Since its inception in 2005, the DFHP has directed over $2.6 million in federal NFHP and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funds towards habitat protection and restoration projects to benefit native desert fishes.  In 2018, DFHP will continue to support native desert fish conservation efforts through the funding of five habitat restoration projects in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. 

Amargo Creek Connectivity and Habitat Enhancement Project, NM

The Jicarilla Apache Nation (JAN) has enhanced six miles of the Navajo River and now is focusing on its tributaries to further native fish conservation. Amargo Creek is the largest tributary of the Navajo River historically supporting healthy populations of native Colorado River Basin fish species throughout 20 miles of creek. The JAN Game and Fish Department will be reconnecting the Navajo River with the eight miles of Amargo Creek on the JAN Reservation. The project will use large rock and woody debris to enhance habitat while reopening up and downstream passage of migrating Colorado River Basin Fishes throughout the watershed, enhancing the largest tributary of the Navajo River on JAN lands. Additional measures include enhancing habitat with native vegetation and reopening downstream passage of migrating Colorado River Basin fishes throughout the watershed.

UCRB Innovative and Science-Based Desert Tributaries Restoration: Price River Initiative, UT

This project is a collaborative effort between Bureau of Land Management, Utah State University, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Bureau of Reclamation. These partners are collaborating to restore desert riverine ecosystems to a more natural and dynamic state and conserve and recover self-sustaining populations of the endangered native desert fish that reside in them. To date the initiative has focused on restoration efforts along the San Rafael River system, resulting in 17.5 miles of critical habitat restored and monitored. The Price River was chosen as the next area of focus because it has a history of use by all imperiled and endangered stream fishes of the UCRB, and  it is a “priority river” in the Nature Conservancy’s, Colorado River Business Plan. This project will restore and enhance 10-15 miles of critical habitat within the lower Price River, UT by providing necessary habitat to ensure the persistence of native fish and vegetation. These efforts will focus on recovering and sustaining natural habitat-forming processes, such as lateral channel movement, beaver dam-building activity, and inputs of large wood.

 Gila Topminnow Habitat Restoration, AZ

Arizona Game and Fish Department has identified critical habitat for the endangered Gila Topminnow. This project will construct cattle exclusion fencing around two springs (Lower Coal Mine spring and George Wise spring) that sustains one of the very few remaining wild populations of endangered Gila Topminnow (Poeciliopsis occidentalis), and another unlisted native species, the Longfin Dace (Agosia chrysogaster). The continued use of the springs by trespass cattle has led to the degradation of both springs through increased sedimentation, loss of vegetative cover and reduced water quality from excessive nutrients.  This project will address these issues by preventing cattle from accessing the riparian habitat around the springs, thus eliminating their negative impacts to the immediate area and the native desert fishes occupying the springs.

Bylas Springs and the Endangered Gila Topminnow: Habitat Restoration and Reintroduction Project, AZ

The Arizona Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office and the San Carlos Apache Reservation Game and Fish Department are working together to improve habitat for the endangered Gila Topminnow on the Bylas Springs Complex. The Bylas Springs complex is a series of three small springs adjacent to the Gila River on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona that all historically contained Gila Topminnow. The proposed actions of this project include invasive plant species removal, hydrologic and riparian restoration, habitat and fish population monitoring and the reintroduction of the federally endangered Gila Topminnow to any fish less springs.

Tularosa River Riparian Restoration, NM

In 2017, the Reserve Ranger District authorized the construction of approximately five miles of riparian exclosure fencing on the west side of the perennial Tularosa River in NM. Thus expanding the existing riparian exclosure to improve effectiveness. Off-site water sources for livestock will be constructed to move grazing pressure out of the riparian area. To conserve the Tularosa River Corridor, riparian plants such as willows, cottonwood trees, and other native riparian plants will be planted along the riverbank and associated drainage's to stabilize the soil and capture sediment. These efforts will improve water quality and habitat conditions for five native desert fish species; Loachminnow, Bluehead Sucker, Sonora Sucker,  Speckled Dace, and Longfin Dace. 

The Desert Fish Habitat Partnership is thrilled to be able to assist all of these projects and their partners in these endeavors