MHHC Announces $5.5 Million In Grants To 12 Manitoba Watershed Districts

The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC) is announcing $5.5 million in grants to 12 Manitoba Watershed Districts for new land and water conservation projects.

The revenue source for these projects is the Province of Manitoba’s recent $204 million investment in endowments at The Winnipeg Foundation. The Conservation Trust, the GROW Trust and the Wetlands GROW Trust have created new and permanent revenue sources for local conservation projects.

“I am pleased to see Manitoba’s conservation investments continuing to pay off in new projects across the province," said Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen. “Watershed conservation is key to adapting to the impacts of climate change.”

The Assiniboine West Watershed District (AWWD) will receive $1.16 million, which is the largest grant ever awarded to a Watershed District in Manitoba. AWWD works with area farmers under a provincial program called GROW (Growing Outcomes in Watersheds). AWWD will use an incentive-based approach to protect 1,000 acres of vulnerable wetlands and will improve soil health and riparian areas by converting another 1,000 acres to permanent cover. It will also install 20 off-site cattle watering systems and further flood-proof the region with new peak flow runoff storage sites.

“Our watershed conservation project projects have tripled thanks to new funding from the Trusts,” said Ryan Canart, a local cattle producer, and Assiniboine West Watershed’s District manager. “Local landowners are responding well to new conservation incentive opportunities.”

The $5.5 million in Trust funds is matched by $6.2 million in funds and services by project partners, resulting in $11.7 million of conservation activity in Manitoba.

“Since 2018, $18 million dollars have been granted from the Trusts to 119 conservation projects delivered by 45 Manitoba-based groups, said Tim Sopuck, MHHC chief executive officer. “So far in 2021, $8.3 million has been committed to projects.”

MHHC was established in 1986 as a provincial Crown Corporation to conserve fish and wildlife habitat in the Manitoba. It recently transitioned out of government and is now a not-for-profit charitable organization.F

GROW TRUST PROJECTS - JUNE 2021

Assiniboine West Watershed District, Building a resilient, green Manitoba $1,162,535

Central Assiniboine Watershed District, Farming the Best - Conserving the Rest within the Central Assiniboine Watershed District - 2 $745,000

East Interlake Watershed District, Enhancement Protection Program (phase 2) $226,500

Inter-Mountain Watershed District, Advancing Water Retention Capacities within Inter-Mountain Watershed District $404,100

Kelsey Watershed District, Planting Salt Tolerant Grasses to Reduce Nutrient Runoff into Our Waterways $40,000

Pembina Valley Watershed District, 2021 Pembina Plum Initiative #2 $800,000

Redboine Watershed District, RBWD GROW Program - Watershed Management in Action $350,000

Souris River Watershed District, Wetland Conservation and Restoration in the Souris River Watershed $599,000

Swan Lake Watershed District, Streambank Stabilization and Enhanced Vegetated Buffer $61,200

West Interlake Watershed District, Working together to improve watershed health in the West Interlake Watershed $466,662

Westlake Watershed District, Westlake Watershed District Wildlife and Upland Enhancement Projects $100,775

Whitemud Watershed District, Whitemud Watershed District 2021 $577,500

2021 GROW Trust Funding Total $5,533,272