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

THIS NEW AGREEMENT INCLUDES 40000 DOLLARS IN US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE PROGRAM GRANT FUNDING FOR AQUATIC HABITAT ENHANCEMENTS IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN AND NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE SOUTHER WATERS FRAMEWORK WATERSHEDS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT IS TO ADVANCE THE CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC FEDERAL TRUST SPECIES AS WELL AS THEIR HABITATS IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN. THROUGH COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS WITH PARTNERS LIKE THE COOSA RIVER BASIN INITIATIVE THE PARTNERSHIP FOR THE UPPER COOSA WORKING GROUP NRCS USFWS PRIVATE LANDOWNERS AND MORE THE AGREEMENT SEEKS TO IMPLEMENT TARGETED PROJECTS THAT ENHANCE RIPARIAN BUFFERS RESTORE FLOODPLAIN CONNECTIVITY STABILIZE STREAMBANKS RESTORE IN STREAM HABITAT AND SAFEGUARD PRIORITY SPECIES. BY FOCUSING ON VOLUNTARY HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PARTNERSHIP AND OUTREACH THE INITIATIVE AIMS TO MAINTAIN HEALTHY ECOSYSTEMS RECONNECT FRAGMENTED HABITATS AND SUPPORT EFFECTIVE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT IMPLEMENTATION THEREBY SUSTAINING GEORGIAS BIODIVERSITY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. RESTORATION PROJECTS IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN ARE DESIGNED TO ADDRESS MULTIPLE STRESSORS AND MAY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO REMOVING BARRIERS TO AQUATIC ORGANISM PASSAGE TO SUPPORT SPECIES MOVEMENT AND CONNECTIVITY RESTORING OR ENHANCING RIPARIAN BUFFERS ADJACENT TO STREAMS AND WETLANDS EXCLUDING LIVESTOCK FROM STREAMS AND RIPARIAN AREAS TO PREVENT HABITAT DEGRADATION AND BIO STABILIZING STREAMBANKS WITH COIR MATTING AND NATIVE VEGETATION. TWO OVERARCHING PROJECT COMPONENTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED FOR INITIAL WORK PROPAGATION OF AMERICAN WATER WILLOW FOR RIPARIAN AND STREAM RESTORATION PROJECTS ON PRIVATE LANDS ACROSS NORTHWEST GEORGIA TO CREATE AND RESTORE STABLE SHOAL HABITAT CRITICAL FOR FRESHWATER MUSSELS AND COST SHARE MATCH FOR NRCS EQIP PROJECTS IMPLEMENTING AGRICULTURAL BMPS AND AQUATIC HABITAT ENHANCEMENT IN THE UPPER COOSA RIVER BASIN AND THE HIWASSEE RIVER BASIN. THIS PARTNERS FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PROMOTES A PUBLIC BENEFIT THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COST EFFECTIVE HABITAT RESTORATION PRACTICES COUNTERACTS THE EFFECTS OF HABITAT LOSS AND FRAGMENTATION AND PROVIDES INCREASED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC RECREATION.