For Anglers in Lake Champlain Basin, Salmon Fishing is a Science

September 17, 2018 - Most anglers remember their first catch: the tug on the line, the rush of adrenaline, the ear-to-ear grin in the keepsake photo. In the 1970s, anglers in Lake Champlain and its tributaries started experiencing another memorable first: the first Atlantic salmon caught in the basin in more than a century. That experience has evolved into a long-term collaboration to restore Lake Champlain’s landlocked Atlantic salmon population and fishery involving the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the University of Vermont, and countless anglers who have contributed their time, knowledge, and passion to the effort.

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Connecting and restoring habitat for wildlife and people in Maine

September 10, 2018 - The Maine Connectivity Collaborative has been selected as an Honorable Mention for the 2018 Climate Adaptation Leadership Award for Natural Resources. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Regional Director Wendi Weber accepted the award earlier today on behalf of the partnership at the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual Meeting in Tampa, Florida. The Climate Adaptation Leadership Award, established in 2016, recognizes exemplary leadership by individuals, agencies, businesses and other organizations to reduce impacts and advance adaptation of the nation’s vital natural resources and the many people who depend on them in a changing world. Fragmentation of aquatic habitat is a vital concern in Maine, as it is globally. To address this concern, Maine Connectivity Collaborative has been working since 2007 with partners from more than 50 state, federal, tribal, commercial, local and non-governmental organizations. The Collaborative works to increase the pace and quality of restoration, representing a variety of flexible working groups pursuing strategies to inventory, prioritize, and correct connectivity problems at thousands of stream crossings. The Collaborative includes biologists, geomorphologists, engineers, culvert manufacturers, landowners, regulators, fishermen, land trusts, and concerned citizens.

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Learn more about the Climate Adaptation Leadership Awards

Bye-bye Bloede

September 5, 2018 - The Fish and Wildlife Service joined partners in marking the next phase of the Bloede Dam removal, on the Patapsco River in Maryland. The structure will soon be breached with explosives, and removal will be complete by spring. The $17-million project will restore nine miles of the Patapsco River to free-flowing -- opening habitat for migratory fish and opportunities for fishing, paddling, and other outdoor recreation. It is supported by Service funding for Hurricane Sandy resilience projects.

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Family Farm Is Tied to the River

July 2, 2018 - Virginia’s Rappahannock River is a bird-lover’s paradise, home to the largest concentration of eagles on the East Coast. It is also a region threatened by growing development, which brings habitat loss and more pollution running into the river. Land-owner Cookie Davis is helping by putting her family farm under easement -- a land protection agreement that will uphold the family’s farming tradition and help in a larger effort to create a corridor of protection along the river.

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