{"id":217891,"date":"2009-11-23T08:20:13","date_gmt":"2009-11-23T13:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recovery.doi.gov\/press\/?p=5092"},"modified":"2009-11-23T08:20:13","modified_gmt":"2009-11-23T13:20:13","slug":"us-fish-and-wildlife-service-works-with-partners-to-restore-habitat-using-recovery-act-funds-1-5-million-and-new-jobs-to-improve-habitat-for-migratory-birds-and-salmon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/217891","title":{"rendered":"US Fish and Wildlife Service Works with Partners to Restore Habitat Using Recovery Act Funds: $1.5 Million and New Jobs to Improve Habitat for Migratory Birds and Salmon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contact:<\/strong> Amy Gaskill, APR
\nPhone:<\/strong> (503) 231-6121
\nFFS #R1EA\/R1EB<\/em><\/p>\n

PACIFIC REGION –<\/strong> The Pacific Region’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program will receive $990,000 in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to restore and enhance 3,400 acres of wetland, riparian and forest habitat for migratory birds, marbled murrelets, chum salmon and other sensitive wildlife species, Robyn Thorson, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Region, announced today. These projects are expected to create nearly 30 jobs for several months. In addition to the ARRA funding, nearly $530,000 in private funding will be applied to the restoration effort.The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program has allowed the Fish and Wildlife Service to establish productive relationships with communities, conservation partners, tribes and more than 30,000 landowners while providing both financial and technical assistance. Since its creation in 1987, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program has established more than 28,000 agreements with landowners resulting in the restoration of over 1.06 million acres of uplands, 649,300 acres of wetlands and 4,670 miles of riparian and in-stream habitat. To date, the Pacific Region’s Partners Program has worked with more than 2,000 partners to restore over 200,000 acres of upland and wetland habitats and 2,000 miles of riparian and instream habitat and to remove more than 250 fish passage barriers.<\/p>\n

Recognizing that more than 60 percent of our nation’s land is in private ownership, the health of many populations depends on habitat found on private lands. State resources agencies work closely with the Fish and Wildlife Service to help establish priorities and identify focus areas. With just a little encouragement or assistance from the Fish and Wildlife Service, our partners have undertaken thousands of restoration projects.<\/p>\n

ARRA will help fund the following Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program projects during the next 18 months:<\/p>\n

Crystal Creek Ranch Stream and Wetland Restoration Project, Idaho<\/strong> – $430,000 (ARRA), $529,832 (Private Funds) = total $959,832<\/p>\n

This project will restore 150 acres of wetland habitat and enhance an additional 596 acres of wetland, 793 acres of upland and 161 acres of riparian habitats over the 1,700-acre project area on the Crystal Creek and Spring Creek Ranches in Blaine County, Idaho. The project will be cost-shared with the owners of the two ranches, and a conservation easement and management plan will be established on over 1,300 acres to permanently protect the area from development. Ducks Unlimited and the Idaho Department of Fish and Game are also cooperators on the project. The total cost of the project will be approximately $960,000, including nearly $530,000 of private funds. ARRA will directly fund the wetland restoration phase of this multi-phased project. Restoration activities include excavation of wetland basins and planting vegetation in 13 wetlands. Other enhancement activities include livestock grazing and irrigation management in the wetland areas, which vary in size from one to 14 acres.. Once completed, these restored wetlands will complement stream and riparian restoration work proposed for the area in the future. The project is expected to employ one heavy equipment construction contractor with a crew of five for six months, one re-vegetation contractor with a crew of six for one year, and four environmental contractors, including two biologists and two engineers, for one year. The project will also provide economic benefits to multiple secondary businesses that will provide supplies and materials such as water control structures, pipe, fuel, rock and other materials.<\/p>\n

The goal of this habitat restoration project is to restore and permanently protect habitat on the ranch to conserve migratory birds and a variety of sensitive wildlife species, including bald eagles, great blue herons, long-billed curlews, sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans. The ranch owners eventually plan to build an Interpretive Center where the public can learn about the history of early settlement and ranching in the Wood River Valley, the restoration of habitat and conservation of fish and wildlife on the ranches, and how a working cattle ranch and wildlife conservation can coexist. The ranch owners would provide the funds necessary to construct the interpretive center separate from the ARRA.<\/p>\n

South Willapa Bay Forest Restoration in Washington<\/strong> — $560,000 (ARRA)<\/p>\n

This project will receive $560,000 to restore marbled murrelet and chum salmon habitat in the Ellsworth Creek Preserve near Willapa Bay in southwest Washington. Elsworth Creek is the largest chum salmon stronghold in the Willapa Bay. These funds will be used to hire regional crews to thin 1,700 acres of an overstocked young forest as part of an innovative, landscape-scale forest restoration program. Thinning these forest stands will accelerate the development of habitat for the marbled murrelet, a species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and other older forest-dependent species. This project is also expected to improve the health of the forest by making it less susceptible to disease, and to also enhance hiking and hunting experiences by making the trails more accessible. Dense second-growth forests that are thinned to facilitate mature old-growth conditions will not require associated infrastructure work, thereby eliminating the movement of dirt that would diminish water quality in the creek where chum salmon thrive. The project is expected to be completed by summer 2012. There is no cost-share requirement for this project, however, The Nature Conservancy is providing substantial on-the-ground work in the associated Ellsworth Preserve that benefits both marbled murrelet and chum salmon.<\/p>\n

Under ARRA, the Department of the Interior received $3 billion, providing $280 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that includes $115 million for construction, repair and energy efficiency retrofit projects at Service facilities and $165 million for habitat restoration, deferred maintenance and capital improvement projects. The Service will benefit from an additional $10 million, administered by the Department of Transportation and not included in the Service’s $280 million appropriation, which will be used to rebuild and improve roads on several national wildlife refuges. Projects will immediately create local jobs in the communities where they are located, while stimulating long-term employment and economic opportunities for the American public.<\/p>\n

“We are making a bold investment in 21st century jobs and 21st century technologies on our public lands to meet our energy needs, rebuild our economy, and protect our environment for future generations,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.<\/p>\n

The Department of the Interior’s investments under ARRA will help conserve America’s timeless treasures – our stunning natural landscapes, our monuments to liberty, the icons of our culture and heritage – while helping middle class families and their communities prosper again. Interior is also focusing on renewable energy projects, employing youth and promoting community service.<\/p>\n

For a full list of funded projects nationwide, go to the Department’s Recovery Web Site at http:\/\/recovery.doi.gov\/<\/a>. For a list of Service projects, click on the Service’s logo at the bottom of the page. Secretary Salazar has pledged unprecedented levels of transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Department of the Interior’s economic recovery projects. The public will be able to follow the progress of each project on the recovery web site, which will include an interactive map that enables the public to track where and how the Department’s recovery dollars are being spent. In addition, the public can submit questions, comments or concerns at recoveryact@fws.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Secretary Salazar also has appointed a Senior Advisor for Economic Recovery, Chris Henderson, and an Interior Economic Recovery Task Force. Henderson and the Task Force will work closely with the Department of the Interior’s Inspector General to ensure the Recovery Program is meeting the high standards for accountability, responsibility and transparency that President Obama has set.<\/p>\n

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contact: Amy Gaskill, APR Phone: (503) 231-6121 FFS #R1EA\/R1EB PACIFIC REGION – The Pacific Region’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program will receive $990,000 in funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to restore and enhance 3,400 acres of wetland, riparian and forest habitat for migratory birds, marbled murrelets, chum salmon and other […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4052,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-217891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4052"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217891\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}