Friday, October 25, 2024 | 1:01 p.m.
Acting U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Laura Daniel Davis visited the Truckee River near Reno on Thursday to highlight the Biden administration’s investments in ecosystem restoration projects, officials said in a news release.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is collaborating on an ecosystem restoration project to support the recovery of the Lahontan cutthroat trout and cuiwi sucker, the release said.
Both fish are central to the culture of the Pyramid Lake Paiute people and have been affected by land use changes such as water infrastructure and dam installations.
The National Fish Passage Program at Numana Dam has received $8.3 million in funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, officials said in a news release. Through this program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with local communities to restore river ecosystems and remove barriers and safety hazards.
This program will address a 100-year barrier to fish mitigation by constructing a 1,000-foot-tall ramp to open 65 miles of habitat along the Truckee River for the endangered Kuiwi sucker and its migration. It supports the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s vision to address the Threatened Lahontan from Pyramid Lake.
The program’s infrastructure will reconnect aquatic habitats, increase resilience to flooding, and save long-term repair and replacement costs, the press release states.
Since 1999, the program has worked with more than 2,000 local communities, tribes, and private landowners to restore habitat for fish and other animals over 64,000 miles upstream.
“In Colorado and across the West, we are seeing the impact of our investments through efforts to make the lands that protect people and property more resilient to climate change,” said Daniel Davis.
