In 2018, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), partnering with federal, state, and local agencies, companies, and organizations, awarded grants for a variety of upcoming projects to restore freshwater streams and other important habitat across the USA.
NFWF stream restoration projects were funded by the Bring Back the Natives program, Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund, and Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF).
Bring Back the Natives Grants
Improving Habitat Connectivity and Quality for Cutthroat Trout in Meadow Creek (MT)
Removing Sawpauh Mill Dam to Restore Fish Passage in Oostanaula Creek and the Hiwassee River (TN)
Comprehensive Watershed Restoration and Stream Reconnection in the Clearwater and Grande Ronde Watersheds (ID, OR)
Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Watershed (VA)
Barrier Removal in the North Creek Basin to Restore Fish Passage (OR)
Restoring Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout Habitat in the Upper Teton River (ID)
Instream Habitat Restoration in the East Verde River to Increase Resiliency of a Gila Trout Fishery (AZ)
Westslope Cutthroat and Bull Trout Habitat Restoration in the Blackfoot River Watershed (MT)
Habitat Restoration for the Amargosa River Pupfish in San Bernardino County (CA)
Eradication of Invasive Vinca to benefit Spikedace and Loachminnow in Aravaipa Canyon (AZ)
Reintroduction of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout to Road Beaver Creek (CO)
Assessment of Connectivity and Invasion Threat to Restore Greenback Cutthroat Trout in Colorado
Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Grants
Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Waterhsed (VA)
Grantee: The Piedmont Environmental Council
Improve native eastern brook trout habitat in Virginia’s Upper Rappahannock watershed in partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation by replacing culvert structures with an open-span bridge. The project will reconnect 2 miles of intact brook trout habitat and restore
200 linear feet of riparian habitat.
Fish Passage Improvement and Culvert Replacement in the Upper Sinnemahoning Creek Watershed (PA)
Grantee: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Replace four culverts at priority locations for native brook trout populations in the upper Sinnemahoning Creek watershed. Project will result in 4 miles of stream opened to fish passage and restored.
Stream Restoration and Brook Trout Habitat Improvement in the Cohocton River (NY)
Grantee: The Nature Conservancy
Improve two culverts, conduct streambank restoration on a key tributary, and increase river management capacity training and continuous water quality monitoring to inform strategic interventions in the watershed. Project will improvebrook trout habitat and increase connectivity to and between already identified high-quality eastern brook trout habitat.
Stream and Habitat Restoration in Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area (MD)
Grantee: South River Federation
Restore a rapidly eroding 3,270 linear foot stream bank and enhance non-tidal wetlands, thereby reconnecting the floodplain. Project will reduce nutrient and sediment pollution loads, benefit local residents and visitors by protecting hiking trails in the Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area, and restore lost habitat and stream functions.
Expanding Green Infrastructure, Urban Stream and Tree Canopy Restoration in Hopewell (VA)
Grantee: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Implement large-scale stream restoration and wetland enhancement on an eroding stream channel, re-establish floodplain wetlands adjacent to the stream channel, plant 250 urban trees, and create “conservation corners” to install green features in residential areas with poorly draining soils. Project will engage more than 250 community volunteers and develop Meaningful Watershed Education Experiences for students to takes advantage of the large-scale stormwater management project proximity.
Securing and Expanding Brook Trout Habitat in the Cacapon and Potomac South Branch (WV)
Grantee: Trout Unlimited
Strengthen and expand stronghold patches of brook trout by restoring in-stream and riparian habitat, mitigating barriers to aquatic organism passage, and increasing the number of agricultural producers implementing streamside best management practices. Project will restore riparian forest buffers and fish passage, recruit 200 volunteers to assist in environmental stewardship projects, and provide conservation planning and technical assistance to 30 new landowners.
Reconnecting and Restoring Brook Trout Habitat at Public Road-Stream Crossings (VA)
Grantee: The Piedmont Environmental Council
Replace restrictive culverts with improved stream-simulation road-stream crossings for full aquatic organism passage in Piedmont. Project will improve instream habitat by restoring 0.30 riparian acres of habitat, reconnecting 4 miles of stream, and removing two barriers to fish passage.
Identifying and Designing Restoration in Tier II Eastern Brook Trout Patches (PA)
Grantee: Tioga County Conservation District of Pennsylvania
Identify, prioritize, design and permit habitat restoration projects within two Tier II eastern brook trout patches, the Tioga River and Babb Creek. Project will enhance the ability of the Tioga County Conservation District to implement effective priority habitat restoration and sediment reduction projects, motivate individuals and local governments to implement projects, and increase benefits to water quality and eastern brook trout habitat.
Unassessed Waters Initiative (PA) - IV
Grantee: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Conduct 1,000 fish surveys on previously unassessed streams, coordinating priorities, data collection, and data management. Project will provide data on previously unassessed streams in order to ensure proper stream classification, which is vital to successfully protecting Pennsylvania’s water resources.
Reconnecting Floodplains and Stream Restoration in the Upper Sassafras (MD)
Grantee: Shorerivers
Produce a fully permitted stream and wetland restoration design that addresses an eroding 4,800 linear foot stretch of forested perennial stream in the headwaters of the Sassafras River. Project will result in designs for a stream that receives runoff from surrounding highways and a weigh station, as well as 370 acres of surrounding agricultural land.
Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) Grants:
Planning for Two Fish Passage Projects in Southeastern Connecticut (CT)
Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound
Project Area: Whitford Pond Dam, Whitford Brook, a Mystic River tributary, Stonington, Alewife Cove Dam, Fenger Brook, an Alewife Cove tributary, Waterford, Connecticut
Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will develop engineered designs for fishways at Whitford Pond Dam in Stonington and at Alewife Cove Dam in Waterford, Connecticut. The project will set the stage to provide 4.2 miles of access to spawning, rearing, and refuge habitat along two riverine migratory corridors valuable to Long Island Sound diadromous and freshwater fish such as alewife, blueback herring, brook trout, American eel and American shad.
Showing posts with label habitat restoration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label habitat restoration. Show all posts
Saturday, December 15, 2018
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Wisconsin Brook Trout Distribution Predictions
The distribution of brook trout, which requires cold water for survival, could shrink by 60 percent in some Wisconsin streams by mid-century, according to recent climate change models for the Great Lakes region.
Loss of suitable freshwater habitat for brook trout and other popular sport fish species due to climate change are likely to have economic implications for the Great Lakes system.
Recreational fishing opportunities in the region contribute to a multi-billion dollar tourism and recreation industry.
Climate change models for the Great Lakes system are being made by researchers with U.S. Geological Survey, alongside Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Michigan Institute of Fisheries Research, and Michigan State University.
Researchers hope to predict the potential impacts of increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation on water temperature and flow in freshwater streams that are part of the Great Lakes system.
The models project future distributions for 14 fish species based on known fish locations, their habitat preferences, their adaptability to different water temperatures, existing and future stream conditions, and projected climatic changes.
source: greatlakeslcc.org
Loss of suitable freshwater habitat for brook trout and other popular sport fish species due to climate change are likely to have economic implications for the Great Lakes system.
Recreational fishing opportunities in the region contribute to a multi-billion dollar tourism and recreation industry.
Climate change models for the Great Lakes system are being made by researchers with U.S. Geological Survey, alongside Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Michigan Institute of Fisheries Research, and Michigan State University.
Researchers hope to predict the potential impacts of increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation on water temperature and flow in freshwater streams that are part of the Great Lakes system.
The models project future distributions for 14 fish species based on known fish locations, their habitat preferences, their adaptability to different water temperatures, existing and future stream conditions, and projected climatic changes.
source: greatlakeslcc.org
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Idaho Dutch Flat Dam Removal Could Benefit Steelhead
Dutch Flat Dam was a 10-foot barrier built nearly a century ago to provide drinking water to Troy, Idaho. The dam spanned the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, which ran so dry in summer that nobody thought steelhead survived there.
About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.
Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.
An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.
As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.
Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.
Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.
NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.
For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html
source: NOAA Fisheries
About a decade ago biologists realized that steelhead do, in fact, survive in such streams. It turns out that steelhead are able to survive dry periods by moving into pools cooled by underground flows.
Over the summer of 2013, local leaders and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game worked with federal agencies to take out the dam so steelhead can again move freely up the West Fork of Little Bear Creek. Crews finished removing the dam’s concrete in early September and are now widening a new course for the creek.
An inventory by Idaho Fish and Game about 10 years ago surprised many locals by finding steelhead throughout the Potlatch River drainage in small streams such as Little Bear Creek that mostly dried up in summer. It turned out that the fish survive the summer in remnant pools cooled by subterranean water.
As word of the steelhead spread, so did enthusiasm for removing the dam and reopening the West Fork of Little Bear Creek, said biologist Bob Ries of NOAA Fisheries. Enthusiasm grew even more when a local resident found steelhead spawning in the creek.
Biologists salvaged almost 180 fish from pools below the dam before the removal began and about three quarters were steelhead, Johnson said. It was the most steelhead they had ever captured in that reach, he said, suggesting that many fish stand to benefit from removal of the dam.
Snake River steelhead were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1997. Removing migration barriers and restoring access to high quality spawning and rearing habitat is considered critical for their recovery.
NOAA Fisheries and the Bonneville Power Administration provided $500,000 for the project. NOAA’s funding came from the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, a competitive grant program dedicated to restoring Pacific salmon and their habitat.
For more information, visit: http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/stories/2013/dutch_flat_dam_removal.html
source: NOAA Fisheries
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Raritan River Dam Removal Projects
The removal of old dams from the Raritan River in New Jersey will allow migrating fish to fully access the middle and upper portions of the river for the first time in more than a century.
The dam removal project is being done and financed by El Paso Corp. (now Kinder Morgan, Inc.), under the terms of a landmark agreement secured last year by the DEP as compensation to the public for harm to natural resources caused by past pollution facilities operated by or affiliated with El Paso.
This second Raritan River dam to be removed is known as the Roberts Street Dam and was previously known as the Dead River Dam. It straddles Bridgewater and Hillsborough townships. Its removal will open up a large segment of the Raritan River for fish spawning.
