Application for WNTI Funding Application Deadline: 5 pm Mountain time October 7, 2016 Application not to exceed 10 pages total (including the 3 page cover sheet) Cover Sheet Applicant Information Lead Applicant Organization or Entity: Colorado Trout Unlimited Contact Person Name: David Nickum Address: 1536 Wynkoop St. Suite 320 City, State, Zip: Denver, CO 80202 Email: [email protected] Telephone:720‐581‐8589 Website Address: www.coloradotu.org Project Information Project Title: Hermosa Creek Colorado River Cutthroat Metapopulation Project Project Location State: CO County: La Plata Nearest Town: Durango Congressional District of Project: 3rd Congressional District Watershed/Stream/Lake: Hermosa Creek Watershed ‐ within the Animas River Watershed WNTI native trout and char species/sub‐species Benefitted by Project: Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Total Project Budget: $447,967 Total Amount Requested: $50,000 Total Matching Funds or In‐Kind Support Secured: $390,532 Project Map Coordinates (decimal degrees) Lat: 37.642 Long: ‐107.927 Project Start Date: Summer 2017* * For barrier construction; reclamation and Project Completion Date: Summer 2017* restocking follow as matching efforts in 2018‐ 19. Is there a monitoring plan following Partnership guidelines? Yes If multiyear project, is there a breakdown of tasks, accomplishments, and budget by year in distinct phases? Yes Land Ownership (public or private; if public, specify managing agency): USDA Forest Service Is there a letter of support from the State or Federal fish and wildlife agency or Tribal government? Yes If project is located on private land, please also attach a letter of support from landowner In which USFWS Region is the project located? (1, 2, 6, 7, 8) _6_ Region 1: Idaho, Oregon, Washington Region 2: New Mexico, Arizona Region 6: Montana, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming Region 7: Alaska Region 8: California, Nevada Is your project currently listed in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife FONS system? No Please indicate FONS Project Number (if applicable): NA Note: Many previously submitted, but unfunded projects have been placed in the Fishery Operational Needs System (FONS). Please check with your local U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office if you are unsure about the question. Sponsoring Professional (federal, state, or tribal agency resource manager) Name: Clayton Kampf Title: Fisheries Biologist Affiliation: San Juan National Forest, USDA Forest Service Signature (required): Mailing Address: 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO 81301 Phone: 970‐884‐1403 Email: [email protected] WNTI Funds Requested: $___50,000_______________ Total Matching Contributions (cash and in‐kind): $____390,532 (to date)______________ Match ratio (WNTI:Partner) ____1____ : __7.8____ Total Project Cost: $__447,967 Partner Contribution Detail (List and briefly describe the project partners and their financial contributions.) Partner Cash In‐Kind San Juan National Forest, USDA Forest $207,500 $30,000 FS Staff time Service (includes Regional Office); cash, planned for barrier construction management & monitoring construction National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Bring $56,000 Back the Natives; cash (USFS grant application approved) Colorado Parks and Wildlife; cash, monitoring, $65,320 $21,000 reclamation and stocking above the barrier following construction Trout Unlimited, 5 Rivers Chapter and $6,000 $4,712 (200 hours at Colorado Council; cash, volunteer support national value of during construction, reclamation, restocking $23.56/hour) Western Native Trout Initiative (requested) $50,000 Trout & Salmon Foundation (requested) $7,500 Budget Totals $334,820 (plus $57,500 $55,712 pending requests) Note: NFHP funds granted to project applicants are processed through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Offices. These are federal funds, administered on WNTI’s behalf through a federal agency. Grants are paid on a reimbursable basis. A FWS project agreement will be completed with successful applicants through interactions with FWS regional and/or local staff. Project Partners (list all project partners and contact information) Partner Organization: U.S. Forest Service, San Juan National Forest Contact Name: Clay Kampf Position: Fisheries Biologist Email: [email protected] Telephone: 970‐884‐1403 Partner Organization: Colorado Parks and Wildlife Contact Name: Jim White Position: Area Biologist Email: [email protected] Telephone: 970-247-0855 Partner Organization: Five Rivers Trout Unlimited Chapter Contact Name: Buck Skillen Position: Chapter President Email: [email protected] Telephone: 970‐382‐8248 Partner Organization: Contact Name: Position: Email: Telephone: Partner Organization: Contact Name: Position: Email: Telephone: Partner Organization: