Quick Facts:

Project Status

In Development

Location 

NM, Catron

NFPP Project Funding

$430,740

Restoration Techniques

Culvert installation, low water crossing replacement, low water crossing improvement

Accomplishments

21.6 Stream Miles Reopened

Project Partner Lead

Gila National Forest

Primary Species Benefited

Loach Minnow

About the Project:

The project will improve six low-water crossings and decommission 2 crossings on Motorized Trail 63 in the Gila National Forest. The project will also install a culvert below Colyer Spring, a perennial water source which has been impacted from a trail crossing downstream. The improved infrastructure will reduce damage to critical habitat and allow for passage of aquatic organisms while preserving vehicular access to public land and improving water quality within the watershed. The project will also replace or improve a low water crossing of the Tularosa River on Forest Road 233. The existing infrastructure has created a migration barrier for fish and tadpoles as well as degraded aquatic habitat downstream. These projects are a priority for the Gila National Forest and will provide a direct benefit to the federally endangered Loach Minnow and its designated critical habitat.

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. 

Species

Programs

The Fish Passage Program works with local communities on a voluntary basis to restore rivers and conserve our nation’s aquatic resources by removing or bypassing barriers. Our projects benefit both fish and people.

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