PacifiCorps has announced grants through the National Fish and Wildlife Federation. Projects to help the survival and recovery of coho salmon in the Klamath River Basin will receive a combined $614,000 in grants from Pacific Power’s parent company PacifiCorp.

The Karuk Tribe will receive $250,000 to complete the implementation of a large-scale channel restoration and habitat enhancement project on Seiad Creek to enhance the survival and fitness of coho salmon through the restoration of floodplain function and the creation of spawning habitat.

The Mid Klamath Watershed Council, based in Orleans, will receive grants for three projects totaling approximately $214,000. The projects will: create and enhance habitat for coho rearing in side channels of key Klamath tributaries; continue the creation of anadromous fish passage at the mouths and lower reaches of 72 Klamath tributaries in California; and take initial steps to improve conditions for coho in the Stanshaw Creek area near Somes Bar.

Caltrans District 2 will receive $150,000 to assist in removing an existing 15-foot diameter culvert on Fort Goff Creek, in Siskiyou County, and replace it with a single span bridge to restore a channel and facilitate coho passage. This culvert replacement has been identified as a high priority project for coho by both the California Department of Fish and Game and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

“The grants to our local partners, who are restoring important habitat, connecting cold water springs, and increasing stream flows in tributaries, are making a significant difference to the survival and abundance of coho salmon in the Klamath River,” said Krystyna Wolniakowski, Western Director of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The projects, selected in October 2012, mark the fourth year the grants have been issued as part of PacifiCorp’s Coho Enhancement Fund, which was established during the development of the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement. PacifiCorp is providing $510,000 annually to this fund which is administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.