native american tribes 2.03 million for conservation projects 052511

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NEWS RELEASE
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pacific Southwest Regional Office
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 25, 2011

Native American Tribes Awarded More Than $2.03 Million for Conservation
Projects in Three Western States

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced more than $2.03 million
in Tribal Wildlife Grants that will go to 11 Native American Tribes in the
Pacific Southwest Region to fund a wide range of conservation projects.

Nationwide, more than $54 million has gone to Native American tribes
through the Tribal Wildlife Grants program since 2003, providing support
for 335 conservation projects administered by participating
Federally-recognized tribes. The grants provide technical and financial
assistance for the development and implementation of projects that benefit
fish and wildlife resources and their habitat, including non-game species.

The grants have enabled tribes to develop increased management capacity,
improve and enhance relationships with partners (including state agencies),
address cultural and environmental priorities and heighten tribal students’
interest in fisheries, wildlife and related fields of study.

The funded projects are:

Bishop Paiute Tribe, California ($200,000)
Conservation Area Management Project
The main goals of this project are to: 1) introduce new populations of the
endangered Owens pupfish (Cyprinodon radiosus) and sustain species of
concern, including Speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) and Owens tui chub (
Siphateles bicolor snyderi), in small, intensively managed refuges within
the Tribe’s Conservation Open Space Area 2) reintroduce, sustain, and
nurture populations of species of concern of Owens Valley Checkerbloom (
Sidalcea covillei) and Inyo County Mariposa Lily (Calochortus excavates)
and tribal culturally important plants such as the Nupeechee (Clinopodium
douglasii); a medicinal herb for the tribe.

Cold Springs Tribe of Mono Indians, California ($200,000)
Haslett Basin Wildlife Preserve
The tribe has a partnership with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy, a local
land trust who recently acquired a 120-acre property in the Haslett Basin
located in the eastern portion of Fresno County. This property is the
ancestral home of many of the tribal members and an important wintering
ground for the north Kings River deer herd. This Property (Haslett Basin
Wildlife Preserve) is currently being managed to enhance the deer migration
corridors and holding areas as well as address the issues concerning the
decline in deer populations.
This grant is funding: 1) the development of a 50-year comprehensive
resource management plan for the property; 2) conducting an archeological
survey of the property; 3) acquire permits for environmental and resource
compliance; 4) improvements on 115 acres of wildlife habitat for deer and;
5) building capacity and awareness for the natural and cultural resources
of Haslett Basin.

Dry Creek Rancheria, Band of Pomo Indians, California ($200,000)
Culvert Replacement for Fish Passage Project
The funds awarded for this proposal will be used to remediate the culverts
installed along the only access road to the Rancheria (BIA Route 93). These
were installed as a response to flooding events that occurred in the mid
80’s when massive mudslide had filled the creeks and destroyed the access
road. Activities for include installation of shorter, “bottomless”
culverts, restoring the channel bed and banks to pre-culvert form and
function, riparian habitat restoration. This project will remove specific
stressors from in and around the creek such as channel incision, fish
passage blockages, and the removal of invasive terrestrial species.

Elem Pomo Tribe, California ($199,950)
Clear Lake Hitch Recovery Project Migration Barrier Removal
The Clear Lake Hitch (Lavinia exillicauda chi) is a culturally significant
fish to the Tribes surrounding Clear Lake in Lake County California. The
Hitch was listed by the California Department of Fish and Game as a fish
Species of Special Concern in California in 1995 due to population decline
and loss of habitat. This is the first time the Elem Pomo tribe has
requested TWG funding and is part of an inter-tribal project to restore the
Hitch populations through habitat restoration and enhancement. This funding
will be used to remove passage obstructions on Kelsey Creek and a large
instream passage barrier on Siegler Creek, and for public outreach and
educational efforts; which include a community creek clean-up day.

Klamath Tribes, Oregon ($42,383)
Determining Causes of Mule Deer Decline in the Klamath Basin
Mule deer (Odecoiles hemionus) are important to the Klamath Tribes for
subsistence and have continued to be important culturally and spiritually
in the context of a rapidly changing society. The funding will support
research to continue identifying the causes for decline in the populations
of mule deer throughout the historic reservation area. Work activities for
this project include analysis of blood samples from mule deer, pregnancy
and parasitical analysis, as well as telemetry studies investigating
migration patterns.

