Grants Recipients - 2017
Editor's note: We're excited to announce the 2017 winners of the Nagy, Colpitts, Environment and Higgins grants. The Alpine Club of Canada maintains or administers permanent funds to which people may apply for financial support for their mountain-related projects and initiatives. Support is provided in the form of annual cash grants and scholarships to individuals and groups who are judged as best meeting the selection criteria.
In total, the ACC has awarded nearly $16,000 worth of funding to the following applicants this year. Congratulations to all of our winners!
Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women
Winners: Ladies in Patagonia trip — Michelle Kadatz and Hannah Preston
- Funding awarded: $3933
Michelle Kadatz.
Michelle and Hannah applied for this grant hoping to be the first Canadian female team to do a free ascent of Fitz Roy, via Pilar Goretta climbing the Kearney-Knight descending by the Franco Argentine, 1250m 6c 65 degrees. They also hope to climb Cerro Torre West Face Via Dei Ragni, 600m 90 degree ice M4 and to do a new route on one of the smaller towers.
Michelle has experience with alpine and mixed terrain. Hannah is a crack and trad master. Michelle will take the harder ice and mixed leads and Hannah will lead the harder rock pitches.
Hannah Preston.
Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women
Winners: Klinaklini Canyon Expedition — Maranda Stopol, Jo Kemper, Jordan Slaughter and Darby McAdams.
- Funding awarded: $3933
The group assess their options after reaching an impassible tributary that is blocking them from reaching a logging road, their lifeline out. Photo: Maranda Stopol.
ACC Environment Grant
Winner: CPAWS - Caribou Conservation — The Key to Protecting Our Wilderness
- Funding awarded: $2500
Woodland caribou. Photo by Ted Simonett, Wildlands League. Courtesy of CPAWS.
CPAWS is a nation-wide non-profit organization, with regional chapters spread across Canada’s provinces and territories. CPAWS is the only charity in Canada solely focused on gaining protection for Canada’s public lands and waters. The objective of the project this grant supports is to ensure that Alberta’s caribou range plans are scientifically-sound and robust in order to best conserve habitat, benefit the caribou, and to return them to self-sustaining populations.
ACC Environment Grant
Winner: NCES (North Columbia Environmental Society) - Mapping Backcountry Rec to Help Protect Ecosystems
- Funding awarded: $2500
NCES was formed in 1999 in order to represent the environmental issues that concern the residents of Revelstoke, and to work together to find positive solutions. They run a number of environmental education, conservation and sustainable living initiatives and have been doing so since 1999. The goal of the particular project being funded by this grant is to obtain baseline data that can be used to support promotion of the need for a Backcountry Recreation Access Plan (BRAP) for the Revelstoke area. The purpose of such data and, eventually a BRAP is to promote preservation and protection of mountain and alpine environments where recreation is already occurring and use the data to illustrate where recreation should be limited.
Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Katerina Slaba who is undertaking a Wilderness First Responder Course
Funding awarded: $500
Winner: Catrina Shellenberg who is undertaking a Wilderness First Aid Course
Funding awarded: $625
"I'd like to say thank you very much for choosing me to receive a Jim Colpitts scholarship this year! The Advanced Wilderness Medic certification is essential to my career and this money will pay for a large part of the course. The training will also make me a better volunteer trip leader and safer backcountry traveler." – Catrina Shellenberg
Karl Nagy Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Michael McMinn - who is attending Week 4 of the GMC ($1,895)
Apply Now for 2018 Grants
The Alpine Club of Canada maintains or administers permanent funds to which people may apply for financial support for their mountain-related projects and initiatives.
Support is provided in the form of annual cash grants and scholarships to individuals and groups who are judged as best meeting the selection criteria.