Applications were accepted between Oct 3rd and Nov 18th 2022.
The Granting Application Window for 2023 Projects closed on November 18th, 2022. 18 different organizations submitted applications, all of which were eligible for consideration. These 18 projects were valued at over $240,000, with a combined total request of $91,285. The Standing Committee approved $68,067 in funding to 15 groups. Details on those are below.
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Thank you to all the community associations, clubs, PAC’s and other groups who are organizing projects to make our communities even better places in which to work, live, play and do business.
Community Granting Results
Application forms for 2024 Grants will be available starting October 3rd, 2023 and will be due November 17th, 2023.
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Here is a list of the 15 projects approved for WLCF Grants in 2023.
Big Lake 4-H Club – $5000 towards replacing the wooden corral system at the Big Lake Hall with metal panels for the 4H Achievement Day.
Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy Society – $5000 towards new books for new StoryWalks and repairs to existing permanent StoryWalks in Kiwanis Park and Horsefly. StoryWalks are an innovative way for people to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages of a book are transformed into signs that are then laid out on a trail, inviting families, children, caregivers, teachers and others to follow the path of pages. As you stroll down the trail, you’re directed to the next page in the story. The goal of a StoryWalk is to help build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy outdoor activity for both adults and children. Books chosen through the WLCF Grant were specifically about Forests, Fish, Wildlife and the Environment.
Central Cariboo Search And Rescue in partnership with the Cariboo Regional District – $7000 to help replace rescue equipment and tools lost when the SAR Truck was stolen in April 2022.
Chilcotin Road Elementary – School District #27 – $2500 towards purchasing intermediate-student-sized snowshoes to supplement the existing snowshoe inventory at Chilcotin Road, so that there is a complete set for both intermediate students, and primary students. Chilcotin Road Elementary students can use these snowshoes for adventures in the school yard as well as into the Community Forest.
Gavin Lake Forest Education Society – $5000. Again this year the Williams Lake Community Forest is proud to sponsor the Grade 6 program at Gavin Lake where students can attend Gavin Lake Camp with their classmates for no charge. The Grade 6 Program at Gavin Lake provides educational modules on sustainable forest management, forest ecology, and freshwater ecosystems with outdoor recreation activities. Experienced teachers and local forest industry professionals teach the modules over 3 days. Students leave camp with a new appreciation of the economic, recreational, and scientific learning opportunities provided by the forests around us.
Horsefly Board of Trade – $5000 towards constructing the warming shelters at the Horsefly Community Skating Rink, providing security from the ice surface by adding rink-grade plexi-glass. The rink will also have doors added from the rink surface to the warming area, and the back and one side of each shelter will be sheeted-in for wind and storm protection. The skating rink is used by all age groups, in all times of the year.
Miocene Community Club – $5000 was used to purchase a new 48″ deck lawn mower so that volunteers can maintain the 2 ball diamonds and the soccer field at the 3 acre Miocene Community Centre. A storage area has also been secured, and having a good machine to maintain the property has increased the hall’s appearance and usefulness for weddings, family reunions, funerals, parties and other events both indoors and outdoors. The new mower had the added bonus of decreasing mowing time, so more volunteers were willing to pitch in some time and keep the property fire smart and enjoyable.
Miocene Volunteer Fire Department in partnership with the Cariboo Regional District – $5000 will be used to purchase wild land firefighting gear and uniforms.
School District #27 – Junior Fire Crew – $2900was used to put 11 Junior Fire Crew applicants through First Aid training without cost to the student. Of the 11 trainees, 8 were hired and worked for the Cariboo Fire Centre in the summer of 2023.
Streets for All – $5000 will be used to purchase and install 7 bike racks of various sizes in a variety of locations around Williams Lake to support bike riding as a viable transportation option. Stay tuned for installation locations!
Wildwood Volunteer Fire Department in partnership with the Cariboo Regional District – $4487 will go towards improving the Wildwood Fire Hall’s kitchen.
Williams Lake Climbing Association – $3650was used to offer 3 training courses for local climbers at the Esler Bluffs. Improvements were also made to the nearby outhouse. The courses were run by ACMG-certified guides (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) and was by all accounts successful.
Williams Lake Cross Country Ski Club – $6000 has gone towards the solar panel array and fencing around the array at the new clubhouse at Bull Mountain.
Williams Lake Youth Soccer Association – $3800 will be used to purchase and install a replacement motor for the main zero-turn-radius lawn mower so that fields can be kept in optimum condition for all players.
End-of-year 2022:
The Chimney / Felker Lakes Volunteer Fire Department
The Chimney / Felker Community Association’s Volunteer Fire Department received $4905 in 2022 achieved a variety of goals. They had a second electrical panel added to run most of the hall from a generator when needed, added a new Forest Fire Hazard Signage and purchased additional wild-land fire tools (1 ½” forestry hose and grub hoes) topping up the equipment purchased in 2021 and creating 4 “packages” meeting the BC Wildfire Service / Fire Chiefs Association of BC standards. Annual S-100 Wild-land Fire refresher training also occurred.
