Project will support education and training - The Pacific Salmon Foundation today announced $5,000 for a Pacific salmon project on Quadra Island. The total value of the project including volunteer time and community fundraising is over $80,000. The Foundation’s Community Salmon Program supports habitat stewardship, Pacific salmon enhancement and watershed education, and is funded primarily from sales of the federal government’s Salmon Conservation Stamp.

The project is by the Salt Spring Island Conservancy, with the funds going towards its Wetland and Riparian Habitat Restoration project at Blackburn Lake Nature Reserve.

“We are pleased to support the Salt Spring Island Conservancy because their project will help reduce erosion and improve coho salmon habitat,” said Dr. Brian Riddell, president and CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

The Foundation’s Community Salmon Program supports community groups, volunteers and First Nations across the province. All give countless hours each year to monitor watersheds, develop and implement habitat rehabilitation projects, and educate communities about the conservation and protection of salmon. The program requires grantees to find matching funds for projects. On average, grantees raise an additional six dollars for every dollar they receive through additional fundraising for donations of in-kind and money at the community level.

The majority of funds for the Community Salmon Program were generated through sales of the federal Salmon Conservation Stamp. The Salmon Conservation Stamp is a decal that must be purchased annually by anglers if they wish to keep Pacific salmon caught in saltwater off of Canada’s West Coast. Currently all proceeds from the $6 dollar stamp are returned to British Columbia through the Foundation, generating about $1 million for community grants annually.

In addition to funds generated from the sales of the federal “Salmon Stamp”, the grants are made possible by Pacific Salmon Foundation fundraising dinners, auctions and donations from individuals, foundations and businesses. Several businesses and foundations also contribute to the Pacific Salmon Foundation’s community salmon program.

“The Community Salmon Program captures the essence of what we are trying to do at the Foundation,” concluded Riddell. “Government, business, First Nations and volunteers all working together – that is the best way to ensure the future of wild Pacific salmon.”