The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation has announced $3.9 million in grants for conservation partnerships, including several projects to improve instream flows in an anadromous salmonid stream in California, and three in Washington state.
The projects, which were announced on Sept. 21, are expected to benefit stream reaches where insufficient flows are identified by a state or federal agency as a key limiting factor for fish survival.
A project to restore streamflow for coho and steelhead in California’s Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District would provide technical assistance and engineering to landowners along salmonid-bearing streams to improve instream flows, promote groundwater recharge and enhance instream habitat, with special emphasis on watershed devastated by recent catastrophic wildfires.
The $300,000 project is funded with a $150,000 grant, plus $150,000 in matching funds.
A $78,281 grant to Washington’s Cascadia Conservation District, plus $80,000 in matching funds, is aimed at increasing adoption of water conservation practices for anadromous salmon in Chelan County.
The project would improve implementation of best management practice plans with private landowners on 50 acres to conserve 25 million gallons of water annually.
NFWF is also partnering with the Okanogan Conservation District to restore instream flow in the Methow and Okanogan River basins, in a $245,656 project that includes a $115,656 grant and $130,000 in matching funds.
The project would improve irrigation management to reduce water usage and improve instream flow condition, conserving more than 6.6 million gallons of water a year.
Additionally, NFWF has an agreement in place with the Chelan County (Washington) Natural Resource Department to improve instream flow in the Wenatchee River watershed for federally listed salmon, steelhead and bull trout by providing on-farm technical assistance to conserve nearly 100 million gallons of water annually.
The $325,000 project includes a $100,000 grant and $225,000 in matching funds.