Alaska Reels In Funds For Habitat Protection Partnership Projects

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently announced $20.5 million in National Coastal Wetland grants to support 24 projects in 13 states to conserve and restore coastal wetlands and their fish and wildlife habitat.

Two State of Alaska projects, the Upper Knik Arm Coastal Wetlands Conservation Project and the Goose Bay Estuary Conservation Project, received funding under the Secretary’s 2012 grant award announcement.

from: http://us.vocuspr.com/Newsroom/Query.aspx?SiteName=fws&Entity=PRAsset&SF_PRAsset_PRAssetID_EQ=129287&XSL=PressRelease&Cache=True

Together, these projects will receive $1,060,000 in National Coastal Wetland Grant funding to help conserve approximately 3400 acres of privately-owned coastal habitat for the benefit of fish, wildlife and people. Once the land negotiations are completed, the conservation of these parcels will support the needs of the Goose Bay and Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuges by protecting important spawning and rearing habitat for Coho and King salmon; and conserving resting and foraging areas for many migratory bird species.

“National Coastal Wetlands Grants help to protect habitat for fish and wildlife while supporting community needs for clean water and accessible recreational opportunities”, said Geoffrey Haskett, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Regional Director. “They allow us to work with our state partners, willing private land owners, and the Great Land Trust to achieve voluntary cooperative conservation projects of mutual interest,” Haskett added.

The Secretary’s announcement follows on the heels of a recently completed habitat protection partnership in Alaska between the Great Land Trust, Eklutna Inc., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Alaska departments of Natural Resources and Fish and Game, and other federal agencies. The Knik Islands Conservation Project resulted in the protection of nearly 4800 acres at the mouth of the Knik and Matanuska Rivers. Under the terms of the deal, Eklutna Inc. received $1.95 million for agreeing to place a permanent conservation easement on its lands. The conserved lands will remain under the ownership of Eklutna Inc., and traditional uses such as hunting and fishing by shareholders, and public access through permits, will continue.

“This project is a wonderful example of government working in partnership with the private sector for the benefit of wildlife habitat and society as a whole”, said Haskett. “The property offers fantastic recreation opportunities; and it contains excellent habitat for all five species of salmon in Cook Inlet as well as many other wildlife species.

Curtis McQueen, CEO of Eklutna Inc, praised the project stating that, “Eklutna Inc. has been working hard over the last several years to make more of its lands available for development so the growing community of Anchorage could continue to prosper. We have master planned strategic sections of our lands to meet the need for more residential, commercial and industrial development. At the same time, we are honored to work with the Great Land Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to protect key habitat for our shareholders and the community. We anticipate doing more transactions of this kind in the future”.

Phil Shephard, director of Great Land Trust, applauded the deal, saying, “Working together with the staff and board at Eklutna Inc., the Fish and Wildlife Service, and others to permanently conserve 4800 acres for the citizens of southcentral Alaska has been enriching and incredibly rewarding—we look forward to the next project very soon!”

The Knik Islands Conservation Project was made possible through a collaborative effort with the Mat-Su Basin Salmon Habitat Partnership, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA Fisheries, AK Dept of Fish and Game, and CIRI; using funds set aside to offset habitat losses associated with the expansion of the Port of Anchorage. The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with State Natural Resource and Fish and Game agencies. Funding for these grant projects is provided by Sport Fish Restoration Act revenue – money generated from an excise tax on fishing equipment and motorboat and small engine fuels. A photo is available to the media by contacting Bruce Woods at the number above.

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. Connect with our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/usfws, follow our tweets at www.twitter.com/usfwshq, watch our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/usfws and download photos from our Flickr page at http://www.flickr.com/photos/usfwshq.

National Fish Habitat Board Meeting Announcement (October 19 & 20)

The October 2011 meeting of the National Fish Habitat Board will take place in Albuquerque, New Mexico all day October 19 and half day on October 20th at the Regional Office of the Fish and Wildlife Service (5th floor /500 Gold Avenue SW in downtown Albuquerque). There will be field trip on the afternoon of October 20th to a Rio Grande slivery minnow sanctuary near Albuquerque.

