2023-2024 Stamp Grant Funded Projects

Discover the Impact of the Canadian Wildlife Habitat Conservation Stamp
Explore the inspiring projects funded through our Stamp Grant Program—each one helping to protect, restore, and enhance wildlife habitats across Canada. From wetlands and forests to coastal ecosystems, these initiatives are making a real difference for species and communities nationwide.

 

Alberta Hunter Education Instructor’s Association: AHEIA’s Conservation Education Programs

Project Accomplishments:

• Celebrating the 59th year with over 2,600,000 graduates.
• 2023 brought over 10,000 students to the Alford Lake Centre, a fabulous achievement for introducing new participants to waterfowl hunting.
• Outdoor Women’s Program celebrated 30 years.
• 76 mentors and 102 novice hunters participating in mentorship programs.

 

BC Wildlife Federation: Wetlands on Wheels 2023-24: Advancing Conservation, Stewardship, & Restoration Capacity in BC

Project Accomplishments:

• Delivered 24 events, including wetland stewardship workshops, restoration training, and outreach events.
• 9.7 acres of wetland habitat were restored or enhanced.
• Engaged 2,033 individuals: 124 through workshops, 409 through webinars, and 1,698 during outreach events and classroom education sessions.
• Increased online education presence through Blog and social media channels.

 

 

BC Wildlife Federation: BCWF Youth Programs: Advancing B.C.’s Next Generation of Conservationists in the Great Outdoors

Project Accomplishments:

• Engaged 186 youths through summer camps, 200 youths through Classroom Education, and 6,500 students and 40 schools/groups through the National Archery in the Schools Program.
• Educated 1,500 youth in fish habitat conservation.
• Introduced 600 disabled youth and adults to fishing through 13 Fishing Forever events.

 

 

Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship Society: Community Engagement in Wetland Stewardship

Project Accomplishments:

• Engaged 75 landowners providing technical information and training.
• Developed a Best Management Practices Guide with the city of Kelowna.
• Hosted 11 community engagement events involving 326 residents.
• Negotiated new land management agreements improving year-round wetland habitat of 148 acres of wetland (new) in a region that has seen 90% loss of wetland habitats to urban and agricultural development

 

 

Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust: Winter Cover Crop Establishment for Migratory Waterfowl in the Fraser River Estuary

Project Accomplishments:

• This project assisted with the Winter Cover Crop (WCC) Stewardship Program to establish vegetative cover on fields before winter.
• Supported the establishment of 4,409 acres of WCC on 218 farm fields in partnership with 27 landowners
• To date, a total of 52,000 waterfowl, comprising 11 different species, have been counted over 48 survey days.

 

Nature Conservancy of Canada: Enhancement of Migratory Bird Habitat in Southern Manitoba through Exclusion Fencing and Prescribed Grazing

Project Accomplishments:

• Protected 45 acres of sensitive wetland areas, and adapted stocking rate, rotation, and timing of grazing within 1,326 acres of grassland upland.
• Redesigned paddocks for the implementation of adaptive management-based grazing plans.
• Supported sustainable bird populations.
• Benefits to local economies through use of local contractors and purchase of local materials.

 

 

Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation: Manitoba Prairie Pothole Habitat Conservation Project

Project Accomplishments:

• Influenced 3,126 acres key waterfowl habitat through securement, enhancement and restoration activities across Canada.
• A total of 546 acres of habitat was secured in areas important for breeding waterfowl. This included 164 acres of permanent securement and 382 acres of medium-term securement.
• Additionally, 200 nesting structures were installed and 2,380 existing Hen Houses were maintained to increase and enhance duck production.

 

Manitoba Wildlife Federation: Hunter Education, Recruitment and Resource Enhancement for new Manitoba Waterfowl Hunters

Project Accomplishments:

• Over 200,000 students graduated
• Expanded programming to offer addition hands-on firearms training to many new areas in Manitoba.
• Successfully delivered Hunter Education Instructor certification training days, 1st Shot, Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, and multiple Mentored Waterfowl Hunts in the province.

 

Sackville Rod and Gun Club: 2023 SENB Youth Waterfowl Workshop and Mentored Hunt

Project Accomplishments:

• Provided 14 youth with their first experience hunting migratory birds, helping to stimulate interest in outdoor hunting opportunities and ensuring the next generation are safe and conservation minded when hunting migratory birds.
• Long term benefits by creating safe and ethical hunters in our area, continuing to become responsible stewards of the natural resources we have been blessed with.
• Youth receive lessons on habitat, ethics, stewardship, laws, and hunting techniques and then are able to attend a hunt with their parent/guardian along with a waterfowl hunting starter kit.

