Family Forest Fish Passage Program
Are you a landowner with a fish-bearing stream on your property? Do you have a derelict culvert that's impeding fish passage or in need of repair? The Washington State Family Forest Fish Passage Program (FFFPP) is a cost-share program that helps small forest landowners correct fish passage barriers on their forest lands. The program provides 75-100% of the cost of correcting a barrier; it also provides technical assistance. The program is implemented by three state agencies; DNR, WDFW, and the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation/Salmon Recovery Funding Board (IAC).
Small forest landowners own about 4 million acres of forests in Washington---- about half the private forestland in the state. These family forests are home to thousands of miles of fish-bearing streams and play a key role in helping Washington restore its once thriving fish populations. A single barrier on a stream can keep fish from reaching many miles of many miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat.
As part of Washington's salmon recovery efforts, all private forest owners are required to fix artificial, in-stream fish barriers by 2016.
The FFFPP is an amazing opportunity for landowners and wild fish. WFC has a wealth of experience restoring barriers to fish passage as well as working with landowners in conjunction with the FFFPP. Two recent examples include: Upper Weiss Creek- http://wildfishconservancy.org/projec... and Thomas Creek- http://wildfishconservancy.org/projec.... If you or someone you know is a candidate for this program, visit the DNR FFFPP page at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/BusinessPermits...
