WASHINGTON DC (December 14, 2022) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $806,000 in grants to restore, protect and enhance native fish species of conservation concern in the United States. The grants will provide $4.4 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $5.2 million.
The grants were awarded through Bring Back the Native Fish, a partnership between NFWF, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the US Forest Service, with additional support provided this year by the Bezos Earth Fund.
“Habitat loss is the central threat to the hundreds of native fish species that live in our nation’s waters,” said Jeff Trandahl, NFWF Executive Director and CEO. “Grants funded through the Bring Back the Native Fish program this year will support the survival of species such as cutthroat trout, bull trout and Chinook salmon by mitigating invasive species predation and improving stream flow for more hospitable spawning, breeding and sheltering habitats.”
Major factors in the decline of native fish species include habitat alteration, lack of adequate water flows, and invasive and/or non-native species. Projects supported by the seven grants announced today will reconnect streams, restore riparian and stream habitat and water quality, and manage invasive species.
The recipients of the Bring Back the Native Fish 2022 grant are:
- Kalispel Tribe of Indians will install restoration structures based on low-tech processes and plant native vegetation to restore the wetland ecosystem of Reeder Creek, Idaho. Restoration of wetland function, including inland habitat and stream connectivity, will improve water quality for native cutthroat trout and bull trout.
- The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will suppress invasive lake trout in Flathead Lake, Montana, through increased collection and management efforts to aid the recovery of native bull trout.
- Deschutes Land Trust will restore riparian habitat by creating new baseflow channels and restoring floodplains, wetlands, and uplands at Ochoco Preserve, Oregon. The project will renew the ecological functionality of the waterways to aid reintroduction of Chinook salmon and summer steelhead and improve water quality.
- Trout Unlimited will add timber structures to Mill Creek, Montana, encouraging pool formation and increasing channel roughness and complexity for Yellowstone cutthroat trout.
- The Lower Nehalem Watershed Council will install inland structures to provide vegetative cover for Coho salmon, Chinook salmon, steelhead and cutthroat trout, improving 0.2 miles and 2.5 acres of stream habitat at the confluence of the rivers Salmonberry and Nehalem, Oregon.
- The University of Tennessee will conduct DNA analysis of Southern Appalachian brook trout to assess the success of various source populations and benefit from reintroduction and stream management practices.
- The Turner Endangered Species Fund will remove invasive fish from 1.5 miles of Las Animas Creek in New Mexico and establish refuges to improve recovery of the Rio Grande sucker and chum.
Since the Bring Back the Native Fish program was established in 1991, it has awarded more than $27.2 million to 550 projects nationwide, leveraging more than $104 million in matching contributions. In the past eight years, projects in this program have corrected more than 112 barriers, reopened more than 680 miles of habitat, and involved more than 4,180 volunteers in the restoration and improvement of more than 275 miles of stream.
A full list of 2022 grants awarded through the Bring Back the Native Fish program is available here.
About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats. Working with federal, corporate, foundation and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 6,000 organizations and generated a total conservation impact of $7.4 billion. More information at www.nfwf.org.
###
Contact:
Rob Blumenthal, 202-857-0166, [email protected]