Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire Announces 2013 Grant Awards
OutdoorHub 11.13.13
The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire announces 2013 grant awards of $81,700 to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. Board Chair Steve White reports this is a new record for the annual grant program. Funding for the grant program comes from individual and corporate donors as well as the Foundation’s annual New Hampshire Moose Permit Auction.
The Berlin Fish Hatchery is the recipient of a $32,665 grant to cover the fish production tanks at the West Branch section to reduce the significant loss of stock from bird predators, and to improve the water quality and decrease phosphorus in York Pond into which the hatchery drains.
In preparation for the 150th Anniversary of fish and wildlife conservation in New Hampshire, $5,500 was awarded for campaign research and materials to detail the history of the department, which will culminate in a year-long celebration in 2015.
A grant of $21,135 was awarded to the Law Enforcement Division for a dive team boat. The funds will cover the purchase of a boat, motor, trailer and boat electronics. This grant will provide the Dive Team with a specially equipped boat to allow for greater efficiency and safety during search and rescue missions, and the boat will be assigned for normal patrol when not on search and rescue missions.
A joint project between Fish and Game’s Landowner Relations Program and the Law Enforcement Division was granted $8,400 to purchase and install motion cameras on private lands to capture poaching, littering and trash dumping so that landowners will not close their property to recreational opportunities.
$3,000 was awarded to the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, within Fish and Game’s Wildlife Division, to monitor endangered wildlife species using remote camera technology. The use of camera equipment will reduce the time biologists spend in the field to acquire data, and will provide more accurate assessment of the habitat, status, predatory density and survival rates of some local endangered species.
A grant of $6,000 was awarded to build and erect signs, kiosks and information panels in Wildlife Management Areas around the state. These signs and kiosks will identify Fish and Game lands, display maps, list wildlife habitats and species, and provide information on what activities are appropriate for the area. This project is part of a multi-year program to install or upgrade signs and kiosks at the more than 50 Wildlife Management Areas around the state.
A $5,000 grant was made to the 2014 NH Hunting & Fishing Expo to help underwrite the cost of running next year’s event. The event is held each year in September as part of the National Hunting and Fishing Day Celebration. The NH Fish and Game Headquarters in Concord hosts the annual event, which draws over 1,200 visitors with many hands-on activities and national manufacturers and other outdoor groups showcasing services and products related to hunting, fishing and trapping, along with conservation accomplishments.
In addition to these grants, the Foundation supports on-going program needs at the Department by acting as a fiscal agent for individual and corporate donations. Examples of these restricted funds are the Barry Conservation Camp Renovations and Long-Term Maintenance Program, Karner Blue Butterfly Restoration Program, Canine Search and Rescue Program, and the Operation Game Thief program.
The Wildlife Heritage Foundation of New Hampshire is the official non-profit partner of the NH Fish and Game Department. The Foundation raises funds in support of the Department’s critical wildlife, conservation and educational programs important to New Hampshire family traditions of hiking, hunting, fishing and watching wildlife, and to preserve these outdoor gifts for generations to come. If you are interested in making donations to Fish and Game programs through the Foundation, please contact Gail Huntting, Foundation Coordinator at (603) 496-2778 or email coordinator@nhwildlifefoundation.org.
To learn more about the Foundation and how you can help conserve New Hampshire’s wildlife and wild places, visit http://nhwildlifefoundation.org.
