Alberta Minister’s Special Licence Auction (MSLA) Program Open for Grant Applications for 2025-26

STONY PLAIN, Alberta, Sept. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) is pleased to open intake for grant applications for the 2025-26 Minister’s Special Licence Auction (MSLA) Program. The MSLA Program is seeking projects that make an important contribution in Alberta to:

• Enhancing and sustaining wildlife populations and their habitats,
• Addressing identified knowledge gaps concerning wildlife populations and their habitats,
• Generating information that has practical applications for wildlife management, and/or
• Applying innovative approaches to increase the efficacy of wildlife management.

Additionally, the MSLA Stakeholder Advisory Committee has indicated several focus areas for the 2025-26 funding year. Although applications will be accepted beyond these areas, the Committee has a special interest in projects aimed at:

• Identifying and enhancing habitat that supports target wildlife.
• Developing techniques and capacity to assess population size, wildlife demography, and vulnerability to anthropogenic threats.
• Advancing understanding and prevention of wildlife disease, with a particular interest in M. ovi.
  

Funds for the MSLA Program are generated through the delivery of Minister’s Special Licences (MSL), which provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a hunter to enjoy greater flexibility on hunting dates and locations for a given species in Alberta. Special licences for sheep, elk, moose, mule deer, antelope, turkey and – new in 2025 – whitetail and cougar, are made available non-residents by auction through the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. The corresponding Alberta resident program with the same species is delivered through a special draw, with grant funds administered by the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA).

“As administrator for the MSLA program, we have appreciated the input provided by fellow stakeholders through the advisory and adjudication committees over this last year,” states Jeana Schuurman, Managing Director of APOS, “The feedback has been vital in refining the focus of the MSLA, not only to target meaningful projects, but also to streamline the process for review and adjudication. We are excited to see what projects come forward in 2025-26.”

Grant application guidelines and forms are available online at albertamsl.ca. The application period will close on Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Submissions will be reviewed and evaluated in spring 2025. For more information about the MSLA Grant Program and the application process, please visit albertamsl.ca or email grants@apos.ab.ca