Jul 19, 2021
Community Notice
OTTAWA, Ont. July 19, 2021 – The Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) is launching a 2021-22 Rights-of-Way Pollinator Habitat Restoration Call for Proposals.
CWF is seeking partnership projects with rights-of-way (ROW) managers to restore a total of 7.3km2 of breeding and migratory habitat for the Monarch and other pollinators along energy and transportation corridors in Eastern Ontario.
Potential pollinator habitat is all around us. By naturalizing and restoring our working landscapes, we can create sizeable networks of pollinator habitat. Rights-of-way (ROW) including roadsides and other transportation and utility corridors are open, sunny areas and often require low-growing vegetation for safety, access, and visibility. While these individual corridors may not seem significant in size, collective changes across the landscape could create millions of hectares of habitat for pollinators and other wildlife. In Ontario alone, there are over 270,000 kilometres of roadways traversing the province, highlighting the significant opportunity for pollinator recovery while reducing maintenance costs.
Many organizations are finding this a positive way to address various issues such as invasive species management, carbon storage, lowering the bottom line in municipal budgets, as well as demonstrating social responsibility to customers and public citizens.
CWF is seeking partnership projects to restore a total of 7.3km2 of breeding and migratory habitat for the Monarch and other pollinators along ROW in Eastern Ontario.
Partners will receive access to:
- Coverage of restoration costs
- Expert advice on restoration methods to create pollinator-friendly ROWs
- A multi-year vegetation management plan for the affected area that meets partner objectives
- Training on integrated vegetation management for staff and/or contractors through the CWF ROW Managers network
- Specialist advice in integrated vegetation management (IVM) to reduce the coverage of alien invasive plant species
- A scientific monitoring and evaluation program to assess ecological results of the restoration activities in collaboration with University of Ottawa and Carleton University
- Opportunities for positive recognition of the partner projects and program results
Applications are due August 6 at 11:59pm (EDT) to join the growing number of ROW managers across North America responding to a call for action to restore pollinator habitat. For additional details and how to apply, see the linked Terms of Reference or email ROWnetwork@cwf-fcf.org.
About the Canadian Wildlife Federation
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, carrying out research, developing and delivering education programs, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending changes to policy and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
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Contacts:
Victoria Woodhouse, Habitat Program Manager, Canadian Wildlife Federation
1.877.599.5777 x202
victoriaw@cwf-fcf.org
Carolyn Callaghan, Senior Conservation Biologist Terrestrial Wildlife, Canadian Wildlife Federation
1.877.599.5777 x 294
carolync@cwf-fcf.org
CWF gratefully acknowledges the support of
