendly forest that feeds bees in the early spring before wildflowers bloom.
  • Lanark, Ont.: Plenty Canada will monitor varieties of wild rice for their adaptability to climate change and benefits to wildlife and habitats, helping address both food security and wetland conservation issues.
  • Peterborough, Ont.: Ontario Invasive Plant Council will build on the success of its “Grow me instead” tool by distributing native seed packets with information on native species and where to purchase them.
  • Granby, Que.: Fondation SÉTHY will install insect nesting boxes to help preserve populations of common nighthawk, barn swallow, chimney swift, olive-sided flycatcher and other at-risk insect-eating birds.
  • Laval, Que.: Canopée - Le Réseau des bois de Laval will enhance biodiversity in the Équerre Woods, one of Laval’s major urban forests, by removing invasive buckthorn and replacing it with native trees and shrubs.
  • Prévost, Que.: Comité régional pour la protection des falaises will use existing data and field research to map wildlife habitat and inform zoning of recreational and protected areas.
  • Sussex, N.B.: Kennebecasis Watershed Restoration Committee will assess Moosehorn Creek and create a management plan that enhances habitat for fish, birds, bees and bats.
  • Halifax: The Young Naturalists Club will engage youth in the Nature Guardians program in activities to help improve biodiversity in Shubenacadie Wildlife Park.

 

About World Wildlife Fund Canada

WWF-Canada creates solutions to the environmental challenges that matter most for Canadians. We work in places that are unique and ecologically important, so that nature, wildlife and people thrive together. Because we are all wildlife. For more information, visit wwf.ca .

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Emily Vandermeer WWF-Canada 5196161556 evandermeer@wwfcanada.org