For Immediate Release: Thursday, February 2, 2023
Contacts:
Josh Johnson, Senior Conservation Associate, Idaho Conservation League, (208) 345-6933 x 301
Courtney Burgard, Environmental Superintendent, Idaho Cobalt Operations, (406) 672-3533
Upper Salmon conservation program soliciting restoration proposals for 2023
SALMON, ID – The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) and Jervois Global Limited (Jervois) are pleased to announce a request for proposals for the 2023 funding cycle of the Upper Salmon Conservation Action Program (USCAP). The USCAP was created in partnership between Jervois and ICL in 2021 to fund efforts to protect and restore fish, water quality, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity within the Upper Salmon River basin. There is $150,000 available in the 2023 funding cycle for qualifying restoration projects.
All of the funds, which are held in a dedicated account by Jervois, will be put toward on-the-ground projects. The projects may involve activities such as removing barriers to fish passage, improving spawning habitat for salmon and steelhead, and restoring surrounding streamside habitat.
This third year of the USCAP follows a successful second year of the program that resulted in another $150,000 in funding being awarded to three restoration projects in the Upper Salmon Basin. This funding was put toward:
- Expansion of a previously funded riparian revegetation project on a former ranch along the East Fork of the Salmon River to improve fish habitat.
- Assisting the acquisition of a second key property along Panther Creek – a main tributary of the Salmon River – that will ultimately be conveyed to the Salmon-Challis National Forest for future fish habitat restoration work.
- Purchase of new bridges (expected summer 2023) as part of a larger project to remove problematic culverts in order to reconnect roughly 10 miles of high-quality fish habitat on one of the last few remaining tributaries to the Salmon River on Salmon-Challis National Forest administered lands that lacks connectivity at the mouth.
“We are very pleased to have another $150,000 this year to invest in healthy rivers and functioning fish habitat,” said Josh Johnson, Senior Conservation Associate for ICL. “With $300,000 of restoration funding already allocated and projects being implemented on the ground, the USCAP is well on its way to leaving an enduring positive impact in the Upper Salmon watershed.”
“Providing a lasting positive legacy beyond the life of an operating mine is at the core of Idaho Cobalt Operations. The USCAP has demonstrated success at sponsoring projects that will deliver on this objective and we are excited to continue building on that success,” said Matthew Lengerich, General Manager for Jervois Idaho Cobalt Operations.
Representatives from ICL and Jervois are now accepting project proposals from interested parties in the region.
For more information, guidelines, and a proposal application, email uppersalmoncap@gmail.com. Funding proposals will be accepted through March 15, 2023.
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The Idaho Conservation League is Idaho’s leading voice for conservation — for the clean water, clean air, special places, and fish and wildlife that make Idaho’s exceptional quality of life possible. We participate in collaborative projects and partnerships across the state to help develop and implement policies that help restore and sustain Idaho’s clean air, clean water, public lands, fish and wildlife, and the communities that depend on them.
Jervois Global Limited (ASX: JRV) (TSX-V: JRV) (OTC: JRVMF) is an Australia-based mining and refining company. It is a leading cobalt company with significant nickel and copper exposure. Its core mission is to become a leading supplier of responsibly sourced battery minerals products supporting United States industry. Jervois’ Idaho Cobalt Operations (ICO) is located approximately 25 miles west of Salmon, Idaho. The ICO is a permitted underground cobalt mine that is anticipated to start production in the first quarter of 2023. Once operational, ICO would be the only producing cobalt mine in the United States.