 

 

Ducks Unlimited Canada: Cavity nest box stewardship program and Treasured Wetlands of New Brunswick

Project Accomplishments:

• Volunteers installed 50 new cavity nest boxes in priority areas for cavity nesting waterfowl.
• Held a nest box installation and maintenance training workshop and distributed 100 nest box guide books.
• 3 wetlands were celebrated under the Treasured Wetlands of New Brunswick program.
• 5 on-site public outreach events were held to raise awareness on the importance of wetlands and promote community engagement.

 

 

Nashwaak Watershed Association: Connecting new immigrants and landowners to nature in the Nashwaak watershed through habitat restoration and outdoor education

Project Accomplishments:

• 5 winter hiking events to teach the public about local ecology, astronomy, and outdoor recreation.
• Swamp milkweed give-away of 2,400 plants to promote pollinator gardens and Monarch butterflies.
• Annual fall newsletter was sent to 11, 000 recipients.
• Held two canoe paddling tours highlighting the natural history aspects, restoration efforts and local ecology of the area.
• Delivered programming to over 1,000 children throughout the Nashwaak Watershed.

 

 

The Nature Trust of New Brunswick: Strategic community outreach to enhance stewardship on nature preserves in New Brunswick

Project Accomplishments:

• Improved stewardship efforts and proactive management of ecological areas.
• Improved communication, understanding, and engagement, strengthening the Nature Trust’s network of conservation allies.
• Over 10 acres of wetland habitat were restored through the removal of invasive alien species.
• Disseminated knowledge on habitat ecology through public education initiatives.

 

SNB Wood Cooperative Ltd.: Wood Duck Habitat Enhancement and Nesting Structure Installations on Private lands in Southern New Brunswick

Project Accomplishments:

• Installation of 38 Wood Duck Boxes, 10 Hen Houses, 1 Goose Nests and 2 Floating Goose Nests.
• Planted 500 red, white and bur oak trees.
• Enhanced 33 private lands.

Memorial University of Newfoundland: Avian influenza in murres: have subarctic populations been exposed to pathogenic strains?

Project Accomplishments:

• Over 500 murres were sampled, providing vital data on seabird populations.
• Samples were collected from multiple Atlantic provinces and sub-Arctic regions, enhancing regional understanding.
• Collaborations with ECCC and the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease strengthened research capabilities.
• Collaborations with hunters facilitated sampling efforts and local involvement in conservation.

 

 

Friends of Salmonier Nature Park: Newfoundland & Labrador Recruitment, Retention & Reactivation Project 2023

Project Accomplishments:

• 609 people participated in 20 events, many of which were multiple days long.
• A key feature of our programming is being able to introduce programs in different communities, and move them around each year so that we can reach new participants.

 

 

Stewardship Association of Municipalities: NL Municipal and Private Wetland and Coastal Habitat Conservation

Project Accomplishments:

• Secured 6,491 acres of wildlife habitat.
• 4 habitat conservation plans produced in partnership with municipal councils.
• Drafted 5 Municipal Habitat Stewardship Agreements for prospective new members.
• Engaged 29 communities in environmental education related to wildlife and habitat conservation.
• Engaged with over 1,500 participants in conservation related education.

 

 

Birds Canada: Where are all of Newfoundland’s ducks? Mapping waterfowl distribution with the Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas

Project Accomplishments:

• Conducted bird surveys across 70,000 km2 of NFLD, providing knowledge about the distribution and abundance of bird species on the island.
• Atlas coverage in remote and difficult to access areas continues to increase, including 15 squares in 2023.
• The Newfoundland Breeding Bird Atlas has over 200 participants registered, a number which increases yearly.

 

Department of Natural Resources and Renewables: Nova Scotia Eastern Habitat Joint Venture (NS-EHJV) Wetland Stewardship Program

Project Accomplishments:

• Completion of Agriculture Biodiversity Conservation (ABC) Plans on 10 farms, and continued training.
• Celebration of unique wetland sites under the Treasured Wetlands of Nova Scotia Program through in-person and online events.
• Completion of 15 wetland functional assessments.
• Ground truthing of 200 forested wetland sites to improve our ability to predict the location of forested wetlands in Nova Scotia.

Invasive Species Centre: European Water Chestnut Rapid Response Program

Project Accomplishments:

• Removed the total annual growth of 1000 EWC plants in the Welland River in Niagara Ontario.
• Mapped and monitored an additional 20 kilometres of the Welland River for EWC and other invasive species.
• Hosted 2 Paddle With a Purpose Tours where 20 volunteers learned how to identify and report EWC to EDDMapS, and remove 110 plants.