Fire Smart assessments were highly variable, indicating more work should be done in the community.
Results of Fire-Smart Assessments done 2022 by the CFVFD
Below is the link to the WLCF News article on the CFLVFD’s 2022 funding.
The ISCBC received $4685 in 2022 and has received an extension into 2023 to complete their Native / Invasive Trail Pamphlet project. The idea was to create a field guide aimed at young learners, describing invasive and native plants found locally, traditional Secwepemc names of the native plants and concerns about the invasive plants. The project will be taking advantage of QR codes and technology in favour of exclusively printed materials to reduce garbage in the forest, decrease production costs and allow for edits over time. The project is anticipated to be officially rolled out in the late Spring of 2023, so stay tuned.
Scout Island Nature Centre.
The unprecedented high-water levels in Williams Lake in 2020 caused significant damage to many of the trail boardwalks around Scout Island. $5000 was awarded to the Scout Island Nature Centre towards installing new boardwalks incorporating new standards & safety requirements as well as wheelchair accessibility. The Williams Lake Community Forest’s grant will be combined with other funding sources, so the timeline has been extended into 2023 to capitalize on other installations and reduce contractor travel times/costs.
April 2022:
Several of the latest WLCF Granting Program projects are now underway. The following describes several of the projects, set to roll out in 2022.
Big Lake Community Association
The Big Lake Community Association has maintained a Community Hall on the shores of Big Lake for decades. The Hall is central to the community’s recreational, cultural and economic life, hosting children’s groups, fairs, school events, weddings, sports, business meetings, celebrations of life and so much more. The BLCA will be receiving $5,000 from the WLCF Granting Program to purchase and install a dock at the Community Hall public lake access. The dock will provide a place for various events to expand their activities to the shoreline and beyond. It is anticipated that this dock will positively affect booking rates and the enjoyment of facility users. News post with pictures is below: https://williamslakecommunityforest.com/news/an-accessible-dock-to-all-to-enjoy-at-big-lake/
Gavin Lake Forest Education Society
The Gavin Lake Forest Education Society’s Grade 6 Program will receive $5,000 again this year to bring an all-expenses paid forest education experience to local students. Evidenced by the various pictures from prior years and the thank you notes that students send us, this is an amazing program enjoyed by many.
Horsefly Board of Trade
The Horsefly Board of Trade is going to resurface their recently repaved outdoor skating rink so that it is better suited for a variety of sports during warmer weather. The resurfacing won’t negatively impact its use as a rink during the winter, but will allow basketball, pickleball and other sports to be enjoyed by all ages with less wear and tear on equipment. The resurfacing project is expected to cost approximately $18,000, with $5,000 of that coming from the WLCF Granting Program in 2022.
Miocene Community Club
The Miocene Community Club is another local club whose 30-acre property will have re-sloping work funded by the WLCF Granting Program in 2022. The Miocene Community Hall has a picnic area frequently submerged by a foot of water each spring due to improper drainage. This area is between the tennis courts and soccer fields, and after years of ground movement it is time to regrade the area to improve its function. This is the first project at Miocene done with financial support from the WLCF.
School District 27 – Career Program Department
First Aid course fees will be covered by at grant for $2,750 for 12 students taking the Junior Fire Crew training through the Career Programs department of School District 27 in Williams Lake. The Junior Fire Program is offered in partnership with the Cariboo Fire Centre for up to 20 grade 12 students. Students are trained to become wildland firefighters through rigorous training and required coursework. Upon completion of the mandatory training and courses, students will have the opportunity to apply for positions on the fire crew for the summer, where they will gain additional skills and experiences to help them gain a regular crew member position the following summer.
Williams Lake Cycling Club
The Williams Lake Cycling Club will be using its 2022 WLCF Grant to improve the trail named “Hung” which is within the WLCF Flatrock block and part of the Westsyde Trail Network. Hung is a blue, flow-style trail with some older jumps and stunts needing repair. Repairing this trail will reinstate an accessible flow bike line from the top of the Westsyde network, down to the Log Yard / River Valley access trail.
The trail named “HUNG” will be getting some upgrades this year
Three other projects are in the final approval stages, and project updates will be posted on the WLCF website throughout the year
February 2022:
The Williams Lake Community Forest Standing Committee has recommended 9 projects to share $45,000 in funding for 2022. These projects have a combined project cost of over $233,000, and the WLCF is excited to help bring these exciting projects to our local communities. Stay tuned to learn more about each project, and watch our NEWS page to see updates as the projects progress.
The Community Granting Intake Window for 2020 closed on December 3rd 2020.
The following groups have been approved for funding – congratulations to each them!
