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Brook trout are choosy about their habitat.
鈥淭hey thrive only in clean, cold, clear, connected waterways in intact forests,鈥� explained Lori Maloney, coordinator of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a network of partners working to conserve brook trout in the eastern United States.
The pristine places where brook trout feel at home are also a draw for many people 鈥� especially those who like to fish.
But whether or not you鈥檙e an angler, healthy brook trout populations should make you happy because they鈥檙e indicators of good water quality.
Unfortunately, brook trout have disappeared from large portions of their native range in the eastern United States due to a variety of stressors. Deforestation has led to erosion and runoff in streams; non-native fish species outcompete brook trout for resources; and aquatic barriers, like dams and undersized culverts, block them from their habitats.
The good news is conservation experts know what it takes to bring back brook trout 鈥� reforesting land along rivers and streams, managing invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species , and removing in-stream barriers 鈥� and have completed many successful restoration projects.
But they also know they can do more by scaling up.
"Fish don鈥檛 care about governmental boundaries,鈥� Maloney said. To achieve lasting outcomes for this species, she explained, practitioners are looking for opportunities to secure funding for projects that cross state lines, improving habitat and connectivity on a watershed level.
Easier said than done.
鈥淚t's surprisingly difficult to pull off,鈥� said Tim Schaeffer, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
He knows, because he鈥檚 part of a team that managed to do so.
Growing collaboration
In 2024, Pennsylvania teamed up with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, Trout Unlimited and the Wildlife Management Institute to apply for funding to support strategic brook trout conservation in the multistate Delaware River watershed.
Their teamwork paid off: The partners received $500,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service鈥檚 Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund and $4.5 million from the Department of the Interior鈥檚 America鈥檚 Ecosystem Restoration Initiative.
It wasn鈥檛 luck. It was the result of proactive collaboration.
In 2021, the Service helped establish the Delaware River Watershed Conservation Collaborative, a voluntary partnership of federal and state agencies, nongovernmental organizations and academic institutions that sets funding priorities for the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund.
鈥淏rook trout was one of the priorities we coalesced around,鈥� Schaeffer explained. 鈥淲e thought: How can we get more funds on the ground to support strategic work for this species?鈥�
They decided to take a multipronged approach, simultaneously pursuing funding for both building capacity and implementing conservation in the three watershed states with potential brook trout habitat: New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
The grant from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund will allow the Wildlife Management Institute and Trout Unlimited to each bring on a new staff member to coordinate work across the watershed, while the grant from America鈥檚 Ecosystem Restoration Initiative funds work on the ground.
"Having staff dedicated to working across the states, and with all of the partners, to bring everything together sets us up for long-term success,鈥� said Kristen Meistrell, assistant director for Wildlife Management and Freshwater Fisheries at New Jersey DEP Fish and Wildlife, the fiscal sponsor for the grant.
Positive ripple effects
The team鈥檚 goal is to complete two restoration projects in each of the three partnering states, over the course of four years.
鈥淭hey could involve reforesting riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian areas, removing aquatic barriers 鈥� like small dams or culverts 鈥� or in-stream work to improve habitat,鈥� Meistrell said.
The projects will be selected based on local expertise in each state about where strategic action for brook trout will have the greatest impact. But because the projects will be connected by a shared vision, they will have positive ripple effects throughout the watershed.
鈥淏rook trout often occur at higher elevation and in headwaters because they prefer cold water,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淭hat means brook trout conservation helps everything downstream.鈥�
Improvements in stream health and water quality benefit other species of fish, other aquatic organisms like freshwater mussels, and of course, people.
鈥淚f you can right-size an ill-fitting culvert and allow better passage, you鈥檙e eliminating flood hazard at the same time,鈥� Schaeffer said, explaining, 鈥淩econnecting streams with their floodplains allows flood water to dissipate during storms.鈥�
There鈥檚 also the economic benefit brought by dedicated anglers who, in pursuit of brook trout fishing, bring tourism dollars to rural communities.
Part of something bigger
The effort in the Delaware River watershed aligns with a broader initiative by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Landscape Wildlife Conservation Committee to advance strategic conservation in iconic landscapes in the Northeast.
The committee selected seven priority landscapes and themes in the Northeast to encourage collaborative conservation, with a special emphasis on the Atlantic Coast, Northern Forest and Appalachians. Partners working at any scale can support regional conservation by taking strategic action in these landscapes.
鈥淏ecause of where brook trout occur, our project aligns perfectly with the committee鈥檚 goals,鈥� Meistrell said. The work to support brook trout in the Delaware River watershed will focus on sub-watersheds within the Appalachian Corridor 鈥� the Beaverkill River in New York, the Bushkill and Raymondskill creeks in Pennsylvania, and the Flatbrook and Musconetcong rivers in New Jersey.
The committee helped develop this and other project ideas for America鈥檚 Ecosystem Restoration Initiative in 2023 and 2024, resulting in more than $15 million for new projects in high-priority landscapes. These investments leverage and complement ongoing strategic work in the Appalachians supported by the Service鈥檚 National Fish Passage Program, which works with states and partners to reconnect high-quality brook trout habitat by upgrading road-stream crossings and removing old, unused dams, and partner coordination supported by the National Fish Habitat Partnership. The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture is one of 20 regional Fish Habitat Partnerships that leverage federal, state, tribal, and private resources to help restore aquatic ecosystems.
While looking at the big picture is key for selecting projects with meaningful conservation outcomes for brook trout, local buy-in is vital for long-term success. That鈥檚 why the partners plan to build community engagement into each of the projects to foster interest in and continued momentum for brook trout conservation in the places where it matters most.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all really excited about this effort,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淲e hope it showcases what we can accomplish when we can work across state lines so people start to ask: Where else can we do this?鈥�
And: For what other species and habitats? With partners by your side, the sky is the limit.
