Deputy Secretary of the Interior visits Northern Nevada to tout investments
Aaron Keller, regional outdoor educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife, straddles the bank of the Truckee River in Reno on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2015, to release some of the first of thousands of hatchery trout a month earlier than usual due to drought. Photo by: Scott Sonner / AP
Friday, Oct. 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 investment in ecosystem restoration projects, officials said in a news release.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working on a collaborative ecosystem restoration project to support the recovery of the Lahontan cutthroat trout and the Cui-ui sucker, according the release.
Both fish are central to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s culture and have been impacted by water infrastructure and land use changes, including the installation of dams.
The National Fish Passage Program, located at the Numana Dam, received $8.3 million of funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, officials said in a news release. Through the program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with communities to restore river ecosystems and remove barriers and safety hazards.
The program supports the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s vision of addressing a 100-year-old barrier to fish mitigation by building a 1,000-foot ramp to open 65 miles of habitat along the Truckee River for the endangered Cui-ui sucker and the migration of the threatened Lahontan cutthroat from Pyramid Lake.
Infrastructure through this program reconnects aquatic habitat, increasing flood resilience and saves money in long-term repair and replacement costs, the press release said.
Since 1999 the program has worked with over 2,000 local communities, tribes and private landowners and reopen over 64,000 miles of upstream habitat for fish and other animals.
“In Colorado and across the West, we’re seeing the impacts of investments…through efforts that are making lands more climate resilient which will safeguard people and property,” Daniel-Davis said.