Request for Proposals applicants needed for Coho Habitat Restoration within the Klamath River

A joint Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for applicants to help implement coho salmon habitat restoration projects within the Klamath River and its tributaries downstream of Iron Gate Dam. Two grants totaling $1.1 million will be made available in 2017 through a coalition between the Bureau of Reclamation, PacifiCorp and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

Reclamation’s Klamath River Coho Habitat Restoration Program is funding $645,000 and PacifiCorp’s Klamath River Coho Enhancement Fund is providing $450,000 for 2017. Since 2009, PacifiCorp and Reclamation have contributed a combined $5.3 million toward habitat restoration for coho salmon in the Klamath River.

The programs and the available funds are designed to achieve conservation objectives contained in PacifiCorp’s Klamath Hydroelectric Project Interim Operations Habitat Conservation Plan for Coho Salmon and to also meet the requirements outlined in the 2013 Biological Opinion on Reclamation’s Klamath Project Operations. Coho salmon are listed a threatened species according to the Endangered Species Act. Both the PacifiCorp and the Reclamation programs are intended to enhance the survival and recovery of the coho salmon.

The coalition trio will hold an RFP Open House for the public and interested applicants on Wednesday, May 10 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Best Western Miner’s Inn, Convention Center at 122 E. Miner Street in Yreka. Yreka is the county seat for California’s northernmost Siskiyou county. The Open House program will include an overview of the programs, details regarding the types of projects that will be given priority, and an overview of the proposal process and requirements.

Though the Open House will provide significant details regarding the application and funding process, successful proposals will include access to cold water habitat, create or enhance instream habitat, remove barriers or otherwise improve access, or provide water conservation. Successful proposals must also demonstrate direct benefits for coho salmon. The geographic focus of these programs is within the main Klamath River and its tributaries below Iron Gate Dam.

The RFP pre-proposal deadline is Monday, June 5. The RFP is available on NFWF’s website at http://www.nfwf.org/klamathcoho/Pages/2017combinedrfp.aspx.