The shoalwater BAY indian tribe natural resources departments (sbdnr) project goal is to continue to improve the conservation status of the western snowy plover and streaked horned larks residing on…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service awarded a $198,928 Tribal Wildlife Grant (CFDA 15.639) to the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation in Washington. The grant will fund the tribe's efforts to continue improving the conservation status of the Western Snowy Plover and Streaked Horned Lark on the tribe's coastal beaches and dunes. Key activities include implementing habitat restoration, population surveys, and public education to increase the viability and resilience of these species. The grant will also support essential fish habitat assessments, environmental DNA monitoring, and restoration actions to enhance climate resilience and the adaptive capacity of salmonid species on tribal lands. This project aligns with the Tribal Wildlife Grants program's objectives to benefit wildlife, their habitats, and species of cultural importance to Native American tribes.

The shoalwater BAY indian tribe natural resources departments (sbdnr) project goal is to continue to improve the conservation status of the western snowy plover and streaked horned larks residing on shoalwaters coastal beaches and dunes. Sbdnr also proposes to implement essential fish habitat assessments, edna and visual monitoring, and restoration actions to support climate resilience to influence the adaptive capacity of western snowy plovers, larks and salmonid species on tribal lands. For sbdnrs western snowy plover and streak horned lark project, the department will continue to implement conservation management actions. By increasing the species viability and therefore improving the resiliency of the coastal washington population, sbdnr will also maintain representation and redundancy by protecting and restoring the northernmost recovery unit within the species range for western snowy plover, and the northernmost portion of the pacific coast recovery zone for the streaked horned lark. On the coastal dunes and beaches occupied by plovers and larks, targeted restoration actions will continue to both increase the habitat quantity and quality available for plovers and larks while also increasing the availability of traditional plants, shellfish, and fish resources for tribal members. Field studies, population surveys, habitat mapping, and public education will be implemented. Through continued education and outreach, and general presence sbdnr will increase the conservation and survival of the western snowy plover and streaked horned lark. Habitat improvements for plovers and larks will also benefit tribal members, by restoring lands of the tribe and reintroducing culturally important species that have been outcompeted, lost, or removed.through implementation of edna analysis, sbdnr hopes to develop a database of fish biodiversity assessments of all steams and tributaries on tribal lands that have fish habitat criteria. This action will assist the department in targeting approaches to restorative actions on available habitats and further the success of smolt and FRY rearing. Edna is efficient, nondestructive, and nonselective, therefore provides a clear picture of presence and absence and will not negatively impact species present. When combined with visual fish and redd surveys the data will provide a complete picture of all taxonomic groups present. This will enable the sbdnr to have a complete picture throughout the entire freshwater and marine systems across tribal lands of fish biodiversity. Focused restoration intends to support the return of essential fish habitat that will not only support a climate resilient site and open the area to forage, rearing and spawning habitat, IT will also revitalize cultural practices, traditional indigenous harvesting for the tribal community, provide for purposeful indigenous cultural connections and increase the resilience of the tribe. This project supports recovery of salmonids along the west coast and specially engages targeted areas for restoration within willapa BAY on tribal lands. IT also aligns with sbdnr and cultural department goals of restoring cultural connectivity to the landscape.