Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative partners receive prestigious Secretary of the Interior honor plus 2 more |
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- Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative partners receive prestigious Secretary of the Interior honor
- Salmon Conservation Efforts Honored
- USGS Researcher Honored for Helping Managers Save Desert Fish from Extinction
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Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative partners receive prestigious Secretary of the Interior honor Posted: 16 Jan 2014 03:05 PM PST ANN ARBOR, Mich—The Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative received a 2013 Department of the Interior (DOI) Partners in Conservation award today, which is one of the highest recognitions bestowed on organizations by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. “The Department of the Interior is proud to recognize the accomplishments of those who are innovating and collaborating in ways that address today’s complex conservation and stewardship challenges,” Secretary Jewell said at an awards ceremony at the Interior headquarters in Washington today. “These partnerships represent the gold standard for how Interior is doing business across the nation to power our future, strengthen tribal nations, conserve and enhance America’s great outdoors and engage the next generation.” Representatives from the Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative, including the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center, Michigan Sea Grant (University of Michigan and Michigan State University), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Great Lakes Fishery Commission attended the 2013 Partners in Conservation Awards Recognition Event on January 16, at Main Interior in Washington, D.C. A local presentation of award certificates is also planned for February 5, during the Annual Meeting of the Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative, at Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor. The initiative was honored for its relevant new science that will assist resource managers in making decisions concerning the restoration of native aquatic species and their habitats in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers. "The Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative partners have been committed to collaborative restoration activities and research since the early 2000s," said Leon Carl, USGS Midwest Regional Director and a founding member of the partnership. "Ten years later, we're recording the fruits of that commitment through ongoing fish spawning habitat restoration efforts and the development of a strategic restoration plan to carry us into the next ten years and beyond." The Partners in Conservation Awards recognize outstanding examples of conservation legacies achieved when DOI engages groups and individuals representing a wide range of backgrounds, ages and interests to work collaboratively to renew lands and resources. The achievements of the Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative have been realized through the outstanding participation of diverse organizations on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border. The St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River, also known as the Huron-Erie corridor, are the international waters that connect Lake Huron to Lake Erie and provide habitat for over 65 species of fish. The region, which includes the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge and the Detroit International Wildlife Refuge, is part of the central Great Lakes flyway for millions of migratory waterfowl. It contains some of the largest and most diverse wetlands remaining in the region. “I am indeed so proud of all these public and private partners who are working together on sound science in support of restoring this ecological corridor,” said Congressman John D. Dingell. “This critically important work is not only supporting the restoration of fish and wildlife populations, and their requisite habitats, but it is helping bring conservation into a major urban area where nearly seven million people live in the watershed and thereby helping develop the next generation of conservationists.” Environmental changes in the corridor over time have resulted in the loss of habitat for fish and other organisms. The partners developed a plan to increase habitat for lake whitefish, lake sturgeon, walleye and other native fish populations, based on research suggesting that water flow, depth and temperature are important in the placement of spawning reefs. Pre- and post-construction monitoring demonstrated an immediate response by over 14 native fish species, including spawning by the commercially important lake whitefish, which was a first in over a century; use by the globally rare northern madtom; and spawning by lake sturgeon, which is listed as a threatened species in both Michigan and Ontario. Seven additional fish spawning habitat projects are planned for construction in the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers by 2015. With funding support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, over 20 acres of fish spawning habitat will be restored in these urban rivers by 2015. The Huron-Erie Corridor Initiative is an international, collaborative partnership including federal, tribal, state, provincial, local governmental and non-governmental participants. Links:
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Salmon Conservation Efforts Honored Posted: 16 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST SEATTLE — Today the U.S. Department of Interior recognized the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) for its conservation achievements focused on federally listed salmon species. The partnership was selected for a "Partnership in Conservation" award because it improves the scientific foundation for natural and cultural resource management and advances government-to-government relationships with Indian nations. "The Department of the Interior is proud to recognize the accomplishments of those who are innovating and collaborating in ways that address today's complex conservation and stewardship challenges," Secretary Jewell said at an awards ceremony at the Interior headquarters in Washington today. "These partnerships represent the gold standard for how Interior is doing business across the nation to power our future, strengthen tribal nations, conserve and enhance America’s great outdoors and engage the next generation." For the past eight years, the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership has promoted the recovery of Endangered Species Act listed salmon populations that represent a significant cultural resource for four Treaty Indian tribes and numerous non-Treaty tribes, as well as state commercial and sport fisheries. The partnership helps ensure program accountability and avoid duplication of efforts, which can pose problems for resource management. The partnership also plays an