04-25-2006, 01:32 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Here is another article from a Utah newspaper on the efforts being made to preserve endangered fish species in the western states.[/#0000ff]
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Groups rally behind saving fish
National program: 450 organizations join forces to protect native species, which so far has been a scattered effort
[url "mailto:jbaird@sltrib.com"]By Joe Baird
The Salt Lake Tribune
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Federal and state agencies, and conservation groups, have tried a number of approaches to deal with the persistent decline of native fish species and habitat in Utah and across the nation.
On Monday, they announced they are teaming up in a bid to reverse the trend, unveiling the "National Fish Habitat Action Plan" in Washington, D.C. The program, which has pulled together 450 national and local organizations, will create partnerships and strategies for enhancing and restoring watersheds and waterways across the country.
"We know that if we have better habitat, we'll have more fish in Utah," said Jim Karpowitz, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The National Fish Habitat Plan is the first-ever blueprint that addresses this reality on such a grand scale."
Certainly, the stakes are high. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted during a Monday teleconference call that out of 822 native fish species, nearly 40 percent are in danger of extinction.
"As we lose species, we lose water quality and water quantity as well," he said. "This is an effort to bring all the parties together on the ground. All successful efforts start from the ground up."
Now, if only there were a little money to back it up. The initial funding for the action plan doesn't come close to matching all the rhetoric. The Bush administration has initially earmarked just $3 million for the national fish habitat program. That will be buttressed by matching funds from state agencies, conservation groups and private donors, but it still spreads pretty thin over 50 states.
"We were hopeful for more [funding] but thankful for what we got," said Walt Donaldson, DWR's aquatic![[Image: clear.gif]](http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/std/clear.gif)
section chief. "From our perspective, we're looking at it as seed money to attract partners and get these projects rolling. If anybody wants to helps us and become a partner, they're more than welcome to get a hold of DWR and the fisheries section."
The hope is the fish habitat plan eventually will become a success along the lines of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
"We have focused sort of piecemeal on aquatic systems in the U.S.," said Hall, Fish and Wildlife Service chief. "The states have done the best they can do and the tribes have done the best they can. But this will have everybody focused together, speaking with one voice, whether we're talking to Congress or members of the garden club. This gets everyone on the same page."
The seven Colorado Basin states - Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California - already have agreed to target their funding priorities on habitat restoration for native trout species, such as the Colorado River cutthroat, and the flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and roundtail chub - which are collectively known as the "Three Species."
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Groups rally behind saving fish
National program: 450 organizations join forces to protect native species, which so far has been a scattered effort
[url "mailto:jbaird@sltrib.com"]By Joe Baird
The Salt Lake Tribune
[/url]
Federal and state agencies, and conservation groups, have tried a number of approaches to deal with the persistent decline of native fish species and habitat in Utah and across the nation.
On Monday, they announced they are teaming up in a bid to reverse the trend, unveiling the "National Fish Habitat Action Plan" in Washington, D.C. The program, which has pulled together 450 national and local organizations, will create partnerships and strategies for enhancing and restoring watersheds and waterways across the country.
"We know that if we have better habitat, we'll have more fish in Utah," said Jim Karpowitz, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. "The National Fish Habitat Plan is the first-ever blueprint that addresses this reality on such a grand scale."
Certainly, the stakes are high. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, noted during a Monday teleconference call that out of 822 native fish species, nearly 40 percent are in danger of extinction.
"As we lose species, we lose water quality and water quantity as well," he said. "This is an effort to bring all the parties together on the ground. All successful efforts start from the ground up."
Now, if only there were a little money to back it up. The initial funding for the action plan doesn't come close to matching all the rhetoric. The Bush administration has initially earmarked just $3 million for the national fish habitat program. That will be buttressed by matching funds from state agencies, conservation groups and private donors, but it still spreads pretty thin over 50 states.
"We were hopeful for more [funding] but thankful for what we got," said Walt Donaldson, DWR's aquatic
section chief. "From our perspective, we're looking at it as seed money to attract partners and get these projects rolling. If anybody wants to helps us and become a partner, they're more than welcome to get a hold of DWR and the fisheries section." The hope is the fish habitat plan eventually will become a success along the lines of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.
"We have focused sort of piecemeal on aquatic systems in the U.S.," said Hall, Fish and Wildlife Service chief. "The states have done the best they can do and the tribes have done the best they can. But this will have everybody focused together, speaking with one voice, whether we're talking to Congress or members of the garden club. This gets everyone on the same page."
The seven Colorado Basin states - Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona and California - already have agreed to target their funding priorities on habitat restoration for native trout species, such as the Colorado River cutthroat, and the flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker and roundtail chub - which are collectively known as the "Three Species."
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