Western Native Trout Initiative

Since 2006, the Western Native Trout Initiative has directed over $7 million toward the protection and recovery of 21 western native trout species. By supporting community-driven initiatives and local partnerships, we’ve helped to complete over 581 watershed and native trout population assessments and more than 78 on-the-ground projects that restored or enhanced over 328 acres of coldwater lakes and 430 stream miles of rivers and streams for native trout. Please take a moment to review our 2012 Annual Report, the list of priority projects, and our Spring WNTI Newsletter. To help us continue conserving, protecting and restoring western native trout and their watersheds, please consider making a financial contribution today.

WNTI is happy to request new proposals for the Small Grants Program that benefit the conservation of western native trout.

Please review the RFP attachment.

Note the deadline for proposals is July 5, 2013

The Teton Watershed provides vital habitat for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In 2008, the Western Native Trout Initiative awarded Friends of the Teton River an essential grant to jump-start their community-based, collaborative $2.5 million-dollar effort to recover native trout by stabilizing degraded habitat in Teton Creek, the largest of the Teton River headwaters tributaries. To date, the group has joined forces with Idaho Department of Fish and Game and landowners like the Floyd Hill and McKibben Families, and Trout Unlimited to restore this critical spawning habitat for Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout.

Read more about this project and browse other projects we’ve funded on our interactive map.

A special thank you to our partners, including Orvis, Simms, Patagonia, Trout Unlimited and others, for their commitment and dedication to helping organizations like Western Native Trout Initiative in our efforts to conserve, protect, and restore western native trout and their watersheds.

If your business or community group cares about native trout and would like to support our work, please consider becoming a partner today by making a financial contribution or helping us spread the word about the importance of western native trout.

The Western Native Trout Initiative and our partners - including twelve western states, five federal agencies, and grassroots conservation groups - have worked together to develop "A Plan for Strategic Action", establishing strategic goals, objectives and specific actions for conserving, protecting and restoring fifteen western native trout species and sub-species. Our approach includes increasing coordination between resource management agencies and local community groups; leveraging and focusing public and private resources on common priorities; raising awareness for the importance of western native trout; and increasing accountability by measuring the impact of our work over time.

Download and read the Plan for Strategic Action here.