important role in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of water and biological monitoring and in management and exchange of data. The "Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership demonstrates that the whole truly can be more than the sum of its parts," said Max Ethridge, U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Director for the Northwest, "with partners working together in a time of scarce resources, the winner is conservation." The Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership is a voluntary partnership of state, tribal and federal entities, supported by a small team of four USGS employees. Working to coordinate efforts of partners and other entities, the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership strives to improve efficiency and effectiveness of aquatic monitoring programs in the Pacific Northwest. Ultimately, these efforts contribute to the restoration of salmon populations and protection of aquatic habitats throughout the region. "Salmon recovery is a shared goal," said Jennifer Bayer, USGS Biologist who oversees the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership's staff, "by focusing on common needs and sustaining collaboration among many entities, the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership enhances partners' contributions to salmon conservation, ultimately working towards more effective monitoring and data collection efforts." The Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership has created free, web accessible tools that help users discover and share data, document methods, and design and manage monitoring programs. The team also organizes workshops, standing workgroups and technical forums to share best practices for documentation, data sharing and data management related to salmon conservation. The Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership has a unique geographic, technical and policy scope. The Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership supports partners across Washington, Oregon, Idaho and northern California; engages technical experts in water quality, water supply, energy resources, endangered species recovery, invasive species, ecological modeling and data management; and reports annually to federal, state and tribal executive leadership. The Partners in Conservation Awards recognize outstanding examples of conservation legacies achieved when the Department of the Interior engages groups and individuals representing a wide range of backgrounds, ages and interests to work collaboratively to renew lands and resources. At the annual awards ceremony, the Department of the Interior celebrated conservation achievements that highlight cooperation among diverse federal, state, local and tribal governments; public and private entities; non-profit organizations; and individuals.
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USGS Researcher Honored for Helping Managers Save Desert Fish from Extinction Posted: 16 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST RENO, Nev. — Today, the Department of Interior honored U.S. Geological Survey biologist Gary Scoppettone and his colleagues for helping land managers save two species of fish from extinction. The species of unique desert fish, Cui-ui and Lahontan cutthroat trout, are considered sacred to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada. USGS biologists are being awarded a 2013 Partners in Conservation Award for their work to recover the full assemblage of fish native to the Truckee watershed in California and Nevada. Since 1981 USGS scientists under the lead of Gary Scoppettone have worked to provide the science that has allowed the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recover the endangered and tribally sacred desert fish. "The Department of the Interior is proud to recognize the accomplishments of those who are innovating and collaborating in ways that address today's complex conservation and stewardship challenges," Secretary Jewell said at an awards ceremony at the Interior headquarters in Washington today. "These partnerships represent the gold standard for how Interior is doing business across the nation to power our future, strengthen tribal nations, conserve and enhance America’s great outdoors and engage the next generation." For many generations the giant sucker known as Cui-ui and Lahontan cutthroat trout, Nevada's state fish, thrived in the Truckee watershed of California and Nevada, providing an important food source for local tribes of Paiute Indians. Lahontan cutthroat trout were possibly the largest trout in North America, reaching over 40 pounds. Mark Twain wrote of their delicious flesh and they were prized as sport trophies by celebrities like Clark Gable. The arrival of settlers in the late 1800s set in motion a cascade of events detrimental to the fish: mining, logging, ranching, dam construction, water diversion for agriculture, pollution from chemicals and sawdust, overfishing and the introduction of non-native Lake Trout. By the 1940s Lahontan cutthroat trout in Pyramid Lake and Lake Tahoe were gone. Cui-ui were listed as federally endangered in 1967, but, with no access to their spawning grounds, only continued to decline as adults aged and died with no opportunity to reproduce. USGS science was critical to uncovering restricted access to spawning habitat as the primary cause of Cui-ui decline. Now water is released from dams higher in the watershed to accommodate spawning, and a fish elevator at Marble Bluff dam, a Bureau of Reclamation fish mitigation facility, allows Cui-ui access to the Truckee River. Independence Lake harbors one of the last two self-sustaining lake populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout in the Truckee River Watershed that have not gone extinct. Since recovery efforts began in 1997 the average annual survival of Lahontan cutthroat trout in Independence Lake has almost tripled. During that time USGS has worked with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Truckee River Watershed Council, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service and other partners to restore the engendered fish. Today many stakeholders value the Truckee River Watershed for different, yet compatible, reasons, including as habitat for threatened, endangered and sacred species; as a source of clean drinking water for Reno, Sparks, and nearby communities; and as a beloved site for fishing, hiking and camping. The Partners in Conservation Awards recognize outstanding examples of conservation legacies achieved when the Department of the Interior engages groups and individuals representing a wide range of backgrounds, ages and interests to work collaboratively to renew lands and resources. At the annual awards ceremony, the Department of the Interior celebrated conservation achievements that highlight cooperation among diverse federal, state, local and tribal governments; public and private entities; non-profit organizations; and individuals. More information:
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