 

 

Birds Canada: Ontario-wide marshbird science and monitoring for all-bird conservation: Year 2

Project Accomplishments:

• 3 Marshbird Surveys created to estimate population sizes of multiple marsh bird species across the province.
• Long-term population trends of marsh birds and frogs directly relevant to conservation planning and management.
• Engagement of hundreds of members of the public in wetland conservation and monitoring.

 

 

ALUS Middlesex: Restoring Wetland Habitat within the Lake Erie & Huron Watersheds through Farmer-led Stewardship

Project Accomplishments:

• Landowner gratitude, documented through photos, emails and shared photos.
• Repeat participants, landowners will engage in one project on their landscape, and return the following year to retire more land and initiate another project.
• Species sightings.
• Leveraged partner funding.
• Continued community engagement.

 

 

Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority: Wetland Restoration Program

Project Accomplishments:

• Increased wetland habitat networks with associated upland habitat for a more resilient community against climate change.
• Improved partnerships watershed wide including municipal, NGO, and Landowners
• Heightened public awareness regarding the Conservation Stamp.
• Continued partnership development with leverage funds to reach stakeholders common objectives

 

Fondation de la faune du Québec: Voluntary conservation of wetlands in southern Quebec / 2023-2024

Project Accomplishments:

• Nearly 3,000 acres of wetlands on private land voluntarily conserved.
• 170 owners committed to preserving their wetland.

 

 

La société canadienne pour la conservation de la nature: Multi-partner and community involvement for coastal habitat conservation in Eastern Quebec

Project Accomplishments:

• Conservation of 11,825 acres of important natural environments were initiated or continued with 36 owners.
• Partnerships for the protection or improvement of natural environments of importance for waterfowl have been developed or strengthened with 15 organizations.
• More than 165 people participated in awareness activities such as bioblitzes and information capsules on waterfowl birds.

 

 

Fondation SÉTHY: Conservation plan for Granby’s two peat bogs

Project Accomplishments:

• First field characterization using the botanical method for life of the St-Charles peat bog in its entirety.
• Creation of the second part of the peatland conservation plan, finalizing the first conservation plan for the two peatlands in Granby.
• Collaboration between the SÉTHY Foundation and the OBV Yamaska which carried out the characterization and delimitation of the peat bog.
• Finalization of the field characterization of the 4 peatlands in our area of action.

 

 

University of Alberta: Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport & Recreation: Identifying and Characterizing Agricultural Stakeholder Preferences and Attitudes about Wetlands Conservation in Canada’s Prairies

Project Accomplishments:

• Identify stakeholder preferences for agricultural practices that support the conservation of wetlands and incentives for the adoption of these practices.
• Developed explicit policy foundations for agricultural land-use practices that support wetlands, based on data-supported evidence.
• Provide a framework for selecting wetland conservation management and policy alternatives.

 

Intervale Associates Inc.: Waterfowl Workshops for Residents of the Strait of Belle Isle Region

Project Accomplishments:

• Hunters in the Hare Bay area shared local ecological knowledge and how best to conserve wildlife in the area. Their knowledge was recorded as data on a map of the bay, and made available to the public.
• Accomplished 20 educational workshops for youth and adults.
• Led to the development of an elite corps of older youth in the Labrador Straits.

 

 

Ducks Unlimited Canada: Connecting new young adults to their urban wetlands

Project Accomplishments:

• Launched 2 DUC Campus Clubs.
• Connected 900 Winnipeg Youth to the wonders of wetlands.
• Showcased the endangered grasslands ecosystems and what action high school students can take for a better future.

 

 

Delta Waterfowl: Growth and management of the Hen House program in Canada 2023

Project Accomplishments:

• 305 acres of wetland and associated upland habitat in Manitoba were permanently protected.
• 200 new Hen Houses were installed to benefit nesting ducks.
• 3,000 Hen Houses were visited, evaluated, and prepared for the 2024 nesting season.
• 6,720 estimated ducklings will hatch in project Hen Houses in 2024.

 

 

Canadian Wetlands Roundtable: Improving wetland evaluation, policy frameworks, and best management practices to conserve and steward Canada’s wetlands

Project Accomplishments:

• Published an analysis of wetland policies and recommendations on upgrading current policies.
• Developed an analysis of wetland best management practices.
• The CWR has developed a work plan for the production of a wetland assessment guide.

 

 

Delta Waterfowl: Increasing Canadian Waterfowl Hunter Numbers & Conservation Efforts through University Hunting and First Hunt Programs

Project Accomplishments:

• Delta had 1,000 new hunters and volunteers immersed in waterfowling across the country.
• Working to refine its First Hunt program to introduce youth, women, veterans, new Canadians to our hunting communities in every province.
• Addressed municipal by-law issues, support 7 day a week hunting, providing new opportunities for hunters and removing barriers to point of entry for new participant hunters.