Habitat Restoration Grants
ERCA’s Clean Water~Green Spaces Habitat Restoration Grant Program can provide valuable assistance to landowners who wish to undertake habitat restoration projects on their property.
Grants of up to 90% are available to assist in projects such as tree planting and prairie/meadow seeding, and up to 100% for wetland creation.
To be eligible, landowners must own a minimum of 2 acres (0.8 hectares) of property within ERCA’s watershed jurisdiction. Minimum project size is 1 acre.
TYPES OF PROJECTS
Native Tree Plantations
Afforestation is the process of establishing a forest on land that has not been forested for a long time. These types of projects help offset the loss of forests within our region and help increase the natural areas coverage of our watershed.
The Hardwood Block tree planting program involves machine planting native hardwood trees and shrubs on both public and private lands. These projects are eligible to receive funding (75 to 90%) to plant 500 native trees or more and on at least 1 acre of land.
With proper maintenance of the trees by the landowner, these hardwood block plantings will become healthy young forests within 5 years. Young forests provide excellent opportunities for recreation and wildlife sightings. Over time, young forests become important natural features that offer many environmental benefits to our region.
Tallgrass Prairie-Meadow Habitat
If you are interested in restoring habitat for pollinators including butterflies, native bees, grassland birds, and other wildlife then this might be the type of project for you!
Sites are seeded with diverse, native, perennial seed mixes which include a variety of native prairie grasses and forbs (wildflowers). Projects are eligible to receive funding and must be a minimum of 1 acre in size.
These sites take several years (at least 3) to become established and require some “high mowing” maintenance at least once per season during the first 2-3 years. In the long term, continued mowing, grazing, or a prescribed burn will be required to prevent the habitat from being taken over by woody species like trees and shrubs
Wetland Creation Projects
Do you have a low-lying, poorly drained area, that is seasonally flooded or stays wet for most of the year? If so, this may be a good opportunity to restore a permanent wetland feature which will provide habitat for turtles, frogs, birds and other wildlife. Wetlands also help prevent flooding and erosion and improve water quality in our local streams.
Our general design criteria for constructed wetlands include:
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Ranging in size from approximately 0.5 acres to 2+ acres
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Irregularly shaped with gently sloping sides
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Fairy shallow – average depth of 1 metre
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May include a deeper pocket up to 2 metres deep (no more than 1/3 of the total wetland area)
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Must be seeded and planted with native wetland and riparian vegetation, post excavation
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Recommended to include habitat structures such as partially submerged logs or rocks for basking and shelter for wildlife
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Connection/linkage with existing natural areas and/or restored native species habitats (i.e. “buffer” area surrounding the wetland feature planted with native trees, shrubs and/or herbaceous vegetation)
*Qualifying projects are currently eligible for 100% funding. Due to high demand for these types of projects and limited annual funding, they will be reviewed by a committee for approval, prioritizing projects which will result in the best habitat and water quality improvement values.
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BENEFITS OF PLANTING NATIVE TREES & PLANTS and RESTORING HABITAT
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Reduce the amount of lawn to maintain and add variety to your landscape
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Protect and improve local water quality
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Increase natural areas and biodiversity
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Reduce home energy costs by providing shade and shelter
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Transform open fields into forests, prairies and wetlands (or a combination of all three!)
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Create habitat and attract a variety of pollinators, birds and other wildlife
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Improve outdoor recreation opportunities
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Develop a sense of well-being through your contribution to the natural environment
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Contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and improve resilience to the impacts of climate change