2025 Minister's Special Licence Auction (MSLA) Grant Funding Recipients

STONY PLAIN, Alberta, May 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On behalf of the Minister’s Special Licence Auction (MSLA) Adjudication Committee, the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) is pleased to announce the recipients for the 2025-26 MSLA grants:

• Pronghorn Antelope Migration Corridor Enhancement - $29,511
  Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)

• ABHuntLog: A Tool for Hunters to Contribute to Wildlife Conservation - $20,000
  Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

• Multisar West Habitat Stewardship Project - $30,000
  Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

• Assessing and Improving CWD Surveillance as a Component of Big Game
  Management in Alberta - $34,000
  University of Alberta

• Next-Generation Wildlife Management: AI to Streamline Age Analysis - $61,000
  Lethbridge Polytechnic, Wildlife Analytics Lab (WAL)

• Turkey Distribution and Population Augmentation - $50,000
  Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

• Pronghorn Winter Survival and Migration - $110,000
  Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

• Operation Grassland Community: Enhancing Habitat for Wildlife
  and Sustainable Hunting - $51,000
  Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)

• Connectivity Project - Corridors - $30,000
  Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)

• Efficacy of Aversive Conditioning as a Tool to Increase Coexistence with and Population Sizes of Grizzly Bears in Protected Areas - $47,255
  University of Alberta

• Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project - $250,000
  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS)

• Using Citizen Science to Monitor Mountain Ungulate Herd Health and Population Trend to Inform Disease and Habitat Management - $132,500
  Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)

• Managing Disease Risk for Bighorn Sheep - M. ovi Testing and Evaluation - $51,395
  Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)

• Grotto Mountain Habitat Enhancement - $150,000
  Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)

• Ungulate Enhancement Program - $15,000
  Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)

The Minister’s Special Licence Auction (MSLA) program began in 1995 with a special licence for bighorn sheep. It has expanded over the years and today is proud to offer eight once-in-a-lifetime hunting opportunities, available to Alberta resident hunters and international hunting visitors. APOS administers the special permits for sheep, mule deer, moose, elk, whitetail deer, pronghorn, cougar, and turkey, working with the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) and the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo (WHCE) to market the permits. After raising $596,750 USD in 2024, the auctioned permits went on to raise $651,000 USD in spring 2025, with the addition of the newest permits for whitetail and cougar.

Funds generated by the permits go back into Alberta wildlife stewardship and conservation projects that:

• Enhance and sustain wildlife populations and their habitats,
• Address identified knowledge gaps concerning wildlife populations and their habitats,
• Generate information that has practical applications for wildlife management, and/or
• Apply innovative approaches to increase the efficacy of wildlife management.

The granting process to review applications and distribute funds is handled by a multi-stakeholder MSLA Adjudication Committee. In addition to the above criteria, the MSLA Stakeholder Advisory Committee set the following focus areas for the 2025-26 funding year, seeking projects that:

• Identify and enhance habitat that supports target wildlife,
• Develop techniques and capacity to assess population size, wildlife demography, and vulnerability to anthropogenic threats,
• Advance the understanding and prevention of wildlife disease, with a particular interest in M. ovi.
  

“Our thanks to the MSLA Adjudication Committee for their time, and the thoughtful discussion around this year’s applications,” states Corey Jarvis, President of APOS, “APOS is honoured to administer the MSLA, and we excited to see how this program continues to grow and evolve in the years to come.”

A total of $1,040,661 CAD is earmarked to be distributed in 2025-26 for these projects. To receive the interim and final reports for the MSLA, please sign up for updates at www.AlbertaMSL.ca or contact grants@apos.ab.ca.

About the Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS)
The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) was established as a delegated administrative organization (DAO) for the Government of Alberta in 1997. APOS’ delegated responsibilities include licensing the province’s guides and professional outfitters, managing the distribution of big game and waterfowl allocations, and holding members accountable to a Code of Ethics. We also provide members with access to competitive liability insurance, a voice within government, and advocacy on key issues.

Contact:

Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS)
#100, 3802 - 49 Avenue
Stony Plain, AB T7Z 2J7
P: (780) 414-0249
info@apos.ab.ca 
www.apos.ab.ca 
@ComeHuntAlberta