The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's habitat restoration cost-sharing program for private landowners. The program was established to provide technical and financial assistance to conservation minded farmers, ranchers and other private (nonfederal and nonstate) landowners who wish to restore fish and wildlife habitat on their land.
Program Goals
The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program emphasizes the restoration of historic ecological communities for the benefit of native fish and wildlife in conjunction with the desires of private landowners. The goals of the program are to:
Program Description
Assistance provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service can range from giving informal advice on the design and location of potential restoration projects, to designing a project and funding up to 50% of the implementation costs. A cooperative agreement is developed between the Service and the landowner in which the landowner agrees to maintain the restored or improved site for a minimum of 10 years.
Projects that receive the highest priority for funding are those that provide direct benefits to migratory birds, anadromous fish, and threatened and endangered species. Habitat restoration and enhancement projects may include, but are not limited to, restoring wetland hydrology; installing fencing along riparian areas to exclude livestock; rehabilitating in-stream aquatic habitats; removing nonnative plants; planting native grasslands; and planting native trees, shrubs, and other plants to provide food and shelter for fish and wildlife in degraded habitats.
Program benefits for landowners include protecting or restoring sustainable populations of native fish, wildlife, and plants; improving water quality and watershed health; reducing point source pollution; protecting and stabilizing property loss due to erosion; and enhancing aesthetics and recreation benefits.
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