Grants boost Niagara sites, projects
Bats, blooms and shorelines are all getting a boost in Niagara this spring, thanks to separate grants from Parks Canada and the Niagara Community Foundation totalling nearly $1 million.
Parks Canada announced $970,000 worth of investments in Niagara national historical sites through a federal infrastructure investment program to work towards protecting the Niagara shoreline from further erosion.
Parks Canada is a federal agency responsible for protecting and presenting nationally significant examples of the country’s natural and cultural heritage.
The funding will be used to complete a study of options for long-term shore protection along two sections of actively eroding Lake Ontario shoreline.
The funding will also be used to implement 80 to 100 metres of emergency shore protection work, including some removal of affected trees along the shoreline of Fort Mississauga National Historic Site/Niagara-on-theLake Golf Course to ensure public safety. The immediate removal of trees will take place this spring prior to bird nesting season.
This work is part of $3 billion being invested over five years to support infrastructure work in Parks Canada places across the country.
Meanwhile, Niagara Community Foundation is awarding five grants, totalling $20,500, from its Environmental Legacy Fund, to support projects that use a collaborative approach to meet environmental challenges.
“The recipients all came to us with projects that were really innovative and unique,” said Bryan Rose, the foundation’s executive director. “They have
the potential to reach thousands of people across the Niagara region.”
Heartland Forest was awarded $5,000 to create a citizen science project monitoring local bat populations through the use of bat detectors and strategicallyplaced trail cameras, along with the creation of habitat enhancing bat roosting boxes and a maternity roost structure built by Heartland’s own wood shop and program participants.
The City of Niagara Falls’ Park in the City Committee was awarded $4,000 to expand the Schools in Bloom program to include new schools who want to develop environmental and horticulture projects that are student-driven.
Links for Greener Learning was awarded $3,500 to support the wetlands project to promote environmental awareness of wetlands and engage students and members of the community to take action in their restoration and protection.
That can include cleanup of local wetland areas, planting of native trees to encourage local biodiversity, public education through workshops and school campaigns.
Friends of Fort Erie Creeks was granted $3,500 to purchase a blue-green algae probe for their work with surface water quality monitoring.
The Township of West Lincoln was awarded $4,500 to plant trees in Wellandport Community
Park, install educational signage and purchase picnic tables to enhance the park and naturalize the shoreline.
These projects include efforts to involve students in the initiatives and to teach residents.
All projects rely on collaborations with other groups or organizations.
Since the environmental fund was established in 2001, more than $460,000 has been awarded to dozens of groups and organizations, who have planted trees, removed invasive species, restored wetlands or identified species at risk.
Created in 2000, Niagara Community Foundation has raised more than $50 million and has granted in excess of $11 million to charities working in the arts; heritage; environment; social services; health; education and community development sectors.