Habitat for forest birds, brook trout, eastern hellbender and freshwater mussels to be restored with $1.7 million in new grants
RGS & AWS note: Below is a news release from NFWF about the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 5, 2022) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced more than $1.7 million in grants to restore forest and freshwater habitat in central Appalachia, including projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The grants will generate more than $1.9 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of more than $3.6 million.
The grants were awarded through NFWF’s Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program, a partnership with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, Shell Oil Company, and in western Pennsylvania, the Richard King Mellon Foundation.
“By focusing our grant-making on a landscape scale, we are able to support a variety of efforts that will work together to ensure a better future for the native species of the Central Appalachian region,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “The 10 grants announced today will continue to advance the reconnection and expansion of native eastern brook trout populations, as well as increase the capacity for monitoring populations of focal bird species such as the cerulean warbler. In addition, this year’s funding will enable the development of a statewide conservation plan for freshwater mussels in Pennsylvania.”
“We have been collaborating with NFWF to restore habitats in Western Pennsylvania for eight years,” said Sam Reiman, director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation. “NFWF’s approach exemplifies high-quality habitat restoration based on sound science, and we expect to do even more such work, and to expand those efforts to new areas, under our new 10-year strategic plan.”
Central Appalachia boasts some of the most biologically diverse, temperate deciduous forests in the United States. The projects announced today will enable more than 40 different landowners to improve management on more than 1,100 acres of public and private forests, and monitor bird populations on 18,000 acres of forests. This work will benefit declining populations of forest birds, including the golden-winged warbler, wood thrush and cerulean warbler.
“NRCS and NFWF have a shared interest in restoring the habitats of native species in the Central Appalachia through conservation investments,” said Terrell Erickson, Northeast regional conservationist for NRCS. “Through innovative partnership projects, we are able to provide farmers and landowners with the necessary tools to enhance habitat for these critical fish and wildlife species.”
“The forests of the Central Appalachia provide countless benefits to the public and to the wildlife that rely on them,” said Bob Lueckel, Forest Service Deputy Regional Forester. “We are proud to be a part of this collaborative effort to sustain healthy forests and habitats across land ownerships.”
The rivers and streams of the Appalachian region also are globally important habitat for unique and diverse wildlife populations. Projects funded today will remove four barriers to fish passage, open up more than 56 miles of upstream habitat to fish, plant more than 14,800 native trees, restore 4 miles of streamside forest, and release 1,000 captive-bred mussels into streams.
“These projects will benefit a wide array of wildlife and the habitat they rely on, including climate-vulnerable species such as brook trout, freshwater mussels, and salamanders like the hellbender,” said Wendi Weber, North Atlantic-Appalachian regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We’re proud to support the foresters, farmers, students, community organizations and others who will help conserve wildlife and wild places and improve the health and resilience of the region’s forests and waters in a changing climate.”
The Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program was established in 2017 and invests in science-based, on-the-ground restoration and planning to restore the quality of forest and freshwater habitats in the central Appalachian region, including portions of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. To date, the program has awarded 47 grants totaling more than $6.7 million and leveraged $8.9 million in matching funds.
A complete list of the 2021 grants made through the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program is available here.
To learn more about the Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program, please follow this link to view a short video.
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RGS & AWS Contact:
Nick Biemiller, nickb@ruffedgrousesociety.org
