The Driftless Area Restoration Effort (DARE) was recognized as a full Fish Habitat Partnership by the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP) Board, Oct 2, at a board meeting held at the Holiday Inn in Arlington, Virginia.  

Louise Mauldin, USFWS Driftless Area Team Leader and Jeff Hastings, DARE coordinator from Trout Unlimited, were in attendance to receive this formal acknowledgement.

Establishment of Fish Habitat Partnerships is integral to the National Fish Habitat Action Plan’s success in protecting, restoring and enhancing fish and aquatic habitats.  

The Service has been working with Trout Unlimited, state agencies, Driftless Area Initiative and others, the past two years to implement the National Fish Habitat Action Plan under guidance from the NFHAP Board.  

The five pilot projects were the first to be invited by the NFHAP Board for formal recognition.  The DARE partnership, along with the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership and Matanuska-Susitna Salmon Conservation Partnership submitted applications August 17, 2007.  

The Western Native Trout Initiative made the decision to apply in the second round.  Louise and Jeff worked on partnership narratives for a series of questions and pooled together requested documentation from the past several years to support the information supplied in the application.  

Among the material submitted for review by NFHAP staff and the NFHAP Board were support letters from the state Department of Natural Resources (directors or chiefs of fisheries), the Driftless Area Initiative, Regional Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited, several TU chapters, Patagonia, and others.  Board recognition as a full Fish Habitat Partnership was contingent upon meeting criteria that identified strong and diverse partnerships, worked within a defined geographic focus, demonstrated strategic planning that was consistent with national goals, and outlined the potential for measurable progress. T

he NFHAP Board plans to establish 12 or more Fish Habitat Partnerships throughout the United States by 2010.  

The Board will be announcing the request for the next round of applications in the near future.  After the meeting concluded Tuesday afternoon, a short photo session was held.