December Newsletter 2015

It’s late fall and we’ve already had a dusting of snow. The 2015 field season is now over and staff are working with recipient groups to finalize project reports. By all counts, 2015 has been an excellent year for wild salmon and salmon conservation. At the ASCF, we work hard to help conservation groups get the best conservation outcomes. We plan to provide a more complete picture of the gains once all the reports are in. Stay tuned.

Our featured volunteer for December is Mary Finch, of Prince Edward Island. Mary is one of the newer members of our PEI Advisory Committee. She’s well known on the “Island” as a tireless conservationist, so we’re lucky to have her counsel in recommending PEI grants. All of us wish to thank Mary and her colleagues for their contribution to the success of ASCF funded conservation projects.

In mid-December (18^th at 4:00 pm, to be exact) our 2016 call for project proposals will close. If you’ve been thinking of submitting, please get in gear. I would also remind readers that our Scientific Advisory Committee will not be receiving submissions for the Interprovincial fund. Instead, the SAC will guide its available funding toward priority applied research topics via requests for proposals. As an eminent advisory committee comprised of some of the world’s top Atlantic salmon scientists, we are excited at the potential conservation gains anticipated via targeted applied research initiatives.

The featured recipient group this month isSouris and Area Branch of the PEI Wildlife Federation (SAB). Under the guidance of Fred Cheverie, the SAB has achieved impressive conservation gains in the several small rivers at the eastern tip of PEI. This resilient group has been the recipient of ASCF funds every year since 2008. We are proud to help Fred and the many SAB volunteers continue to make progress they’ve demonstrated. Enjoy!

Yours in conservation!

Stephen Chase