Fund helps keep Manitoba’s wildlife thriving

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/10/2016 (3309 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fees for this, taxes on that. It seems every time we turn around, someone from the government is handing us a bill for one thing or another. It makes you wonder where it all goes and how it is spent. It was sure nice to sit down recently with the current chair of the Fish and Wildlife Enhancement Fund (FWEF), John Williams, and hear about all the great work the FWEF has been doing with our money.

The FWEF collects a portion of revenue from an impost on angling ($10), hunting ($5) and trapping ($5) licences, and pools it to provide a funding source for organizations or individuals who want to deliver projects that enhance fish and wildlife. Williams stresses that these funds are not meant to pay for core government operations.

“This is a trust fund account, not general revenue. The decisions regarding who receives funds and which projects get supported are made by our board of citizens representing a variety of outdoor constituents,” Williams says. “Government is there to support the process, but it is the outdoor users who decide how to use the money. I think that is really important to maintain.”

You might think that hunters, anglers and trappers would be against higher license fees. Not so, Williams says.

“We surveyed a cross section of outdoors people and found there was really strong support for a modest increase in licence fees, as long as the money from the increase went directly back to the resource,” Williams says.

Maybe we need to start a pothole trust fund in Winnipeg too. I’d donate to that.

The FWEF supports a wide variety of projects as long as they relate to the intended outcomes of the fund. Projects that are aimed at increasing fish and wildlife populations or enhancing the habitats they depend on are valued by the FWEF. Also, research projects aimed at conserving fish and wildlife resources are very much eligible, as are education programs teaching hunting, angling and trapping skills.

The FWEF actually grew out of previous enhancement funds that were mostly focused on fisheries, with the new FWEF being launched in 2014.

The FWEF has two branches governed by two separate boards: a fisheries side and a wildlife side. John Williams acts as chair of both.

There are significant funds available for applicants. Williams says approximately $500,000 comes in from hunting and trapping licenses to the wildlife side, and between $1.5 million to $1.7 million to the fisheries side of the FWEF. The Whiteshell Fish Hatchery receives $850,000 of the fish funding annually, which provides trout and other species to stock lakes and ponds across Manitoba, with the remaining funds going to fish projects across Manitoba.

I asked Williams if he has a favourite project. “There are too many great projects to mention. Everything from the incredible trout pond project created by the Lac du Bonnet Wildlife Association, to the McIntyre Anglers program that is getting kids in that school out fishing to the Moose Matters project which is bringing together indigenous and non-indigenous moose hunters to find solutions to declining moose population. There are just so many people doing good work out there,” Williams says.

He added, “It’s just nice to be able to provide funding to get good work done on the ground in communities across the province.”

Any individual or organization with a good idea that fits the mandate can apply to the FWEF. Williams suggests that interested groups or individuals should start by going to the website (fwef.ca) to get started in applying for funding. The website provides many examples of past projects which can guide interested people in coming up with their own project idea. Government contacts are there on the website for applicants to work with to get help in going through the process, which was intentionally created to be user-friendly.

The next intake deadline for wildlife-oriented projects is Jan. 15, 2017 and the deadline date for the next round of fish projects will be spring of 2017 with the exact date yet to be determined.

John Williams sees a huge value in engaging the public in fish and wildlife conservation.

“Government can’t do everything for us. As users of the resource we have to step up and do some of the heavy lifting ourselves. I’m hoping to see more people get engaged in doing FWEF projects that make the outdoor world a better place, one project at a time,” Williams says. “If you fish, hunt or trap, it is your responsibility to look after the resources because the resources can’t look after themselves.”

Amen to that.

Rob Olson is the managing director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation.