The National Fish Habitat Partnership Board is welcoming nominations from organizations or individuals whose work and interests include fisheries and aquatic habitat conservation to fill vacant seats or seats with expired terms on the Board. The Board views the diversity of its members and their respective organizations as critical to our conservation mission to protect, restore, and improve our country’s fish and aquatic communities through a network of partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation and improve the quality of life for the American people. We are seeking representatives from a variety of sectors, as outlined in the 2020 America’s Conservation Enhancement Act (ACE Act) Section 203(b)(5), to help the Board implement the vision and requirements of the ACE Act and the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP).
The National Fish Habitat Partnership is a comprehensive effort to treat the causes of fish habitat decline, not just the symptoms. The Partnership is a national investment strategy to maximize the impact of conservation dollars on the ground. Funds are leveraged through regional partnerships to address the nation’s biggest fish habitat challenges. The partnership works through a network of 20 regional Fish Habitat Partnerships to restore the health of our nation’s aquatic ecosystems for fish and people to rely on. These partnerships leverage federal, state, tribal, and private resources to achieve the greatest impacts on conservation.
The Board is responsible for carrying out a cooperative nationwide program to conserve, defined here to include protect, restore, and improve, the habitats of the nation’s marine and freshwater fish populations. The Board is a voluntary association of public and private sector entities that serves as the body overseeing the implementation of Title II of the ACE Act and NFHP’s Action Plan. As outlined in the Action Plan, the Board facilitates coordination of fish habitat conservation efforts through twenty Fish Habitat Partnerships across the U.S. that focus on specific geographic regions, species, or habitat types and use an evidence-based, scientific approach to conserve fish habitat. The Board is soliciting nominations for one vacant and four expired Board seats representing different sectors, as listed in the table below. Please note the different term limits and term expiration dates for each representative Board seat.
Representative Seat(s)
- Corporate Industry (Vacant) / Term Limit:1 Year / Term Expiration Date: December 31, 2023
- Recreational Sportfishing Industry / Term Limit: 2 Years / Term Expiration Date: December 31, 2024
- Habitat Conservation Organization / Term Limit: 2 Years / Term Expiration Date: December 31, 2024
- Habitat Conservation Organization / Term Limit: 3 Years / Term Expiration Date: December 31, 2025
- Freshwater Recreational Anglers / Term Limit: 3 Years / Term Expiration: December 31, 2025
Following the expiration of a Board member term, the Board will solicit nominations for a new representative. Existing Board members in the expiring seats are eligible for re-nomination and re-selection to additional terms and all serve until replaced. Members are expected to participate in annual meetings which include, at minimum, two in-person and two virtual meetings along additional work on Board committees and workgroups that facilitate the success of NFHP. Board members generally fund their own travel to meetings, but compensation by NFHP is available.
Individuals interested in filling any of the above vacant Board seats or expired term seats should submit a letter of interest and vitae to info@fishhabitat.org by close of business January 13, 2023. The letter of interest should include a description of interests, experience, and skills to support active participation in and engagement on the Board. All applicants will receive a confirmation of receipt from the info@fishhabitat.org email address. The current Board will review applications and vote to install new Board members in early 2023.