Contact Name: Position: Email: Telephone: Partner Organization: Contact Name: Position: Email: Telephone: Partner Organization: Contact Name: Position: Email: Telephone: Project Components (select all that apply) Riparian or In‐Stream Habitat Restoration X Watershed Connectivity X Barrier Removal or Construction Monitoring Watershed or Population Assessment Education/outreach In‐Stream Flow Acquisition Planning Watershed Planning Anticipated Outcomes (fill in values applicable to project) _3_ # Stream Miles Restored or Enhanced ___ # Watersheds or Rivers Assessed 23 # Stream Miles Reconnected or Reopened ___ # Stream Miles Assessed ___ # Acres of Lake/Wetlands Restored/Enhanced ___ # Populations Assessed 1 # Barriers Removed or Constructed _1_ Other: (i.e. number of individuals reached by an educational program, number of presentations given, number of materials produced, etc.) Metapopulation established Project Narrative Please use 12 pt. font, single line spacing, and standard margins. This portion of your application should not exceed 7 pages. I. Project Summary ‐ a one paragraph description of what tasks will be accomplished. The Hermosa Creek and East Fork Hermosa Creek watersheds provide a unique opportunity to re-establish Colorado River Cutthroat Trout (CRCT) to a portion of their native range. This particular project will create a metapopulation by connecting two isolated sub-populations of CRCT. Upon completion of the project, there will be 23 stream miles of interbreeding native CRCT located in the Hermosa and East Fork Hermosa watersheds representing the largest contiguous population of CRCT in the State of Colorado. The final phase of this multi-year project, for which we are seeking WNTI support, will be to install a downstream barrier to protect the metapopulation of CRCT from future invasion by non-native trout, and to reclaim and restore CRCT in the habitat (approximately 3 miles) between the new barrier and two existing upstream barriers. II. Problem the Project Addresses ‐ A description of why the project is important to the resource and which WNTI and NFHP objectives will be met. What are the major factors limiting the healthy function of the watershed/habitat? Describe how your proposed project addresses the causes of degradation rather than the symptoms, and how your project addresses species recovery needs or other species conservation needs. Describe how the project is important to the long‐term persistence of the species. The Colorado River cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii pleuriticus) (CRCT) is designated by both the United States Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management as a sensitive species, and is recognized as a state-listed threatened species by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Historically, the CRCT occupied portions of the Colorado River drainage in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Currently, CRCT occupy 3,022 stream miles or approximately 13% of their historic range, located mainly in headwater streams and lakes above 7,500 feet in elevation. Non-native fish introduction has been the main reason for CRCT decline, with the resulting hybridization reducing the genetic integrity of the subspecies. In the Hermosa Creek watershed specifically, non-native trout had displaced CRCT throughout the basin until restoration efforts began in the 1990s, through which two core conservation populations of CRCT were re- established. A natural fish migration barrier is located on the East Fork Hermosa Creek, isolating approximately 3 miles of stream and protecting a core conservation population in the East Fork Hermosa headwaters that was reclaimed for native trout in 1991. A second barrier was constructed in 2007 isolating 14 miles of the headwaters of Hermosa Creek itself for reclamation and reintroduction with native CRCT. An additional barrier on East Fork Hermosa Creek was completed in 2013, extending the available habitat for that core conservation population by 3 more miles. The current proposal calls for construction of a final, large barrier on the mainstem of Hermosa Creek below its confluence with the East Fork – followed by reclamation and restocking of CRCT into the habitat between the new barrier and the existing upstream barriers. This will allow for interaction between the currently isolated populations and provide a larger, more robust habitat that can better ensure persistence of the CRCT within the basin even in the face of localized disturbances. The final barrier to exclude non-native trout is necessary for the metapopulation to persist over time. The Hermosa Creek watershed’s habitat is in excellent condition, and enjoys strong and permanent legal protection. Restoration work has already taken place to improve overwintering habitat – identified by agency biologists as a key habitat limitation