Fisheries management, Habitat restoration, Resilience and risk mitigation

This project will replace a culvert that prevents fish from moving freely on Crooked Creek in Arizona. Crooked Creek contains one of only 17 populations of threatened Apache trout, and this project will allow Apache trout to move freely within their habitat. Other species that will benefit include speckled dace and desert suckers. As climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

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impacts freshwater streams, this habitat will be stable for Apache trout in the future, supporting its need for restoration. This project also supports goals and objectives from the White Mountain Apache Tribe Native Fishes Management Plan to conserve, maintain, and enhance existing native fish populations and their habitats. Each thriving native fish population is culturally and commercially important to the Tribe.

Project Quick Facts:

Project Status

In Development

Location 

AZ, Apache County

NFPP Project Funding

$325,000

Restoration Techniques

Culvert Replacement

Accomplishments

8 Stream Miles Reopened

Project Partner Lead

Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office

The National Fish Passage Program: Leaders in Building Bridges and Fostering Connections

The National Fish Passage Program is a national leader connecting watersheds and people. The program has decades of experience implementing infrastructure projects with partners. 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 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.

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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. 

200 Million Dollar Investment in Rivers, Wildlife, and Communities

Clean free-flowing waterways are vital to wildlife, people, and ecosystems. But across the country, millions of barriers fragment rivers, block fish migration, and put communities at higher risk to flooding. The  Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) is a once-in-a-generation investment in the nation’s infrastructure and economic competitiveness. We were directly appropriated $455 million over five years in BIL funds for programs related to the President’s America the Beautiful initiative.

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 , signed in November 2021, included $200 million for restoring fish and wildlife passage by removing in-stream barriers and providing technical assistance under the National Fish Passage Program. 

Facilities

Little Colorado River confluence
The Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office – or AZFWCO as we are more commonly known – is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Fish and Aquatic Conservation Program. Established in eastern Arizona in 1956 as a fishery assistance office, AZFWCO has expanded to three stations, located...

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. Removing those barriers is one of the most effective ways to help conserve vulnerable species while building safer infrastructure for people. The National...