Habitat restoration, Resilience and risk mitigation


This project will remove 7 barriers and replace 6 culverts, most of which are on tribal land. The improvements are part of our efforts to recover and delist the Apache Trout. The barriers were constructed decades ago to protect against invasion by nonnative predatory trout, but they now block Apache Trout, are outdated, and no longer needed due to improved protection measures far downstream. This project presents the opportunity to create larger meta-populations of Apache Trout in addition to re-opening access to 52.4 miles of habitat.  

Quick Facts:

Project StatusIn Development
Location AZ, Navajo/Apache
NFPP Project Funding$2,310,000
Restoration TechniquesCulvert replacement
Accomplishments52.4 Stream Miles Reopened
Project Partner LeadWhite Mountain Apache Tribe
Primary Species BenefitedApache Trout
A degraded and perched culvert restricting fish passage fish passage
Fish passage is the ability of fish or other aquatic species to move freely throughout their life to find food, reproduce, and complete their natural migration cycles. Millions of barriers to fish passage across the country are fragmenting habitat and leading to species declines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program is working to reconnect watersheds to benefit both wildlife and people.

Learn more about fish passage
to the upper 2.8 miles of headwater habitat and segmenting the population needs replacement.

The National Fish Passage Program combines technical expertise with a track record of success. 

Implemented primarily through the Service's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Offices, the National Fish Passage Program provides financial and technical assistance to partners across the country. Since 1999, the program has worked with over 2,000 local communities, Tribes, and private landowners to remove or bypass over 3,400 barriers to fish passage and reopen access to over 61,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals. Staff have expertise in fish migration and biology as well as financial, engineering, and planning assistance to communities, Tribes, and landowners to help them remove barriers and restore rivers for the benefit both fish and people. 

Fish passage project proposals can be initiated by any individual, organization, government, or agency. However, proposals must be submitted and completed in cooperation with a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office. (Please note that fish passage projects being used for federal or state compensatory mitigation or required by existing federal or state regulatory programs are not eligible for funding through the National Fish Passage Program.) 

 CONTACT A FISH PASSAGE COORDINATOR IN YOUR AREA TO GET STARTED. 

News

A trout with dark spots swims in a shallow stream, the forest is visible above the waterline
Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today announced that after more than five decades of recovery efforts by federal, state and Tribal partners, and with $5.1 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the Apache trout is being removed from the federal list of endangered and...
Construction equipment working on the side of a flowing river
Dec. 28, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Endangered Species Act, one of the most important wildlife conservation laws in the United States. The National Fish Passage Program directly supports the recovery of species listed on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) by removing...

Programs

A person is walks through a large wide culvert that passes under a gravel road. A small river runs through the culvert.
Across the country, millions of barriers are fragmenting rivers, blocking fish migration, and putting communities at higher risk to flooding. Improving fish passage is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for communities and...

Species