Project Name: Association of Manitoba Community Pastures Land Management Planning – Bield and Wallace

Project Description: The project proposes developing land management plans based on range health assessment results for the Bield and Wallace Community Pastures. The plans will support the productivity and resiliency of both prairie landscapes totalling a combined 7,000 hectares within the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion. Targets will be established to achieve high range health supported by sustainable grazing practices and other land management tools that promote the ecological functioning of the project sites.

Amount: $25,000

Project Name: Fisher River Cree Nation (FRCN) Conservation Areas Initiative

Project Description: The initiative aims to protect the health of a thriving natural landscape on the southwest side of Lake Winnipeg, which includes forests, wetlands, beaches, and habitats of species-at-risk, so it can continue to provide for sustainable economic opportunities and support cherished lifestyles and cultures. We aim to develop a regionally-appropriate and balanced conservation plan for a 1.1 million ha study area through Indigenous leadership, multi­-stakeholder engagement, and public participation.

Amount: $25,000

Project Name: Planning for coordinated evidence-based action to reduce phosphorus loading in targeted hotspots

Project Description: Phosphorus losses from agriculture reduce productivity and impact downstream water quality. Evidence-based phosphorus beneficial management practices (PBMPs) must be targeted to known phosphorus hotspots to improve water quality, yet both economic and operational challenges limit implementation. This planning project will identify prospective PBMPs and suitable sites within the Manning Canal phosphorus hotspot, while also documenting barriers and developing strategies to increase PBMP adoption.

Amount: $25,000

Project Name: Natural Infrastructure Systems Design in the Pembina Valley Watershed District using LiDAR

Project Description: The Pembina River Watershed District (PRWD) will have mapped out for the upstream Pembina Watershed (Upper Pembina River Sub-District) potential water retention projects as a water security and climate adaptation strategy.

Amount: $25,000

Project Name: Optimized design of surface water retention in the East Souris River Watershed

Project Description: This project will enhance the resiliency of the East Souris River Watershed through an evaluation of surface water retention strategies and provide optimal location of water retention structures by providing 400 acre-feet storage potential and an assessment of how soil health can potentially improve hydrologic resiliency through building an integrated groundwater-surface water model to characterize how the agricultural landscape, soil and groundwater interact during extreme hydrologic events.

Amount: $50,000