Cooperative Agreement P24AC01126

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $531,636 federal Project Grant under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance program (CFDA 15.608) to Central Michigan University to assess native mussel populations and habitat conditions in the lower reaches of tributaries to Lake Michigan. The 4-year project aims to 1) determine the status and threats to unionid mussels, 2) evaluate the predictive power of existing habitat models for identifying refuges, and 3) make management...

This $166,454 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the USGS Research and Data Collection program (CFDA 15.808) supports a 5-year research collaboration to evaluate how adult fish use reef habitats and assess the impact of invasive mussels on the survival of fish eggs and larvae in the Great Lakes. The primary activities include initiating a before-after-control-impact (BACI) study to monitor lake whitefish adult use, egg deposition, and larval production...

This $139,750 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Coastal Program (CFDA 15.630) supports a project to track the movements, habitat use, and conservation of the Northern Mudpuppy, a keystone salamander species in Michigan's coastal ecosystems. The project will employ acoustic telemetry, PIT tagging, and photo documentation to map the spatial and temporal movements of up to 55 mudpuppies across 30 miles of riverine habitat in the St. Clair, Detroit, and...

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $201,905 Project Grant to The University of Southern Mississippi under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance program (CFDA 15.608). This funding supports efforts to conserve and restore aquatic connectivity in the Southeast U.S. biodiversity hotspot by assessing barriers to aquatic species movement and utilizing genetic tools to prioritize barrier removal. The work enhances an ongoing recovery project for the federally...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $210,000 Project Grant under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation program (CFDA 15.657) to the Wildlife Resources Agency, Tennessee. The funding will support efforts to recover populations of endangered and threatened mussel species in the Duck River through translocation of adult mussels, stocking of lab-propagated mussels, and reconstruction of a mussel propagation facility at Lillards Mill. This comprehensive project will transform...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $123,699 Project Grant under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CFDA 15.615) to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for a survey of federally-listed mussels in the Vermilion River Basin of Illinois and Indiana. The purpose of this 2-year project (1/1/2024 - 12/31/2025) is to provide robust evaluations of species distributions and relative abundances to inform future conservation and regulatory assessments. The...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $512,822.89 Cooperative Agreement under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation federal grant program (CFDA 15.657) to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The funding will be used to establish a streamside mobile propagation unit within Oleno State Park to culture and grow out the endangered Suwannee moccasinshell, a freshwater mussel endemic to the Suwannee River basin in...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 awarded a $314,922 State Wildlife Grant (CFDA 15.634) to the South Dakota Game Fish & PK Wildlife Division to support freshwater mussel conservation efforts across South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. The project aims to expand captive propagation of four at-risk mussel species, conduct mark-recapture studies to evaluate reintroduction success, and utilize habitat suitability modeling and environmental DNA analysis to identify priority waterways...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) awarded the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission a $409,664 Project Grant under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program to expand their freshwater mussel propagation and reintroduction efforts in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. This three-year effort aims to rear four additional mussel species of greatest conservation need at the Commission's facility, conduct mark-recapture studies to evaluate the success of past reintroductions, and use...

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 awarded Lake Superior State University a $282,243.76 Project Grant under the Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance federal grant program (CFDA 15.608) to conduct research on lake sturgeon movement patterns, habitat use, and population demographics in the St. Marys River from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2026. The grant will fund research activities to acquire knowledge that can advance conservation and restoration efforts for...