New England Forests and Rivers Fund

Since its creation in 2015, the New England Forests and Rivers Fund has awarded 48 grants that will restore early successional and mature forest habitat, modify and replace barriers to fish movement, restore riparian and instream habitat, and engage hundreds of volunteers in forest habitat restoration and stream connectivity projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. These projects are expected to: 

• ​Open 931 miles of streams for eastern brook trout and river herring through barrier modification or replacement;
• Improve 3,698 acres of young and mature forest habitat for black-throated blue warbler, wood thrush, New England cottontail and American woodcock; and
• Recruit at least 1,333 volunteers to engage in on-the-ground conservation.

The program has awarded more than $5.3 million in grant funding to date. Grantees, in turn, are leveraging an additional $9.1 million in matching contributions, for a total conservation impact of more than $14.4 million.