The objective of this agreement is to create a collaborative partnership to restore wilderness character and improve stream habitat within the beaver basin wilderness on lowney creek at pictured rocks…

Funding Agency: National Park Service (NPS), Department of the Interior

Federal Grant Program: Natural Resource Stewardship (CFDA 15.944)

Award Amount: $695,000

Award Date: August 1, 2025

Performance Period: August 1, 2025 – April 30, 2030

The National Park Service awarded a $695,000 cooperative agreement to Trout Unlimited, Inc. to restore wilderness character and improve stream habitat within the Beaver Basin Wilderness on Lowney Creek at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Through this collaborative partnership, the NPS and Trout Unlimited will jointly develop restoration objectives, evaluate practical alternatives, create project designs, implement restoration activities, and conduct monitoring to assess restoration effectiveness. The initiative targets multiple beneficiaries, including community participants, brook trout populations within and outside the lakeshore boundaries, and broader ecosystem function throughout the Lake Superior watershed.

As a non-profit conservation organization specializing in coldwater fishery and watershed restoration, Trout Unlimited will leverage its expertise in stream habitat improvement and ecosystem restoration to deliver comprehensive services including habitat assessment, design development, on-the-ground restoration implementation, and long-term effectiveness monitoring. The five-year project duration reflects the complex nature of wilderness restoration activities and the necessity for extended monitoring protocols to evaluate project outcomes and adaptive management strategies within the national lakeshore environment.

The objective of this agreement is to create a collaborative partnership to restore wilderness character and improve stream habitat within the beaver basin wilderness on lowney creek at pictured rocks national lakeshore. Through mutual effort, NPS and the recipient will develop restoration objectives, practical alternatives, and designs, implement restoration activities, and monitor restoration effectiveness. The project will benefit community participants, brook trout populations inside and outside of the lakeshore, and ecosystem function in the lake superior watershed.