MEDIA RELEASE
PETERBOROUGH, ON – On Friday morning, local MPP Dave Smith met with representatives of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) to hear how a $46,000 Seed grant awarded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) grant has aided in the fight against invasive species in Ontario.
“Today’s recognition of the impact that the $46,000 grant has had on strengthening the conservation efforts of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters in our community,” said MPP Dave Smith. “Encouraging young people to participate in ecosystem conservation is vital to our community and we are stronger because of these investments,” MPP Smith said.
The OTF Seed grant, awarded to OFAH in 2020, enabled the Invading Species Awareness Program to provide students within the Durham, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge catchment valuable conservation experiences focused on invasive species. The grant directly led to the creation of the Invading Species Awareness Program Ambassadors, a group that collaborated with eco and environmental clubs in their schools, local conservation authorities, and municipalities, to create, plan, and deliver invasive species related events.
“The ISAP’s Ambassador Program is well underway with over 40 Ambassadors registered and at least 5 events have been planned for April and May,” said Angelo Lombardo, OFAH Executive Director. “With the successful launch of the Ambassador Program, and the interest we’ve received from secondary and post secondary students, we hope to continue to grow our ISAP Ambassador program for years to come.”
ABOUT OFAH: With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 725 member clubs, the OFAH is the province’s largest non-profit, fish and wildlife conservation-based organization and the VOICE of anglers and hunters.
ABOUT THE ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION: The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
CONTACTS:
Riley Ann Schmidt
ISAP Education Liaison
rileyann_schmidt@ofah.org
Shawn Cayley
OFAH Director of Communications
shawn_cayley@ofah.org
705-760-5537 (cell)