The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently collecting proposals for ecological restoration activities regarding the Klamath Basin in Northern California, including Humboldt County, and Southern Oregon.
The service has $162 million to fund restoration due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and invites proposals from big and small government agencies, Native American tribes, nongovernmental organizations and conservation specialists.
“Clean water, healthy forests and fertile land made the Klamath Basin and its surrounding watershed home to tribal communities, productive agriculture, and abundant populations of suckers, salmon and other fish, and migratory birds. But recent water scarcity has had a tremendous impact on the area’s fishing, farming, and ecosystems,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a news release. “With millions of dollars invested in water and ecosystem resilience included in the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, help is on the way to restore this once abundant ecosystem for the benefit of all its inhabitants, human or otherwise.”
The proposals considered by the service could aim to restore habitats, address invasive species, protect at-risk species and improve habitat connectivity for aquatic species, such as local fish. The Klamath Basin Restoration Program’s goal is to improve water quality and quantity issues in the face of ongoing drought and improve conditions for waterbirds, salmon and a variety of other native species.
Those who wish to submit proposals can do so at https://bit.ly/3KwbDcv, and the deadline is May 8. Native American tribes can submit their proposals directly to the service for consideration.
“The ecological infrastructure of the Klamath Basin needs a holistic approach, and this funding will help create opportunities for collaboration that, in turn, can help Basin communities come together to find lasting solutions for tribes, agriculture and others who rely on a healthy and functional ecosystem,” the service Principal Deputy Director Martha Williams said in a news release.
This solicitation of proposals is one of a number of changes facing the Klamath River this year, as removing four hydroelectric dams on the upper parts of the river could happen within the year. Critics of the dams say that removing them would restore 420 miles of salmon-spawning habitat, in addition to improving water quality and reducing water temperatures that harm fish.
Earlier in 2022, the Department of the Interior held consultations with the Yurok Tribe, Resighini Rancheria, Klamath Tribes, Karuk Tribe, Quartz Valley Tribe and Hoopa Valley Tribe to discuss ecological solutions to the river’s issues.
Jackson Guilfoil can be reached at 707-441-0506.
