• Funding Application: Grassland Stewardship Initiative July 2024

  • The Grasslands Stewardship Initiative (GSI) aims to support conservation and recovery of sensitive grassland bird populations in Ontario through the creation and management of grassland habitats. To achieve this goal, GSI offers competitive funding opportunities for projects that align with specific objectives and eligibility criteria. 

    To support potential applicants, GSI has developed the Grassland Stewardship Initiative Program and Funding Guidelines 2024 document. This resource is designed to assist in the preparation of project proposals for submission to GSI. 

    The proposal submission process is conducted entirely online and consists of three (3) key components: 

    • Site Suitability Assessment (SSA) 
    • Application Form 
    • Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA) 


    It is important to note that once you begin the online application process, it must be completed in one session as there is no option to save and return to your submission later. 

    GSI strongly advises all project proponents to thoroughly review each section of the Program and Funding Guidelines document. This document provides detailed instructions and requirements for each of the three application components, ensuring that all necessary information is gathered correctly for your submission. 

    Important Timelines: ​

    • Deadline for call for proposals has been extended ​​
    • Project activities start: April 1, 2025  

    Submission Checklist: 
    Before initiating your online submission, please review and complete the checklist below. You are required to upload this information in the online application form.  

    • Work Plan and Budget
    • Project site plan/map(s) 
    • Site photo(s) of current/baseline conditions 
    • Seed mix and supplier, if applicable 

     

    Important Note:

    Funding for proposed projects under the Grasslands Stewardship Initiative is subject to Forests Ontario securing grants from various levels of government as well as other sources. Please be advised that until funding is secured, even the best proposals will be on hold, so we thank you in advance for your patience. The application process for proposals will be conducted online. For detailed guidance, please refer to the documentation available at https://grasslandsontario.ca/applications. 

  • Site Suitability Assessment (SSA)

  • Please complete the Site Suitability Assessment form below to determine whether your site is suitable for Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and/or Grasshopper Sparrow habitat restoration. If your site is determined suitable, you may proceed with completion of the online Application Form and Habitat Quality Assessment.

    Please refer to the GSI Program and Funding Guidelines 2024 for additional information including larger versions of the core breeding range maps.

  • Is the site located within the core breeding range* for Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and/or Grasshopper Sparrow*
  • Image field 206

  • Mapping data from The Atlas of Breeding Birds, Ontario (2001-2005).

  • Sites suitable for funding:

    • Privately-owned agriculture/farmland
    • Conservation lands
    • Indigenous communities and organizations lands
    • Institutional lands
    • Industrial or commercial lands 
    • Municipal Lands
    • Brown-field restoration sites 
    • Former agricultural fields 
    • Infrastructure lands and corridors

    Sites and/or landowners not suitable for funding:

    • Crown Land 
    • Habitat offset areas required under the ESA
    • Unsuitable lands (i.e. wetlands and forested areas)
    • Provincial and Federal government ministries, departments and agencies 

     

     
  • Does the site fit into one of the above suitable types of land*
  • Have you observed a Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and/or Grasshopper Sparrow on or near (within 1-2 km) the site in the past year?*
  • Does the site encompass the below ideal habitat features for creation of Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and/or Grasshopper Sparrow habitat?*
    • Minimum of 4 hectares in size 
    • Area must be a minimum of 200 meters in width, to provide 100 meter buffers adjacent to bordering forests and treed hedgerows

  • Site Not Suitable For Funding

    (Please do not complete the application form at this time.)

  • Site Not Suitable For Funding 

    (Please do not complete the application form at this time.)

  • Site May Be Suitable For Funding And Eligible For Maintenance or Enhancement Activities

    Please proceed and complete application form and habitat quality assessments

  • Site May Be Suitable For Funding And Eligible For Creation Activities

    Please proceed and complete application form and habitat quality assessments

  • Application Information

    This is the organization that would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Forests Ontario if the application is approved.
  • Format: (000) 000-0000.

  • Property Information

  • Format: (000) 000-0000.
  • Current Site Protection Status*

  • Project Description

  • What was the predominant land use on the Project Site over the last 3 years*
  • If the Project Site is grazed, do you currently practice rotational grazing?
  • Please indicate the management activities that have been completed on the Project Site over the last 1-3 years?*
  • Does the Project Site have wooded edges?*
  • Please select the one that best describes adjacent land use/fields (within 1.0 km)*
  • Have you observed Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, and/or Grasshopper Sparrow breeding, or displaying breeding behaviours on your property in the past 1-3 years?*

  • Project Site Plan/Map

  • A Project Site Plan or map and current site photos are required with this application. The Site Plan can be a Google screenshot or equivalent. The Site Plan must include an outline of the project site boundary and delineation of the areas to receive specific restoration activities, especially if different activities are proposed across the site. Please attach the Project Site Plan and current/baseline site photos below.

