FWCP’s Peace Region board approves $2.1 million for 25 fish and wildlife projects
(PEACE REGION) Following widespread declines of moose in the 2000s, the Fish & Wildlife
Compensation Program (FWCP) is funding a project to enhance moose habitat. The multi-year project will thin out spruce plantations to support growth of moose forage and huckleberries, create wildlife trees for birds and furbearers, and restore forestry roads so moose can better evade predators.
“Moose populations saw a dramatic decline in the early 2000s and we funded a study of the factors affecting moose survival. Habitat enhancement was one of the key recommendations of that study,” says the FWCP’s Peace Region Manager, Chelsea Regina. “Moose are a priority species in our region and a species of cultural significance for First Nations.”
Led by the Society for Ecosystem Restoration in Northern B.C. in partnership with McLeod Lake Indian Band, the project will assess and enhance moose habitat in the Parsnip River Watershed. The FWCP approved $290,000 for the Moose Habitat Enhancement Project, and it’s one of 25 projects funded in the FWCP’s Peace Region in 2025-2026, for a total value of approximately $2.1 million.
All projects approved by the FWCP’s Peace Region board align with priorities for riparian areas,
wetlands, uplands, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. The projects are diverse and support a wide range of fish species including bull trout, Arctic grayling, and kokanee, and wildlife such as wolverine, bats, caribou, and elk. For 2025-2026, the board also approved funding for other projects including improving fish passage by removing hanging culverts, studying changes in elk movements, and recovering Endangered caribou herds with maternity penning and habitat restoration.
Across the FWCP’s Coastal, Columbia, and Peace regions, boards approved approximately $9.2 million for 72 projects. To learn more about FWCP projects, results, and how you can apply for a grant, visit fwcp.ca, view the project lists, and subscribe to the FWCP’s e-letter at fwcp.ca/subscribe.
The FWCP is a partnership between BC Hydro, the Province of B.C., Fisheries and Oceans Canada, First Nations, and community members to conserve and enhance fish and wildlife in watersheds impacted by BC Hydro dams with annual funding from BC Hydro. BC Hydro has water licence obligations in the Columbia and Peace regions and has made voluntary commitments to address the impacts of dams in the Coastal Region. BC Hydro fulfils the applicable obligations through the work of the FWCP.
THE MACKTOWN BUZZETTE 