NFWF Announces $1.8 Million in Funding to Protect and Restore Fish and Wildlife Habitat in New England

Washington, D.C. (August 3, 2016) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced 16 grants this week totaling more than $1.8 million that will restore and sustain healthy forests and rivers that provide habitat for diverse native bird and freshwater fish populations in the six New England states.

Collectively, the conservation grants announced today will open 290 miles of streams for eastern brook trout and river herring habitat through modification and replacement of culverts and other barriers, will improve habitat for New England cottontail, American woodcock and golden-winged warblers on 3,279 acres of forestland, and reduce polluted runoff from entering streams, including 47 tons of sediment and 41 tons of phosphorus.

“This program demonstrates the tremendous potential of public-private partnerships to accelerate progress toward shared conservation goals,” said Amanda Bassow, Northeastern Regional Office Director of NFWF. “Working with Eversource, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, this program has made a significant impact in its first year, and the grants we are announcing today will build on that success.”

“The recipients of these grants are focused on action-based projects that are making a real difference in improving and preserving New Hampshire’s valued wildlife and waterways,” said Ellen Angley, Vice President/Supply Chain, Environmental Affairs and Property Management at Eversource. “We've been pleased to see the grant recipients working directly with their communities and other organizations to produce beneficial results, and look forward to seeing the positive impacts these new grants will help to achieve.” 

The grant recipients are:

  • American Forest Foundation - Enhancing and Promoting Wildlife Habitat on Family Woodlands in the Champlain Valley (Vermont) $47,000
  • Atlantic Salmon Federation (U.S.), Inc. - Restoring Fish Passage and Reducing Flooding on the Sheepscot River (Maine) $97,000
  • Audubon Vermont - Recruiting Private Landowners in the Champlain Valley to Restore Habitat for Golden-Winged Warbler and Other Priority Bird Species (Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont) $70,000
  • Belknap County Conservation District - Restoring and Protecting Gunstock Brook Habitat for Eastern Brook Trout through Stream Bank Restoration and Improved Forest Management (New Hampshire) $70,033
  • BioDiversity Research Institute - Accelerating the Pace and Impact of Stream Connectivity Restoration for Eastern Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon (Maine) $75,000
  • Connecticut River Watershed Council, Inc. - Removing Seven Barriers to Fish Passage to Restore Access to One Hundred and Forty Miles of Eastern Brook Trout Spawning Habitat (New Hampshire and Vermont) $199,165
  • Massachusetts Audubon - Demonstrating Forest Management Strategies for a Mosaic of Mixed-Age Forests (Massachusetts) $45,000
  • Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game, Division of Ecological Restoration - Increasing Municipal Capacity for Culvert Replacement to Improve Aquatic Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Deerfield River Watershed (Massachusetts) $179,620
  • Town of Brownfield, Maine - Replacing an Undersized Culvert on the Shepards River to Reconnect Habitat for Eastern Brook Trout (Maine and New Hampshire) $100,000
  • Town of Falmouth, Massachusetts - Restoring Instream and Riparian Habitat for Diadromous Species on the Lower Coonamessett River (Massachusetts) $200,000
  • Trout Unlimited, Inc. - Restoring Pond Habitats for Wild Brook Trout in the Nulhegan River, Paul Stream and Dennis Pond Watersheds (Vermont) $80,631
  • University of Connecticut - Improving Pollinator Habitat in New England Rights-of-Way (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) $111,077
  • University of New Hampshire - Achieving Multi-Species Benefits from Young Forest Restoration and Management in Southern Maine and New Hampshire (Maine and New Hampshire) $197,982
  • Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve - Creating New England Cottontail Habitat on Under-Utilized Lands in Southern Maine and New Hampshire (Maine and New Hampshire) $60,000
  • Wildlife Management Institute - Providing Technical Assistance to New Hampshire Landowners to Create Young Forest Habitat for New England Cottontail, American Woodcock and Other Priority Bird Species (New Hampshire) $145,000
  • Wildlife Management Institute - Creating Early Successional Habitat in New England for New England Cottontail, American Woodcock and Other Priority Bird Species (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts  and Vermont) $170,000

These grants were solicited competitively through NFWF’s New England Forests and Rivers Fund. Major funding is provided by Eversource’s Partners for New Hampshire Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

For a more detailed list of grants, please download it here.

About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

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 agencies, corporations, foundations and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,500 organizations and committed more than $3.5 billion to conservation projects. Learn more at www.nfwf.org.