Coosa River Basin Initiative

THIS NEW AGREEMENT ALLOCATES A TOTAL OF 490,408 00 IN U S FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE GRANT FUNDING 200,970 FROM THE PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAM 289,438 FROM THE FISH PASSAGE PROGRAM DURING FY 2022 TO SUPPORT THE MULTIYEAR UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE THE INITIATIVE HAS BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE UPPER COOSA GROUP TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT RESTORATION PROJECTS DESIGNED TO MINIMIZE MULTIPLE STRESSORS AND FACILITATE THE RECOVERY OF FEDERALLY LISTED AND AT RISK AQUATIC FISH AND MUSSEL SPECIES OCCURRING IN THE COOSA RIVER BASIN IN GEORGIA AND TENNESSEE THE FY 2022 FUNDING WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT A TOTAL OF FIVE NEW PROJECTS THAT WILL LIKELY BE IMPLEMENTED DURING FY 2022 2023 THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE THE WARD FAMILY STREAM AND UPLAND RESTORATION PROJECT, JONES FAMILY STREAM RESTORATION PROJECT, YELLOW CREEK PINEY HILL ROAD CULVERT REPLACEMENT PROJECT, ROCK CREEK MCGILL CULVERT REPLACEMENT PROJECT, AND CITY OF DALTON RIPARIAN RESTORATION PROJECT EACH OF THESE PROJECTS WILL UNDERGO BOTH IMPLEMENTATION AND EFFECTIVENESS MONITORING USING STANDARDIZED AND SCIENTIFICALLY DEFENSIBLE DESIGNS WORKING IN COLLABORATION WITH THE USFWS, GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, AND UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA STAFF THE PLANNED PROJECTS WILL BE DESIGNED TO HELP RESTORE NATURAL THERMAL AND FLOW REGIMES, REDUCE ANTHROPOGENIC SEDIMENTATION NUTRIFICATION AND OTHER FORMS OF CONTAMINATION, RECONNECT FRAGMENTED AQUATIC HABITATS, AND IMPROVE HABITAT COMPLEXITY AND QUALITY IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN ADDITIONALLY, THE PROJECTS WILL HELP BOLSTER PUBLIC EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ON AQUATIC CONSERVATION THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES FROM THESE PROJECTS INCLUDE INCREASING OR MAINTAINING THE OCCUPANCY OR ABUNDANCE OF FEDERALLY LISTED OR AT RISK SPECIES IN REACHES OR AREAS WHERE RESTORATION OCCURS, IMPROVING AQUATIC HABITAT OCCURRING WITHIN AND DOWNSTREAM OF RESTORATION SITES, AND INCREASING PUBLIC INTEREST IN STREAM RESTORATION AND CONSERVATION IF THE PLANNED PROJECTS ARE UNABLE TO BE IMPLEMENTED FOR UNFORESEEN REASONS, THE COOSA RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPARABLE PROJECT S ELSEWHERE IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN

UPPER COOSA HABITAT RESTORATION