For immediate release – May 4, 2017
Winnipeg – A $30,000 donation from hunters, anglers and outfitters will help support the enforcement of sustainable hunting and fishing practices in Manitoba, as well as investing in youth and community-based programming.
The Manitoba Lodges and Outfitters Association (MLOA) announced today that its board recently approved $30,000 in funding grants to nine community applicants, from the organization’s Hunter and Angler Preservation Fund (HAPF).
The successful applicants include the Manitoba Conservation Officers Association, Fish Winnipeg, the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, Generation Next Angler, Grandview Game & Fish, and Manitoba Sustainable Development, among others. (See attached backgrounder for more on this year’s funded projects.)
“We are thrilled to be able to support our partners in Manitoba’s hunting and angling community with some sorely needed funding,” said Paul Turenne, executive director of MLOA. “For generations, hunters and anglers have contributed both their money and their time to initiatives that help ensure the sustainability of fish and wildlife populations, and we are proud to be able to continue that tradition.”
The HAPF is a voluntary program administered by the MLOA, and supported by our members and their guests, many of whom opt to contribute to the fund while on guided hunting or angling trips to Manitoba. The fund provides grants to support community initiatives that enhance or preserve opportunities to fish and hunt sustainably in Manitoba, for visitors and Manitobans alike. Since the fund’s inception in 2011, the MLOA has allocated more than $60,000 in grant funding to various community projects, including anti-poaching efforts, whitetail deer population monitoring work, fish stocking programs, and other initiatives.
The MLOA represents Manitoba’s outdoor tourism industry, including angling and hunting lodges, outfitters, guides, and family-friendly lakeside resorts. Our members are proud to share the best of Manitoba with tourists from across the world, and to contribute millions of dollars to our provincial economy every year.
For more information, contact:
Paul Turenne
mloa@mloa.com
Backgrounder – HAPF project grants 2017
Fish Winnipeg – $2,000
Funds will be used to purchase rod-and-reel combinations for use in Fish Winnipeg’s youth fishing camps and its inner-city, urban fishing van program. These programs are intended for families with limited disposable income and for children who would otherwise not get the chance to go fishing.
Manitoba Sustainable Development (East Region) – $7,000
Funds will be used to purchase a robotic moose decoy and associated surveillance equipment, to assist Conservation Officers in enforcing the moose conservation closure in Game Hunting Area 26 (Pine Falls-Manigotagan-Nopiming area).
Grandview Game & Fish – $2,000
Funds will be used to purchase a new wind-powered aeration system for the town’s fish pond, which is stocked with rainbow and brown trout.
Quesnel Lake Caribou Lodge – $2,000
Funds will be used to purchase an additional AIS decontamination unit, for use at the Caribou Landing boat launch in Nopiming Provincial Park. The nearby lodge owner has taken it upon himself to offer this free public service to protect the Manigotagan River system from zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species.
Manitoba Conservation Officers Association – $5,000
Funds will be used to purchase an aerial drone and Go Pro cameras to assist with anti-poaching enforcement efforts. MCOA says the drone may also be used for search and rescue operations and to monitor forest fires.
Generation Next Angler – $2,000
Funds will be used to cover event costs and prizes for GNA youth angling events, geared at exposing young people to fishing and raising awareness of both the opportunities and responsibilities associated with Manitoba’s world-class fisheries.
Manitoba Wildlife Federation – $5,000
Funds will be used to cover event costs for meetings MWF is planning in conjunction with Indigenous communities in Northern and Western Manitoba. These meetings are meant to bring licensed and Indigenous hunters together to discuss moose conservation.
Manitoba Sustainable Development (West Region) – $3,500
Funds will be used to support anti-poaching efforts through flight time for aerial surveillance. Conservation Officers in the Parkland area will use the surveillance to identify trouble spots where unsafe and/or illegal night hunting may be occurring.
Urban Angling Partnership – $1,500
Funds will be used to purchase new rod-and-reel combinations for Learn to Fish clinics. The UAP is a non-profit partnership between the angling community and the City of Winnipeg, to offer angling-based programming along Winnipeg’s Red and Assiniboine Rivers.