Further research of mid-Island Roosevelt Elk habitat will be made possible through funding from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation.
According to the foundation, $8 million will be provided for projects across the province with $1.7 million set aside for projects in the West Coast region.
Among these projects is a multi-year project to improve the management of Roosevelt Elk. The project is in its fifth and final year, and uses GPS data to better understand the links between habitat changes and changes in elk population.
The project will be co-funded with the foundation and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC with $45,000. Project lead Carl Morrison says it is important because of the species’ prominence in ecosystems.
“Roosevelt elk are a blue-listed species and a tip management priority in British Columbia,” said Morrison. “As one of the largest terrestrial herbivore and prey species on B.C.’s coast, they are an important driver of ecosystem function.”
The project is not the only one taking place on the Island with funding. Other projects include:
- $19,420 to improve the survival of Western Toads near Bamfield by reducing three threats: road mortality, habitat fragmentation and recreational trampling
- $92,938 to restore the wetland habitat of a former sawmill site in the salmon migratory corridor for the watersheds of the Puntledge and Tsolum rivers
- $52,470 to expand on efforts to reintroduce Vancouver Island Marmots to Strathcona Provincial Park and create a self-sustaining population
The foundation says their goal is to improve the conservation outcomes of B.C.’s fish and wildlife and their habitats. The group has provided over $215 milling in grants over 40 years to 3,550 conservation projects in the province.
