Project Grant NA25NMFX438G0003

Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $26.6 million to the Species Conservation Office of Idaho under the Pacific Salmon Treaty Program (CFDA 11.438) on September 1, 2025, to support Pacific salmon and steelhead recovery initiatives through September 2030. The award funds projects necessary to maintain and protect healthy salmon populations, monitor sport fisheries, and investigate threats to Pacific salmon in Idaho's inland waters. The funding addresses critical gaps in habitat restoration, fish passage improvement, and data collection to support fisheries management decisions and preserve commercial fishery operations, fisheries-related employment, and recreational opportunities across the state.

Sub-awards totaling multiple millions support diverse implementation partners delivering specific conservation products and services. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game conducts habitat construction on the Lemhi River and Pahsimeroi River, implements steelhead monitoring in the Potlatch River basin, and develops engineering designs for fish passage improvements. Trout Unlimited and Mount Hood Environmental provide stream habitat restoration on the Pahsimeroi River and maintain long-term PIT tag monitoring infrastructure to assess restoration outcomes. The Nez Perce Tribe implements channel realignment work on Sweetwater Creek, while soil and water conservation districts improve water right administration, install fish passage infrastructure, and construct in-stream habitat structures in multiple tributaries. Collectively, these activities enhance stream complexity, restore floodplain connectivity, support ESA-listed salmonid access to over 60 miles of spawning and rearing habitat, and generate effectiveness monitoring data to inform watershed-scale conservation priorities across the Salmon River and Clearwater River basins.