This project will remove eight barriers to improve the connectivity of 30 miles of stream in marylands north branch potomac river (NBPR) watershed

This $1.2 million Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 5 will fund the restoration of aquatic connectivity in the North Branch Potomac River (NBPR) watershed in Maryland. The project, under the National Fish Passage Program (CFDA 15.685), will remove eight barriers to improve connectivity along 30 miles of stream habitat that supports Eastern Brook Trout populations. Key activities include replacing two culverts, removing a dam, and conducting additional culvert replacements to bolster Brook Trout habitat and provide climate resilient infrastructure. The award recipient is the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, which will partner with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trout Unlimited, Garrett County, and two underserved communities to deliver the project. The work will reconnect spawning habitat, create thermal refugia, eliminate flood risks, and support outdoor recreation and education opportunities. In-kind construction support from Garrett County will further strengthen the project partnerships.

The NBPR supports robust populations of eastern brook trout and is a united states fish and wildlife service (USFWS) regional priority watershed for connectivity. Investment will augment parallel nfpp bipartisan infrastructure law efforts to restore habitat across the potomac headwaters. Project barriers were selected using both north atlantic aquatic connectivity (NAACC) surveys and by identifying community needs for climate resilient infrastructure. Two culvert replacements and a DAM removal in georges creek will create thermal refugia, new migratory pathways for brook trout, eliminate flood risk, and revamp a community water supply. Project partners include the USFWS, trout unlimited, the garrett county department of public works, and two underserved communities, frostburg, and lonaconing. The project will reduce the burden of replacing aging infrastructure to improve climate resiliency while providing educational opportunities for students at partnering frostburg state university. Within a neighboring HUC 10, four planned culvert replacements will bolster a stronghold brook trout population within the savage river state forest, allowing continued access to campsites and recreation. One additional removal in the upper NBPR meets the maintenance needs within an underserved area while reconnecting spawning habitat to the mainstem within protected lands. In-kind construction support from garrett county will strengthen a partnership with the USFWS, the maryland department of natural resources, and trout unlimited. As the region feels the impact of the energy transition from coal, the proposed work will build momentum for locally driven changes in aquatic organism passage practice and assist partners in creating a recreation economy.