Pala Band of Mission Indians, California ($200,000)
Tribal Habitat Conservation Plan
These funds will be used to begin the first phase of a two phase project in
developing a tribal Habitat Conservation Plan to protect local natural
resources. This project will have a steering committee that is a
partnership with the Tribe and U.S. Fish and Wildlife to plan the goals and
objectives in assessing and restoring natural resources. Work activities
funded for this project will be for extensive vegetation mapping of tribal
lands, wildlife surveys for general population analysis, and population
surveys for federally listed species.

Pauma Band of Mission Indians , California ($200,000)
Mission Reserve Restoration Project
The project is a one year endeavor to remove invasive species on the
reserve, restore native species, and outreach to the community,
communicating the importance in improving wildlife habitat. The Pauma Band
of Mission Indians has partnered for this project with the Natural Resource
Conservation Service (NRCS), San Diego Audubon Society, and California
Department of Parks and Recreation to accomplish the goals of this project.

Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, California ($187,000)
Scotts Creek Eight Mile/Hitch Habitat Enhancement Project
These funds will allow for the development of a habitat enhancement project
in the Eight Mile Valley, a 20 acre region that is the headwaters reach of
Scott Creek; a tributary to Clear Lake located in Lake County, California.
The goal is to restore the natural channel-floodplain relationship in the
valley to reduce sedimentation into Clear Lake and enhance instream habitat
to the Clear Lake Hitch (Lavinia exillicauda chi); listed by the California
Department of Fish and Game as a Fish Species of Special Concern in
California in 1995

Wiyot Tribe, California ($200,000)
Eel River Pacific Lamprey Restoration Project
The primary objective of this project is to identify specific causes of
declines to the Pacific Lamprey (Lampetra tridentata) populations along the
Eel River. Funding will support an assessment to identify overall habitat
and biological constraints affecting the survival of key life stages of the
Pacific Lamprey. Primary work activities for this project will be to
conduct a instream habitat and passage assessment to inform future planning
efforts.

Yurok Tribe, California ($200,000)
Assessing Reintroduction Potential and Planning for Management of
California Condors in the Greater Yurok Ancestral Region
Grant funds will support planning activities to re-introduce the California
Condors (Gymnogyps californianus), a federal and State listed Species, back
into the Yurok ancestral territory. The Tribe has been partnered with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, California State
Department of Parks and Recreation, and Ventana Wildlife Society, and many
others to accomplish the planning activities for effectively re-introducing
the condor back into their former, historical northern range.

Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Nevada ($200,000)
Habitat Restoration to Promote Reproductive Success of the Cui-ui below
Marble Bluff Dam
This grant funding will be used to conduct habitat assessments and to
restore and revegetate a section of the Truckee River located below Marble
Bluff Dam. Removal of invasive species and revegetation of the stream banks
will facilitate bank stability decreasing sediment inputs into the river.
Riparian planting will also provide better instream habitat for the endemic
Cui-ui (Chasmistes cuius). Work activities for this project will also be
spawning habitat surveys and mapping to provide baseline data valuable for
evaluating project success.

The Wildlife Action Plan Tribal Grant supports the Tribe in sustaining
ecosystem integrity and conserving native aquatic and terrestrial species
and their associated habitats by building on this knowledge. With this
award, the Tribe will build its ability to manage and conserve their
precious fish and wildlife resources through long range integrated resource
management planning. They will maintain viable populations of game and
non-game species and manage their associated habitat to enhance game
species. Finally, the Tribe will sustain and restore native fish
populations of cultural and conservation concern.

The grants are provided exclusively to federally-recognized Indian tribal
governments and are made possible under the Related Agencies Appropriations
Act of 2002 through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grant program. The
Request for Proposals for the 2012 grant cycle will be open until September
2, 2011. For more information and a TWG Application Kit, visit
http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/grants.html.

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conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and
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