USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and NFWF Announce $1.26 Million in Grants to Restore National Forests Impacted by Wildfire
SAN FRANCISCO (August 20, 2018) — The USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced nearly $1.26 million in grants to restore forests and watersheds impacted by wildfires within the Eldorado and Lassen National Forests in northern California.
The projects were awarded through the Northern California Forests and Watersheds grant program, a partnership between the Forest Service’s Eldorado and Lassen National Forests, and NFWF. Today’s announcement marks the program’s first round of annual grant awards. A complete list of the 2018 grants made through the Northern California Forests and Watersheds program is available here.
The 2004 Power Fire on the Eldorado National Forest burned 14,000 acres in the Mokelumne River watershed. The 2000 Storrie Fire on the Lassen National Forest burned 27,000 acres in the North Fork Feather River watershed and the Butte Creek watershed, along with 25,000 acres on the Plumas National Forest. Combined, these two fires burned more than 65,000 acres of national forest lands and left a significant impact on the landscapes, watersheds and ecosystems of the region.
“The partnership between NFWF and the Forest Service will help restore watersheds and ecosystems impacted by the Power and Storrie fires,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Our partnership with the Forest Service will lead to healthier, more resilient headwaters and improved habitats for fish, wildlife and neighboring communities.”
Several of the projects funded by these grants will support the restoration of ecologically important wet meadows in Eldorado and Lassen National Forests, directly benefiting iconic and rare wildlife such as Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, willow flycatcher, brook trout, and many species of fish and amphibians. All of the projects will contribute to increased awareness and understanding of wildfire’s impact on the two forests.
The Eldorado National Forest spans nearly 600,000 acres in the central Sierra Nevada of northern California. The forest is bordered by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and the Humboldt-Toiyabe, Stanislaus, and Tahoe National Forests.
“By collaborating with NFWF on this grant program, we are able to advance progress on projects that the Eldorado National Forest and our partners have been working on for several years, including Foster Meadows’ fish passage and meadow restoration,” said Eldorado Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree. “Additionally, we look forward to having new meadow restoration designs created for the Upper Onion Valley, Tyler, and High Onion meadow complex.”
The Lassen National Forest encompasses 1.2 million acres in the northern Sierra Nevada of northern California. The forest is bordered by the Modoc, Plumas, and Shasta-Trinity National Forests.
“Our first year’s grant slate is a win-win for the Forest Service, NFWF, watersheds and the local community,” said Acting Lassen Forest Supervisor Nate Rezeau. “We look forward to awarding projects focused on the Upper Humbug Valley meadow restoration and Storrie Fire meadow prioritization.”
The USDA Forest Service and NFWF will release the 2019 Request for Proposal opportunity in January 2019. Further details on the 2019 Request for Proposal and associated public open houses hosted by the Forest Service will be available on NFWF’s website in early January 2019 at www.nfwf.org/norcal.
About NFWF
Chartered by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) protects and restores the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and generated a conservation impact of more than $4.8 billion. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.
About the USDA Forest Service
The mission of the Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
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