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  • Project Information

  • Which Best Describes Your Project Type*
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  • Project Work Plan and Budget

    Please completed the attached work plan and budget spreadsheet and submit with the project application form. (In blurb by Season at top) 
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  • Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA)

  • Applicants are required to submit an HQA with this project application. This information establishes baseline metrics on grassland habitat quality at the proposed Project Site. The HQA differentiates between high-, medium-, and low-quality grassland habitats. For each HQA parameter, choose the most appropriate response. Please note, the results of the initial HQA will not impact the decision to award funding for the project, but instead are used to help determine which eligible activities the project will receive funding towards.   

    NOTE: The recommended timeframe to complete an HQA is May 1st – July 31st of any year. However, for the purposes of this funding application, information or observations from July – September 2024 should be used by the partner or landowner to complete the HQA.    

    If the project is successfully enrolled in the GSI, partners/landowners will complete additional HQAs during the breeding season (May 1st – July 31st) in Year 1, Year 3, and Year 5 to show pre, mid and post-activity changes in habitat quality. 

  • 1A. Which of the following best describes the site. (If more than one, select the quality level with the greatest extent)*
  • 1B. Which of the following best describes your haying or grazing practices?*
  • 2A. How much of the site is covered by grass. (Including non-native grass, but not legumes)*
  • 2B. How much of the site is exposed soil or bare ground?*
  • 2C. On average, what is the depth of litter or thatch build-up on the ground?*
  • 2D. On average, what is the height of grass cover within the site in the 1st week of June?*
  • 2E. How much of the site has shrubs or trees > 1 m in height?*
  • 2F. How many grass indicator species from the "Grass/Sedge Indicator Species" list below are present on the site?*
  • 2G. How many forb indicator species from "Forb Indicator Species" list below are present on the site?*

  • Grass/Sedge Indicator Species

    The list below are types of grasses/sedges that are often characteristic of native and naturalized grasslands. The species below are not required for application approval. 

    Please indicate the cover** of any of the following grass species if present on the site. For species images, please visit our Grass/Sedge Indicator Species list. 
    If the species is not present, do not select.

    **Cover - Approximate area of the site covered by the species.  

  • Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
  • Bebb’s Sedge (Carex bebbii)
  • Crawe’s Sedge (Carex crawei)
  • Awl-fruited Sedge (Carex stipata)
  • Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoides)
  • Poverty Oatgrass (Danthonia spicata)
  • Tufted Hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
  • Canada Wildrye (Elymus canadensis)
  • Jointed Rush (Juncus articulatus)
  • Soft Rush (Juncus effusus)
  • Path Rush (Juncus tenuis)
  • Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
  • Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
  • Dark Green Bulrush (Scirpus atrovirens)
  • Common Woolly Bulrush (Scirpus cyperinus)
  • Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
  • Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
  • Prairie Cordgrass (Sporobolus michauxianus)

  • Forb Indicator Species

    The list below are types of forbs that are often characteristic of native and naturalized grasslands. The species below are not required for application approval.

    Please indicate the cover** of any of the following forb species if present on the site. For species images, please visit our Forb Indicator Species list.
    If the species is not present, do not select.

    **Cover - Approximate area of the site covered by the species.  

  • Thimbleweed (Anemone cylindrica)
  • Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
  • Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa)
  • Showy Tick-trefoil (Desmodium canadense)
  • Flowering Spurge (Euphorbia corollata)
  • Wild Strawberry (Frageria virginiana)
  • Three-flowered Avens (Geum triflorum)
  • Tall Sunflower (Helianthus giganteus)
  • Canada Bluets (Houstonia canadensis)
  • Round-headed Bush Clover (Lespedeza capitata)
  • Pale Spiked Lobelia (Lobelia spicata)
  • Early Saxifrage (Micranthes virginiensis)
  • Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
  • Balsam Groundsel (Packera paupercula)
  • Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
  • Hairy Beardtongue (Penstemon hirsutus)
  • Virginia Mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum virginianum)
  • Early Buttercup (Ranunculus fascicularis)
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
  • Upland White Goldenrod (Solidago ptarmicoides)
  • Heath Aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides)
  • Smooth Aster (Symphyotrichum laevis)
  • Fluxweed (Trichostema brachiatum)
  • Narrow-leaved Vervain (Verbena simplex)
  • Missouri Ironweed (Vernonia missurica)

  • Bird Indicator Species

    Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow are targeted grassland birds for habitat creation/restoration.

  • 3A. How many Bobolink have been seen on the site in the past year?*
  • 3B. How many Eastern Meadowlark have been seen on the site in the past year?*
  • 3C. How many Grasshopper Sparrow have been seen on the site in the past year?*

  • If you indicated the presence of target species, please include the number of individuals and identify types of breeding evidence/behaviors.
    Select all that apply

  • Bobolink
  • Eastern Meadowlark
  • Grasshopper Sparrow

  • The list below are types of birds that are often characteristic of native and naturalized grasslands. Not all species are required for application approval.

    Please indicate the cover** of any of the following bird species if present on the site. For species images, please visit our Bird Indicator Species list.
    If the species is not present, do not select.

    **Cover - Approximate area of the site covered by the species.  

  • 4A. How many other grassland bird species have been seen on the site over the past year?*
  • If you indicated the presence of other grassland bird species, please identify the species below:
  • Should be Empty: