Atlantic Salmon habitat improvement funding

The Hillsborough River Association (HRA) has received a 2026 Foundation for Conservation of Atlantic Salmon (FCAS) grant of $17,569 to implement wild Atlantic salmon habitat improvements and to continue the opening of stream enhancement work trails blocked by overwinter blowdowns. The stream and riparian zone improvement work will take place on the Head of Hillsborough main stream, Pisquid River, Clark’s Creek, and Vernon River. This funding will assist the HRA and Pisquid River Enhancement Project staff to: maintain beaver-free zones on Pisquid River, Clark’s Creek, and Head of Hillsborough; trap silt to improve salmon spawning and rearing habitat; remove log jams to maintain fish access; continue temperature, nitrate, and phosphorus monitoring; survey salmon spawning redds and conduct electrofishing surveys; and educate student employees, elementary school students, and landowners. In addition, they will install five bank deflector logs, install at least 30 meters of brush mats to capture silt; install five floating cover logs; plant and maintain at least 300 native trees and shrubs to enrich diversity and create stream shade; and release the 2026 issue of its Hillsborough Tidings newsletter.