Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program 2026
Forecasted
Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program 2026 supports landowners and conservation partners in restoring forests, grasslands, and waterways to improve native wildlife habitat and community resilience.
Funder: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): July 2027 (Full proposal)
Funding Amounts: $75,000–$500,000 per project; completion within four years
Summary: Supports voluntary forest, grassland, and freshwater habitat restoration and collaborative conservation across central Appalachia.
Key Information: Projects must fall within the program boundary, which excludes the Pennsylvania Wilds and Blue Ridge/Upper James focal areas.
Description
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Central Appalachia Habitat Stewardship Program supports voluntary restoration and management of public and private forests, grasslands, rivers, and streams. It aims to improve habitat quantity, quality, and connectivity, increase native wildlife populations, and support resilient communities and natural resource-based economies. Major funding partners include the Richard King Mellon Foundation, USDA Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Priorities include mixed-age forest management, legacy mined-land reforestation, grassland restoration, aquatic passage improvements, forested riparian buffers, and improved water quality and hydrology. Target species include golden-winged warbler, wood thrush, cerulean warbler, Northern bobwhite, Eastern meadowlark, Eastern box turtle, pollinators, brook trout, eastern hellbender, and freshwater mussels. The program also supports landowner assistance, species-response monitoring, and conservation collaboratives that sustain and expand restoration.
