The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today released for 30 day public comment a Programmatic Environmental Assessment for additional habitat restoration projects in 55 Ohio River Basin watersheds located in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Proposed under the National Fish Passage Program and the National Fish Habitat Partnership, the Programmatic Environmental Assessment is intended to assist in agency planning and decision making to better coordinate and fund fish and mussel habitat restoration projects across the region.
Programs such as the National Fish Passage Program and the National Fish Habitat Partnership will be used to help to fund projects in the area described in the Programmatic Environmental Assessment in the future. Initiated in 1999, the National Fish Passage Program is a voluntary and non-regulatory effort that provides financial and technical assistance to rectify artificial barriers that impede the movement of fish and contribute to declines in fish populations. The National Fish Habitat Partnership was started in 2001 to protect, restore and enhance the nation's fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation.
The Programmatic Environmental Assessment is available for review online at http://bit.ly/1NDlkm5. Hardcopies are available for review at the Carterville Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office located in Marion, Illinois.
Comments will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. CDT, September 19, 2015. Please submit written comments to:
Brian Bartos
Carterville Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
9053 Route 148, Suite A
Marion, IL 62959
Comments may also be submitted by email to Brian_Bartos@fws.gov.
