A Quesnel area volunteer group has received $4,014 to support the conservation and recovery of Pacific salmon populations and habitat in British Columbia.
The grant, provided through the 2011 spring funding round of the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s Community Salmon Program, was awarded to the Horsefly River Roundtable.
Projects funded through the Community Salmon Program focus on monitoring and rehabilitation of salmon habitat and salmon stocks, education and community stewardship.
This year’s spring funding round granted $345,434 to 43 projects across British Columbia.
The Horsefly River Roundtable will use the funds to attract Quesnel area locals to the annual Horsefly Salmon Festival, which draws 750 – 1,500 people to celebrate the return of sockeye salmon to the river.
Part of the project engages students from the Horsefly River School to create educational banners and sculptures for the festival.
Horsefly sockeye sustain the economies of many coastal B.C. communities, and First Nations people.
Also, their decaying bodies are a vital nutrient source for other species including birds, insects, wildlife, fish and even trees.
“Volunteers are the unsung heroes of Pacific salmon sustainability,” Pacific Salmon Foundation president and CEO Dr. Brian Riddell said.
“Their impact on the environment can be seen throughout the province, from salmon hatcheries and stewardship centers to strategically placed rocks, trees and vegetation that protect salmon-bearing streams.
“These are all the result of dedicated volunteers working thousands of hours to ensure a strong future for Pacific salmon.”
The grants are made possible in part as a result of money raised at the annual Pacific Salmon Foundation Quesnel Dinner and Auction.
The next dinner is March 3, 2012 at the Quesnel Senior’s Centre.
“Pacific Salmon Foundation’s efforts are widely recognized as making a difference in many communities throughout B.C.,” Mayor Mary Sjostrom, Quesnel dinner chair, said.
“For the last five years, the Quesnel community has shown incredible support for their work through our dinner.
“It is very rewarding for everyone involved to see funds coming back to the region for such worthwhile projects for salmon restoration, conservation and enhancement.”
Since the Foundation’s inception in 1989, the Community Salmon Program has awarded $9 million to 1,229 projects.
In the last five years alone, grants made by the Foundation have helped the volunteer community throughout B.C.
to create positive results:
• Approximately 670,000 square metres of stream, lake and estuary habitat created or rehabilitated;
• More than 280,000 square metres of streamside planting, including 42,000 trees and shrubs;
• More than 11 million salmon raised at conservation hatcheries;
• More than 260,000 people reached through public education;
• 30,000 volunteers engaged in wild Pacific salmon conservation.
The Foundation works as a catalyst to partner with and motivate more than 30,000 dedicated volunteers, and communities, organizations and businesses through grants from its Community Salmon Program.
Funding for the program is comprised of partial proceeds from federal conservation stamps on saltwater sport and commercial fishing licenses, voluntary contributions from commercial fishermen, and private donations.
