DELAWARE RIVER — On February 4, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, announced $12.5 million in funding from the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund to support 30 partner-led conservation projects in the Delaware River watershed. 

The grants will generate nearly $17 million in matching contributions, resulting in a total investment of $29.3 million in strategic conservation to restore fish and wildlife habitats, improve water quality, build community readiness and resilience to natural disasters and enhance public access to recreational opportunities. 

Collectively, the projects supported by the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund in 2025 will: 

• Open nearly 4,000 acres to public access 
• Implement dynamic restoration plans on more than 11,000 acres of forestland 
• Restore wetlands and floodplains to mitigate flooding and improve water quality

Several of the projects focus on work in the upper Delaware River, including:

• The Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) received $750,000 for a Brook Trout Habitat Assessment and Restoration, with an additional $750,000 in matching funds bringing the total project cost to $1.5 million. FUDR will restore five streams and assess additional sites for potential restoration to improve habitat for brook trout in the tailwaters of the upper Delaware River in New York. The project will plant 2,000 trees, restore 2.9 miles of riparian buffer and assess 10 miles of river to address habitat erosion and identify priority areas for future implementation efforts. 
• The Delaware Highlands Conservancy received $1 million to conserve habitat through the Upper Delaware River Conservation Collaboration, with an additional $4,256,300 in matching funds bringing the total funding for the project to $5,256,300. The project will convene the Upper Delaware River Conservation Collaboration, a partnership of five stakeholders, to protect more than 9,000 acres of forests, floodplains, waterways and other natural resources in perpetuity and host a minimum of 660 community engagement events to generate support for these efforts.