Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program
The Pacific Southwest Region, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), administers grants to other entities, primarily State fish and wildlife agencies to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the hunting, sport fishing and recreational boating opportunities they provide.
The WSFR Program is located in the Pacific Southwest Regional office in Sacramento, California, and administers ten primary grant programs which total approximately $91 million in grants annually within California, Nevada and Klamath Basin area. Grant programs administered by WSFR, and the requirements which accompany each, are highly diverse.
The WSFR staff works with the potential grant recipients to ensure that they understand the requirements of the individual Acts and that these are met in the process of proposing, selecting and funding projects. The WSFR also maintains fiscal tracking systems to ensure funds are disbursed appropriately and expenditures are tracked. Performance reports, as well as audit reports, are reviewed to match accomplishments and costs with approved work, or to reconcile audit discrepancies.
The WSFR is also responsible for ensuring compliance with a host of other Federal Acts, regulations, and requirements (regarding, for example, National Environmental Policy Act, endangered species, archeological and historical, non-discrimination, exotic organisms, floodplains and wetlands, etc.).
At the national level, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program works with states, insular areas and the District of Columbia to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, their habitats, and the hunting, sport fishing and recreational boating opportunities they provide.
The Division of Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program provides oversight and/or administrative support for the following grant programs:
- Wildlife Restoration Grant Program
- Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program
- Clean Vessel Act Grant Program
- Boating Infrastructure Grant Program
- National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
- State Wildlife Grant Program
- Landowner Incentive Grant Program
- Multistate Grant Program
- Tribal Wildlife Grant Program
- Tribal Landowner Incentive Grant Program
The University of California at Santa Barbara’s North Campus Open Space Restoration Project, at Devereux Slough.
Credit: Flickr Creative Commons
Service Releases Draft Environmental Assessment For 'North Campus Open Space Restoration Project'
The California State Coastal Conservancy has applied for, and was selected to receive, National Coastal Wetland Conservation grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. These grants help fund the implementation of the University of California at Santa Barbara’s (UCSB) North Campus Open Space Restoration Project.
The proposed project intends to restore and enhance tidal and freshwater wetlands and associated upland habitats at Devereux Slough on their campus by restoring the tidal connection to the upper slough and establish saltwater and freshwater wetlands, all of which were eliminated the construction of the Ocean Meadows Golf Course in 1965.
The Project will help to meet the goals of the Coastal Wetland Conservation Act, and help UCSB’s to permanently restore coastal tidal and freshwater wetlands, upland habitats on campus; provide research opportunities for UCSB faculty and students; and provide public access to the restored ecosystem for recreation.
Download the full draft environmental assessment here. (3.4 MB, PDF)
Habitat structures constructed at Lake Mohave, Nevada, to provide important juvenile protective cover habitat. Source: USFWS
Nevada Department of Wildlife Lake Mohave Habitat Enhancement Project
Introduction and Need: Lake Mohave is a large impoundment along the Colorado River bordering Nevada and Arizona. It is entirely within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The upper 20-miles is in a river/canyon setting and receives deep-water releases from Lake Mead's Hoover Dam.
A coldwater fishery is developed here with stocked rainbow trout coming from Willow Beach National Fish Hatchery and Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW).
A warmwater fishery exists in the main reservoir and consists of stocked rainbow trout, large- and smallmouth bass, striped bass, bluegill, green sunfish, channel catfish, and yellow bullhead.
Threadfin shad and carp are present as well as native razorback sucker (federally endangered) and flannelmouth sucker (state species of concern).
The Lake Mohave sport fishery is of regional importance, averaging over 111,000 angler use days for angers purchasing a Nevada Fishing license. There is a need to enhance protective habitat for juvenile fished during times when the water level is low and exposing terrestrial vegetation.
Project Description: Since 2006, NDOW has worked with the National Park Service, and Arizona Game and Fish to enhance habitat for greater sport fish production. Funds come mainly from the Sport Fish Restoration Program, National Park Service, Nevada Conservation Fee, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Bass Pro Shops donated the Habitat Badge and there are multiple volunteers from local fishing organizations helping throughout the project. Habitat structures were constructed on-site using a variety of natural and artificial materials.
Surveys have shown that all sport fish species, adults and juveniles, in Lake Mohave concentrated around all types of constructed habitat structures. Only when natural aquatic vegetation was present nearby did some species (mostly panfishes and juvenile black bass) abandon constructed structures.
Based on surveys, project sites having constructed habitat versus control areas (normal reservoir habitat showing no vegetation and low complexity), littoral species such as adult and juvenile black bass, panfish-sized sunfishes, channel catfish, and carp generally were 2 to 5 times more abundant on constructed habitat.
This project will continue increasing the density of habitat structures in the selected coves and monitoring fish use.
Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Pacific Southwest Region
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program
2800 Cottage Way, W-1729
Sacramento,CA 95825
Pacific Southwest Region WSFR Contact:
Marie Strassburger, Division Chief (916) 414-6727
Grant Programs - Annual Funding
For the Pacific Southwest Region (Fiscal Year 2015) (* denotes a competitive grant program; other programs are formula-funded):
(Traditional $2.0 Million, Non-Traditional $16.6 Million)
Notice of Environmental Assessment
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife & Sport Fish Restoration Program, is posting a Final Envirnmental Assessment and Findng of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for funding the Nevada Department of Wildlife's grant application to sub-grant funds to White Pine County for construction of their proposed enhancements on the White Pine County Shooting Range.
A copy of our Final Environmental Assessment (EA) is available here. (2MB, PDF)
The FONSI is available here. (PDF)
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FieldNotes showcases the activities, events and conservation work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service here in the Pacific Southwest Region. The articles inside are written by our employees and reflect the efforts of the Service and our partners in conserving and preserving the unique natural resources here in California, Nevada and the Klamath Basin. After you've visited FieldNotes, follow us on these social media channels...