The elimination of the Roberts Street Dam will further increase water flow and habitat improvements realized from removal of the Calco Dam in Bridgewater last summer, which was the first phase of this three-step process.
The removal of all three targeted dams will open up 10 miles of migratory fish habitat along a stretch of the Raritan that twists through a highly diverse residential, commercial and agricultural portion of Somerset County that includes Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Bound Brook, Somerville and Manville.
It also will open up about 17 miles of tributaries, including portions of the Millstone River, to spawning. None of the dams were built for flood control.
The targeted dams include:
The Robert Street Dam, a 6 ½-foot-high sheet piling and concrete dam located at river mile 27.9. It was constructed prior to 1930 for purposes that are not known today. This dam failed and was reconstructed in 1963.
Calco Dam, located at river mile 20.9 and built by the Calco Chemical Co. in 1938 to disperse chemicals from its facility. The dam was essentially a large concrete pipe spanning the river that most recently carried and dispersed wastewater into the river for the Somerset Raritan Valley Sewerage Authority. The authority constructed a new outfall for that purpose. Calco Dam was demolished in 2011.
The Nevius Street Dam, located at river mile 27. The rock and mortar dam was built in 1901 for aesthetic purposes and later retrofitted to provide water to ponds on the Duke Estate. The DEP and El Paso are working on a future plan to ensure the river continues to feed water to these ponds after the dam is removed. Removal is anticipated in 2013.
Fish that will benefit from the removal of the dams are American shad, American eel, herring, and striped bass, which once migrated in prodigious numbers through the gravelly shallows of the Upper Raritan.
The voluntary settlement with El Paso resolved Natural Resource Damage claims made by the DEP against the Houston-based company that stemmed from contamination at EPEC Polymers Inc. in Flemington, Hunterdon County; Nuodex Inc. in Woodbridge, Middlesex County; EPEC Polymers Inc. in Burlington City, Burlington County; and the Eagle Point Refinery in West Deptford, Gloucester County. Investigations and/or cleanups are under way at those sites.
The DEP uses funds secured from Natural Resource Damage settlements toward ecological restoration projects, typically in the same watershed or general area where resource damages occur.
For a copy of the settlement agreement, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/docs/elpaso-nrd-settlement.pdf
For more information on the DEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/nrr/
source: NJ DEP
The dam removal project is being done and financed by El Paso Corp. (now Kinder Morgan, Inc.), under the terms of a landmark agreement secured last year by the DEP as compensation to the public for harm to natural resources caused by past pollution facilities operated by or affiliated with El Paso.
This second Raritan River dam to be removed is known as the Roberts Street Dam and was previously known as the Dead River Dam. It straddles Bridgewater and Hillsborough townships. Its removal will open up a large segment of the Raritan River for fish spawning.
The elimination of the Roberts Street Dam will further increase water flow and habitat improvements realized from removal of the Calco Dam in Bridgewater last summer, which was the first phase of this three-step process.
The removal of all three targeted dams will open up 10 miles of migratory fish habitat along a stretch of the Raritan that twists through a highly diverse residential, commercial and agricultural portion of Somerset County that includes Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Bound Brook, Somerville and Manville.
It also will open up about 17 miles of tributaries, including portions of the Millstone River, to spawning. None of the dams were built for flood control.
The targeted dams include:
The Robert Street Dam, a 6 ½-foot-high sheet piling and concrete dam located at river mile 27.9. It was constructed prior to 1930 for purposes that are not known today. This dam failed and was reconstructed in 1963.
Calco Dam, located at river mile 20.9 and built by the Calco Chemical Co. in 1938 to disperse chemicals from its facility. The dam was essentially a large concrete pipe spanning the river that most recently carried and dispersed wastewater into the river for the Somerset Raritan Valley Sewerage Authority. The authority constructed a new outfall for that purpose. Calco Dam was demolished in 2011.
The Nevius Street Dam, located at river mile 27. The rock and mortar dam was built in 1901 for aesthetic purposes and later retrofitted to provide water to ponds on the Duke Estate. The DEP and El Paso are working on a future plan to ensure the river continues to feed water to these ponds after the dam is removed. Removal is anticipated in 2013.
Fish that will benefit from the removal of the dams are American shad, American eel, herring, and striped bass, which once migrated in prodigious numbers through the gravelly shallows of the Upper Raritan.
The voluntary settlement with El Paso resolved Natural Resource Damage claims made by the DEP against the Houston-based company that stemmed from contamination at EPEC Polymers Inc. in Flemington, Hunterdon County; Nuodex Inc. in Woodbridge, Middlesex County; EPEC Polymers Inc. in Burlington City, Burlington County; and the Eagle Point Refinery in West Deptford, Gloucester County. Investigations and/or cleanups are under way at those sites.
The DEP uses funds secured from Natural Resource Damage settlements toward ecological restoration projects, typically in the same watershed or general area where resource damages occur.
For a copy of the settlement agreement, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/docs/elpaso-nrd-settlement.pdf
For more information on the DEP's Office of Natural Resource Restoration, visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/nrr/
source: NJ DEP
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