Big Lake Community Association
$5,000 – Mower purchase for summer maintenance of several Big Lake Community Sites
Chimney-Felker Lakes Volunteer Fire Department
$5,000 – Enhance the forest protection ability of the CFLVFD through equipment & training
Gavin Lake
$4,000 – Support of the Grade 6 program
Horsefly Community Club
$4,000 – Horsefly Community Hall Kitchen Improvements, Phase 2
McLeese Lake Recreation Commission
$2,000 – Picnic Seating at the McLeese Lake Community Hall Property
School District 27
$4,000 – Cross Country Skiing recreation for four grade 7 classes at Bull Mountain
SD 27 Career Programs
$5,000 – Junior Fire Crew First Aid course fees
Sugarcane 4H
$5,000 – Establishing a 4H club, with show & sale to be held for the first time.
WL Cross Country Ski Club
$4,600 – Lighting improvements at Bull Mountain
WL Cycling Club
$4,000 – Westsyde Trail Improvements
WL Field Naturalists
$2,400 – Hiring a facilitator for the Scout Island Nature Centre Management Plan
24 applications were received by the WLCF Granting Program between mid-October and December 2nd, 2019. From those 24, 13 Applications were approved for funding. The 13 organizations who receive grants are:
The Williams Lake Community Forest Standing Committee has decided to distribute $45,653 this year, almost doubling the $23,000 distributed from the 2018 applications. The funded projects have a total value of approximately $208,000.
Follow this link to see the articles on our NEWS blog about the Successful 2019 Grant Applicants
Thank you to all the applicants, and to everyone working and volunteering to make our communities even better places to work, live, play, and do business.
The Williams Lake Community Forest is pleased to announce the following 9 successful grants from the Fall 2018 intake process:
The Big Lake Community Association has received $5,000 towards the purchase of a Water Tender truck for the Big Lake Volunteer Fire / Rescue Department. The new-to-them truck will allow the department to maintain their certification from the Fire Underwriter’s Survey, as trucks over 20 years need to be replaced. The BLCA and VF/R members were instrumental in protecting local neighbors and their homes in 2017 and received commendations from both the Province of BC and from the CRD for their excellent work and service as a base for the Provincial Wildfire Service.
The Horsefly & District Board of Trade has received $4,500 to help rebuild and repave the Horsefly outdoor skating rink. The rink is used all winter-long for skating, but also serves as a community gathering-place during the ice-less months as well. Other financial partners include the Cariboo Regional District and School District #27.
The Scout Island Nature Centre has received $3,000 that will be used to provide ecosystem programs to School District #27 students in grades 3-7, with training for elementary teachers not yet comfortable with outdoor classrooms. These funds will also be used to enhance the ecosystem content of the Earth Challenge booklet, and to advise on developing the program for grades 3-6.
The Invasive Species Council of BC will install “Play-Clean-Go” signs that will have brushes attached to the signs to encourage recreationalists to clean off plant material and dirt before leaving an area in order to reduce the spread of invasive species. $2,000 was provided by the WLCF Granting Program for this project, which will also see direct education to several rural schools as well as to Little Moccasins’ Daycare about invasive species.
The 150 Mile Greenbelt, Trail and Heritage Society has been developing signs to recognize the origins, community pride and history of the area. $2,000 from the WLCF Granting Program will help to pay for the creation and installation of two signs once the highway project is complete. The signs will acknowledge the ranching and mining history of the region, the old Red Schoolhouse, and will welcome travellers and visitors alike.
The 150 Mile Volunteer Fire Department has received $1,500 to repair damage done to the 150 Mile Ice Rink during the 2017 fires when the rink was used as a staging area. Minor concrete repairs, new lights and some new boards will extend the longevity of the rink and allow continued use by residents of the area all winter long.
Fencing panels, clipping chutes and animal walkers will be built and purchased by the Horsefly 4H Club so that their annual achievement day can be safely attended by family and friends this summer. $2,000 from the WLCF Granting Program will purchase a number of panels for penning the kids’ projects, as well as wood to build the chutes needed to safely unload / load and manoeuvre the animals as needed throughout the weekend. The kids will assist with planning efficient layout options for the fencing panels prior to the event, and they’ll also experiment with animal walker designs and then build additional (potentially enhanced versions) in subsequent years.
The Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society has received $2,000 towards a trail and sign project being built in the Flatrock Block of the WLCF. Eight interpretive signs, with a hydrological focus including Shushwap words, will be installed along the trail, and another sign introducing the project will be installed at the trailhead.
The WL Community Forest is providing $2,000 towards a non-competitive outdoor trail run organized by GROW from School District #27 that will be held for the next 3 years in the late Spring. This trail run encourages kids to get outside their comfort zones and experience the forest and its beauty, while challenging themselves as they tackle a few obstacles along the route.
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