2023 Coldwater Stewardship Small Grants Program
The EBTJV, one of 20 members of the National Fish Habitat Partnership, is proud to announce the 2023 Coldwater Stewardship Small Grants Program, to support outreach and training related to wild brook trout conservation.
This is a one-time opportunity made possible by a grant through NFHAP and the USFWS to the Canaan Valley Institute. Whether we offer this again in the future will depend upon the level of interest from applicants, the program success, and also our ability to get external sponsorship.
The purpose of this program is to support organizations in efforts to promote, educate about, or provide training on coldwater conservation concepts and approaches that benefit wild brook trout in the Eastern range. These awards allow awardees to access funds for non-construction projects on a much shorter timeline and also allowed the EBTJV to fund training for on-the ground work, and to help new partnerships bring coldwater conservation messaging to landowners and the public. Projects align with one of EBTJV’s six Conservation Actions and increase the collective awareness of or capability to achieve brook trout conservation goals. See the full RFP for guidance, requirements, and instructions.
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Project summaries |
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Thermal imagery training Maine Department of Game and Inland Fisheries $6,758 This project seeks to bring collaborators from the United Kingdom and France to Maine to train natural resource biologists, managers, and restoration practitioners for a two-day training workshop on the use of aerial thermal infrared (TIR) imagery in mapping spatial extents within rivers and tributaries. Data generated will help resource agencies and restoration practitioners by informing where to deploy temperature loggers, prioritize restoration actions that enhance or ensure connectivity to essential cold-water fish habitat, evaluate restoration actions (such as addition of large wood), and set measures that confer long-term protection to cold-water refuges. |
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Training road professionals on connectivity Maine Audubon $8,578 This project seeks to increase the awareness and understanding of Stream Smart (Stream Simulation design) road-stream crossing principles in the population of road professionals and their supporting collaborators in Aroostook County, Maine. By introducing Stream Smart principles to a wide audience including practitioners, local officials, and the general public we can increase the likelihood of implementation of these principles, and the reconnection of fragmented aquatic habitats for brook trout and other local species. Specifically, we anticipate approximately 10-15 people will attend each of 2 Stream Smart Introductory workshops and go on to share their knowledge with associates. |
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Engaging Land Stewards in Fisheries Habitat Restoration Massachusetts Woodlands Institute $11,850 This project is a multi-step outreach program to engage western Massachusetts landowners in land management activities to enhance stream resources in the southern Deerfield River Watershed headwaters. This project, dubbed “Forests for the Fish”, uses aquatic, forestry, and riparian science to provide guidance on restoration and adaptation techniques to buffer the effects of increased precipitation and air temperatures on cold water streams, their floodplains, and surrounding forest stands. |
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Southern Appalachian Brook Trout of the Chattooga River Watershed: On the Edge of Change Chatooga Conservancy (SC) $6,570 This project will educate and inform watershed citizens of the threats facing the Southern Appalachian brook trout in the Chattooga Watershed. Additionally, opportunities and assistance will be made available to private landowners for riparian restoration in the watershed, which is the southern limit of the natural range of brook trout. Targeted outreach will include mailouts, community programming, personalized outreach, and curricula for schools in the watershed. |
EBTJV's Conservation Actions
- Increase recreational fishing opportunities for wild Brook Trout
- Conserve and expand habitats that support robust wild Brook Trout populations
- Restore and reconnect suitable habitats adjacent to robust wild Brook Trout populations
- Conserve genetic diversity of wild Brook Trout populations
- Conserve unique wild Brook Trout life history strategies
(e.g., lacustrine populations, large river populations, and coastal populations)
- Minimize threats to wild Brook Trout populations
(e.g., degraded water quality, non-native species, altered hydrologic regimes)
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