2023 Annual Report Executive Summary
Since its inception in 2006, the Western Native Trout Initiative has directed almost $7 million in federal fish habitat funds leveraged with over $64 million public and private matching dollars for 232 priority native trout conservation projects. By leveraging funding provided to WNTI by the National Fish Habitat Partnership, WNTI and over 350 partners to date, have successfully improved the status of western native trout populations in 12 western states including Alaska. With the collaboration and coordination of WNTI Partners, together we have removed 165 barriers to fish passage, reconnected or improved 2,168 miles of native trout habitat, and placed 42 protective fish barriers to conserve important native trout conservation populations. In addition, WNTI has funded 1,123 watershed, fish population and habitat surveys and assessed 2,482 stream miles.
In 2023, WNTI and our partners funded six habitat restoration projects benefiting focal species with a total of $267,056 National Fish Habitat Partnership funds, leveraged with $7,330,124 in other partner contributions for a total projects value of $7,547,904. More information about each project funded with National Fish Habitat Partnership program funds can be found here.
An ongoing partnership with the Resources Legacy Fund (RLF) through their Open Rivers Fund, continued to support our ongoing work on projects in the Upper Bear River in Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming to benefit Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, recreational fishing, and local communities and ranchers who divert water for irrigation. RLF also continued to support WNTI’s portfolio of projects in the Warner Lakes Basin in southeast Oregon to benefit Warner Lakes Redband Trout (State Sensitive and Federal Species of Concern), Warner sucker (listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act), recreational fishing, ranchers, and landowners.
WNTI’s 2023 Small Grants program awarded a grant for interpretative signage in the Road Beaver
Creek drainage for Colorado River Cutthroat Trout restoration. This award supported design
and construction of a sign overlooking Road Beaver Creek to increase public awareness of the
interagency restoration project benefitting local native cutthroat trout and to educate land users
about the natural life history of Colorado River Cutthroat Trout. Since its inception in 2011, the
Small Grants program has granted over $177,000 for outreach and education projects.