Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Habitat Work Group Update

1. Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture Habitat Work Group Update Hannibal Bolton Chair, Habitat Work Group

2. Habitat Work Group UpdateRecent Activities Convened Habitat Work Group meeting at James Madison University; Harrisonville, VA (Nov. 2005) Meeting Outcomes: • Identified habitat goals for the next 15-20 years based on the assessment work of Hudy et. al. • Decision: Individual states should develop their own strategies for meeting these goals due to the diversity of habitat threats that occur rangewide. • Identified protection of habitat/watersheds that support intact brook trout populations a key goal of the EBTJV.

3. Habitat Goals • Protect and maintain the current classification status on 100 % of the watersheds currently classified as intact. • Establish self-sustaining brook trout populations on 10% of the currently extirpated watersheds. • Improve 30% of greatly reduced watersheds to a higher classification; maintain 70% in existing condition. • Validate (inventory and monitor) classification of predicted watersheds

4. Habitat Work Group Update Meeting Outcomes: • Identified immediate needfor protection and restoration of "islands" of habitat, with long term goal of creating continuous habitat "corridors” • Identified key components of aproject ranking and prioritization system; further developed by an HWG subgroup: • Larry Mohn (VDGIF), Mark Staley (MDNR), Bryan Moore (TU), Shelaine Curd-Hetrick (USGS), and Maureen Gallagher (USFWS)

5. Habitat Work Group Update Meeting Outcomes: • Draft project ranking document intended for use in choosing projects funded through or endorsed by EBTJV • Next steps for the project prioritization process include: • Develop funding guidelines and a process for future funding • Refine ranking tool based on comments from this meeting and committee member feedback

6. Habitat Work Group Update Meeting Outcomes: • Developed list of tactics to address top 10 threats to eastern brook trout (as identified in“ Distribution, Status, & Perturbations to Brook Trout within the Eastern United States, Hudy et al.) • Drafted “Tactics and Strategies” document to address top 10 threats to brook trout (as identified above); further developed by an HWG subgroup: • Larry Mohn (VDGIF), Mark Staley (MDNR), Tom Oldham (WVDNR), Andrew Madden (MDFWEL), Bryan Moore (TU), Shelaine Curd-Hetrick (USGS), and Mike Weimer (USFWS) • Document to complement “Conserving the Eastern Brook Trout: An Overview of Status, Threats, and Trends”

7. Habitat Work Group Update Please provide comments on EBTJV Habitat Work Group documents to:Hannibal Bolton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Servicehannibal_bolton@fws.gov 703-358-1718 Next Steps for “Tactics and Strategies” document: • Revise and finalize “Tactics and Strategies” document based on input from: - EBTJV HWG and Steering Committee - EBTJV Partner meeting attendees

8. Changing Hats

9. NFHI Joint Venture Funding$1Million Add from Congress • Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership-$225K • Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture-$200K • Western Native Trout Initiative-$200K • Midwest Driftless-$100K • Matanuska-Siska Watershed (Alaska)-$100K • Washington Office-$175K

10. Federal Funding Opportunities • Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program • Fish Passage Program • Farm Bill (CRP, WRP, CREP, WHIP, EQUP, etc.) • Landowner Incentive Program • Private Stewardship Grants • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Mo’ Fish Campaign)