The Pacific Salmon Foundation has awarded $102,500 in grants to community-led salmon stewardship projects in the North Vancouver Island area.
These local grants are distributed twice a year by PSF’s Community Salmon Program – which has funded salmon restoration, education, and stewardship projects across British Columbia and the Yukon for more than three decades. In the latest funding cycle, a grand total of $792,304 was granted across the province and the Yukon, generating a collective value of $3.7 million for salmon conservation.
The Community Salmon Program is currently accepting applications until Feb. 15. Applications may be submitted online.
The Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) is a funding recipient in the latest cycle of grantees. Located just northeast of Port McNeill, the IPCA includes both land and marine components around Gwaxdlala (Lull Bay) and Nalaxdlala (Hoeya Sound).
The area has historically supported abundant salmon populations. However, a combination of timber harvesting and landslide events has degraded salmon habitat.
The Mamalilikulla First Nation will conduct various restoration activities throughout 2024 with the support of partners and Guardians. Proposed restoration activities include stabilizing paths of recent landslides by planting riparian vegetation, removing large debris to allow fish passage, and improving gravel bed conditions for salmon spawning.
“This project will significantly advance our Nation’s stated objective of restoring salmon in the IPCA to levels of abundance that will restore the health of our Grizzly bears and other dependent species in the ecosystem, in accordance with our ancient laws,” says Mamalilikulla Chief Councillor Winidi (John Powell).
The Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala IPCA is one of 65 salmon projects funded in the latest Community Salmon Program cycle.
To learn more about projects in the North Island area or across the province, go to https://psf.ca/news-media/grants-totaling-792304-to-advance-65-local-salmon-restoration-projects/