The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) awarded a $441,737.12 Project Grant under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) program (CFDA 15.648) to Cramer Fish Sciences, a small for-profit subchapter S corporation. The grant supports a multi-phase project to enhance and restore habitat for outmigrating juvenile salmon and steelhead on the Stanislaus River downstream of the Orange Blossom Bridge in California.
The project involves comprehensive efforts across four phases, including site identification and prioritization, landowner outreach, pre-project monitoring, environmental compliance, engineering design, project implementation, and post-project monitoring. The overarching goal is to address documented hotspots of juvenile salmonid mortality and improve outmigration environments within this critical migratory corridor. The award was made in July 2024 with an ultimate completion date of May 2028, demonstrating the long-term and multi-faceted nature of the habitat restoration work.