Partners in the Waneta Expansion Project — Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust — have awarded $50,000 this year to local conservation and restoration projects through the Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program.
The compensation program provides $50,000 annually to research, physical works and other on-the-ground or applied terrestrial compensation projects.
“Throughout construction of the Waneta Expansion Project, an emphasis has been placed on environmental stewardship,” said Audrey Repin, spokesperson for the project in a press release. “All the projects selected this year support our stewardship goal and provide unique contributions to the environment.”
This year’s successful projects include:
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Arndt: Life history of the blue-listed Checkered Skipper butterfly in the Pend d’Oreille
Dulisse/Pandion: Reptiles at risk conservation project
Trail Wildlife Association / Ft. Shepherd Stewardship Council: Ft. Shepherd Conservancy Area restoration - phase II
Pandion/Keefer Ecological: Yellow-Breasted Chat critical habitat restoration
Bird Studies Canada/Environment Canada: Inventory, monitoring, and prioritization of conservation activities for Lewis’s Woodpecker
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2014 Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2014. Visit www.columbiapower.org/wanetaexpansion for an application form and more information.
The release also stated improvements to shallow water fish habitat at the Fort Shepherd bar on the Columbia River, along Highway 22A willl resume in the next low water period which is anticipated to occur this fall.
The Waneta Expansion Project is a partnership between Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation, and Columbia Basin Trust.