Western Native Trout Initiative

Western Native Trout Initiative Announces the Small Project Funding Recipients

Small Grant Recipients

The Western Native Trout Initiative, a venture of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a National Fish Habitat Partnership, is pleased to announce the recipients of the first round of the new “Small Project Funding Program”.

The purpose of this program is to provide a source of funding to organizations or groups that desire to become involved in the conservation – protection, restoration or enhancement – of western native trout at the local level. The small project funding program specifically supports collaborative approaches and partnerships involved in local efforts or community-based programs that provide for habitat, educational or public recreational angling programs that contribute to the Initiative’s efforts to conserve western native trout.

WNTI received 14 applications for small projects in 2011, and the WNTI Steering Committee selected the following projects at their recent summer meeting:

1. Rattlesnake Creek Community Stewardship Program - MT - $1485
2. “Every Cutthroat Counts” Upper Teton River Signage - ID - $775
3. Chicago Creek WCT Re-introduction Project – MT - $3000
4. Partnership for the Umpqua Rivers Outreach Project – OR - $2,000
5. Apache Trout in the Classroom Project – AZ - $3000
6. “Surviving Climate Change” RGCT Watershed Assessment - AZ - $3000

The WNTI is seeking additional funding to for projects in future years. The current round of projects was funded by a $15,000 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant. WNTI is currently seeking other funding through grant applications to the Orvis Company, Patagonia, and the Fish America Foundation.

WNTI National Fish Habitat Action Plan 2012 Request for Proposals

Each year, the Western Native Trout Initiative posts a project proposal request on its web page that is sent to cooperators across the West.

Submitted National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) proposals are added to the Fish and Wildlife’s Fisheries Operation Needs System (FONS) list, and then each FWS Regional office in the WNTI geographic area works with the states to determine the top 10 projects for their Region. These lists are completed by the end of November each year.

In December, the WNTI Steering Committee reviews the “top 10” lists and determines which projects will be prioritized for a NFHAP funding allocation for fish habitat conservation. Due to budget negotiations in the U.S. Congress, the amount of funding available to Fish Habitat Partnerships in 2012 is unknown. However, the WNTI is requesting project proposals be submitted as usual for 2012 funding.

Information on the program and the 2012 Request for Proposals has been posted on the WNTI web page.

Note: The deadline for WNTI NFHAP 2012 project proposals is September 15, 2012. For details, please download the WNTI 2012 Project Request form.

Other WNTI News

The TRCP Connection

In June and July, WNTI was featured on the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, as part of their “Conservation Leader” feature and the new Native Trout angling adventures video blog feature that they send out on a regular basis. Please go to TRCP.org and check out the videos. So far Rio Grande, Colorado River, Greenback and Westslope cutthroats have been featured. I believe Coastal Cutts are next on the video schedule.

WNTI at American Fisheries Society in September

WNTI will be participating in the National Fish Habitat Workshop on September 5th , 2011 in Seattle, as well as sponsoring a half-day all western partnerships meeting on September 9th. There are other fish habitat related meetings on September 6th – a Coastal Cutthroat workshop, and a fish habitat workshop in the afternoon of the 7th. If you can, please stop by these workshops and participate.