Partnerships for Aquatic and Watershed Restoration (PAWR)

This outreach of interest (OOI) functions as an outreach mechanism to cultivate relationships and connect with potential partners. This OOI is intended to solicit responses to explore future projects meeting the needs and interests of potential partners through partnership agreements within legislative authority with USDA Forest Service.

USDA Forest Service is looking to address aquatic and watershed restoration needs and empower local communities and partners to assist with implementation of activities. Partnerships will help to address restoration needs through projects that support watershed restoration to improve water quality, improve aquatic organism passage, or improve efficiencies for aquatic restoration activities on lands managed by USDA Forest Service. The agency seeks to actively involve both new and current partners in restoration efforts.

Your submission signals an opportunity for USDA Forest Service to explore with you your ideas/projects/programs and federal funding opportunities. USDA Forest Service is committed to fostering a strong, collaborative partnership that benefits local communities, improves watershed health and ecological integrity, and transportation infrastructure resilience. These collaborations are vital for accelerating watershed restoration, establishing shared priorities, expanding capacity, and ensuring climate resilient landscapes.

USDA Forest Service strives to sustainably manage the nation's watersheds, including rivers and their ecological integrity to provide myriad services to the American people on 193 million acres of forest, grasslands, and waterways. Through federal law and regulations, USDA Forest Service has major responsibilities for the public's waterbodies, including protecting and restoring water quality, hydrologic and ecologic function, conserving aquatic biodiversity, and managing fish, wildlife, and plant habitats that depend on healthy and naturally functioning waterways, adjacent riparian areas, and uplands.

USDA Forest Service accomplishes much of this work by initiating and developing partnerships with effective and dedicated partners, to achieve mutual goals in the science-based protection and watershed restoration that benefit aquatic habitat, native fish populations, water quality, ecological function, aquatic biodiversity, education, aquatic-based recreation, and climate change resilience.