Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award $61.2 million in wildlife grants to state and territorial wildlife agencies.

The State Wildlife Grant program is designed to assist states in the development and implementation of programs that benefit wildlife, including species not fished or hunted, and their habitats. The funds are made available through annual appropriations.

"The grant program demonstrates our commitment to conservation partnerships with state wildlife agencies," said Interior Secretary Gale Norton. "This program exemplifies our cooperative conservation approach by helping states to tailor their conservation efforts in a manner that best fits local conditions."

To be eligible for State Wildlife Grant funds, each state must complete a Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan or Strategy by October 1, 2005. States may use the funds for project planning or implementation activities. A state may receive no more than 5 percent or less than 1 percent of the available funds. The District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico receive .5 percent and Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands receive .25 percent. The apportionment is based on a formula that uses the state’s land area and population.

"Because so many issues related to wildlife conservation are not contained by borders, states and the Service must work together to coordinate efforts to conserve endangered and threatened species, manage migrating birds and ensure that the foundations for wildlife management are good science and habitat," said Service Director Steve Williams. "These grants continue to allow us to build a future for conservation together."

The Georgia Wildlife Resources Division is developing techniques to manage swallow-tailed kites in the Satilla River watershed in southeastern Georgia. The state is also working with nearby landowners for kite conservation.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission is using federal money to protect more than 30,000 bats of six species at two mines in Pennsylvania. The state will install special gates at the entrances to these bat caves – called hibernacula or winter homes - to prevent disturbance and vandalism during periods when these species are highly vulnerable.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife will determine the presence of the federally listed Preble's meadow jumping mouse at previously unsurveyed locations, including those along the eastern portion of its range. If these mice are discovered in new areas, the vegetation in those areas will be compared with that in areas where it is previously known to exist. The benefit of the work will be improved understanding of the species range and more accurate mapping of its populations.

The Oklahoma Department of Conservation will use the results of an instream flow study in the state’s Ecologically Sustainable Water Management process for southeastern Oklahoma rivers. This process will help guide future water management and species conservation efforts in this part of the state. There are many fish and mussel species of conservation concern in the selected watersheds.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is translocating and establishing federally listed Chiricahua leopard frog populations in all available and suitable habitats on a cooperating large ranch. The successful establishment of frog populations in all available habitats in this area will help expand the current range and numbers of Chiricahua leopard frogs, provide insight into the factors involved in successful translocation and potentially provide a source population for translocation to other suitable habitats within New Mexico.

A complete list of grants by state follows. For additional information, please visit the Service’s web site at <http://www.fws.gov>.