From WNTI:
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) and its partners are once again offering opportunities for community organizations to tap into dollars to restore or recover western native trout in the rivers, lakes and watersheds where they remain. The 2016 Small Grants Program Request for Proposals will be accepting applications until June 17, 2016.
The program specifically funds innovative projects that “jump start” or complete smaller, high-impact efforts. Projects considered for funding under the Small Grants Program may include riparian or instream habitat restoration, barrier removal or construction, population or watershed assessments needed for prioritization and planning, water leases or acquisitions to improve in-stream flows, and native trout-focused community outreach and education. Individual projects can be funded at a maximum of $3,000.
“I know a $3,000 grant award may sound small, “ said Therese Thompson, WNTI Project Coordinator, “but over four previous years of funding, this grant program has consistently brought in some of the most innovative community-based project proposals that are making a difference for native trout conservation across the western U.S.”
The 2016 Small Grants Program is supported by generous donations from project partners at Bass Pro Shops, Orvis, and Blue Valley Ranch. The full RFP can be found here.
WNTI is an initiative of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a recognized National Fish Habitat Partnership that seeks to cooperatively restore and recover 21 western native trout and char species and sub-species across their historic range. The program funds efforts that raise awareness of the importance of native trout and focus limited financial and human resources toward the highest-impact, locally-led, on-the-ground projects. Since its inception in 2006, WNTI has directed over $4 million in federal fish habitat funds leveraged with an additional $15 million public and private matching dollars for 116 priority native trout conservation projects. With the collaboration and coordination of WNTI Partners, 56 barriers to fish passage have been removed, 494 miles of native trout habitat have been reconnected or improved, and 28 protective fish barriers to conserve important native trout conservation populations have been put in place.
For more information about the Small Grants Program, visit www.westernnativetrout.org
WAFWA news releases available at http://www.wafwa.org/news/
Since 1922, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA) has advanced conservation in western North America. Representing 23 western states and Canadian provinces, WAFWA’s reach encompasses more than 40 percent of North America, including two-thirds of the United States. Drawing on the knowledge of scientists across the West, WAFWA is recognized as the expert source for information and analysis about western wildlife. WAFWA supports sound resource management and building partnerships at all levels to conserve native wildlife for the use and benefit of all citizens, now and in the future.