October 19-20 Board Meeting Draft Agenda

October Board Meeting Board Book (PDF) (Updated October 13, 2011)

NFHAP Board Meeting Announcement March 3 & 4

There will be a meeting of the National Fish Habitat Board on Wednesday, March 3 - Thursday, March 4, 2010 at the Headquarters of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. in Memphis, TN. The Board meeting will convene at 1:00 pm on Wednesday and wrap-up at 4:00 pm on Thursday. Please RSVP to rsvp@fishhabitat.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending the NFHAP Board Meeting. A complete agenda will be available soon.


NFHAP Board Meeting Preliminary Agenda*

March 3

1:00 – 1:15 Welcome, introductions, minutes

1:15 – 1:45 NFHCA update

1:45 – 2:30 Science and Data Committee
Update on assessment and data system
Board sponsorship of AFS NFHAP Symposium

2:30 – 3:00 2010 Report on Status of Fish Habitats

3:00 – 3:15 Break

3:15 – 4:00 Communications Committee update, including JRNCC presentation

4:00 – 4:30 10 Waters to Watch

4:30 - 5:30 Closed session – National Fish Habitat Award winner selection


March 4

8:30 – 9:00 Project proposals for 2010 FWS

9:00 – 9:30 Fishers and Farmers FHP application

9:30 – 10:00 CA FPF application

10:00 – 10:15 Revised guidance for FHPs

10:15 – 10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:30 Panel Discussion on Cooperation among FHPs

East - TBD

Midwest - Maureen Gallagher

West - Robin Knox

Alaska - John DeLapp

11:30 – 12:30 Lunch

12:30 – 1:30 NFHAP implementation beyond 2010

1:30 – 3:00 Federal landscape planning efforts

Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (Dept of the Interior)

Climate Change Centers (Dept of the Interior)

Marine Spatial Planning (NOAA)

3:00 – 3:15 Break

3:15 – 3:45 White paper on Assessment and Decision Support System

3:45 – 4:00 Wrap-up and next meeting


* Subject to change

National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (H.R. 2565) Gains Three Co-sponsors in February

The National Fish Habitat Conservation Act (H.R. 2565) has gained three more House co-sponsors in February, bringing the number of co-sponsors who have signed on to the bill in 2010 alone to seve. Representative Bob Wittman (R-VA) signed on in support of H.R. 2565 on February 3, 2010 and Representatives Dan Boren (D-OK) and Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), signed on in support of the bill on February 4, 2010.

The total number of co-sponsors signed on to the legislation now stands at 14. With the addition of Representative Wittman, the bill now has four republicans signed on in support. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was the first Republican to co-sponsor the bill on December 2, 2009. H.R. 2565 was originally introduced by Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) in May 2009. Below is a listing of the current co-sponsors of H.R. 2565.

Rep Dan Boren (D-OK) - 2/4/2010
Rep Christopher Carney (D-PA) - 12/8/2009
Rep Bill Cassidy (R-LA) - 12/2/2009
Rep Donna Christensen (D-VI) - 9/10/2009
Rep Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) - 2/4/2010
Rep Norm Dicks (D-WA)- 10/7/2009
Rep Jim Gerlach (R-PA) - 1/12/2010
Rep John Murtha (D-PA) - 9/10/2009
Rep Todd Platts (R-PA) - 1/20/2010
Rep David Price (D-NC) - 10/7/2009
Rep Mike Ross (D-AR) - 1/20/2010
Rep Joe Sestak (D-PA) - 1/15/2010
Rep Mike Thompson (D-CA) - 7/23/2009
Rep Bob Wittman (R-VA) - 2/3/2010


Support for the Senate bill (S.1214) stands at 12 co-sponsors. S. 1214 was originally introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) in June, 2009. Below is a listing of co-sponsors and when they signed on in support of the legislation:

Sen. Begich, Mark (D-AK) - 7/16/2009
Sen. Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) - 9/8/09
Sen. Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. (D-PA) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Crapo, Mike (R-ID) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Klobuchar, Amy (D-MN) - 6/23/2009
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) - 6/15/2009
Sen. Sanders, Bernard (ID-VT) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) - 6/9/2009
Sen. Udall, Mark (D-CO) - 6/10/2009
Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon (D-RI) - 6/9/2009

To Make a difference in your community view the legislative toolkit on fishhabitat.org