12/20/06 New Fish Enhancement, Mitigation & Research Fund page!

See the Outreach Update page here.

12/19/06 Fish & Wildlife Service Seeks Proposals Under Several Endangered Species Grant Programs (Endangered Species):

1) Habitat Restoration- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals for conservation projects to benefit imperiled species on private lands through its Private Stewardship Grants Program. This program provides federal grants on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that help federally listed endangered or threatened species as well as proposed, candidate and other at-risk species. Proposals must be submitted to the appropriate Service Regional Offices by February 14, 2007.

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/grants/private_stewardship/index.html

2) Land acquisition, Habitat Conservation Planning, Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories interested in securing Federal grant assistance to acquire land or plan for endangered species conservation efforts. For fiscal year 2007, the President’s budget request for the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund would provide approximately $80 million in grant funding for conservation planning activities and habitat acquisition for federally protected species. Proposals must be submitted to the appropriate Service Regional Offices by February 7, 2007.

http://www.fws.gov/endangered/grants/section6/index.html

Please contact our endangered species program with any questions at 607-753-9334

12/19/06 Service is Soliciting Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment for the Definition of "Disturb" (Endangered Species):

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made available a draft environmental assessment of its proposed regulatory definition of "disturb" under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. Comments will be accepted until January 11, 2007.

Copies of the Environmental Assessment and Federal Register Notice are available at http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/baldeagle.htm

The Long Island Field Office recently moved to Brookhaven, onto Long Island National Wildlife Refuge property.

Please use the following new contact information:

Long Island Field Office
340 Smith Rd.
Shirley, NY 11967
Phone: (631) 286-0485
Fax: (631) 286-4003

9/29/06 State Wildlife Grants Partnership Kick-off Meeting:

This week the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Director of the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, Gerry Barnhart, convened the first meeting of a new partnership of State, Federal, and local resource, regulatory agencies, and non-governmental advocates for fish and wildlife AND concerned citizens groups. This Partnership will guide development of stepped-down watershed basin strategic plans for conservation of non-game species in the State. Specifically, the teams will begin to work together to set priorities for funding for the types of activities which were proposed as priorities for conservation as part of the State’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (SCWCS). The SCWCS received a stamp of approval in February from our Federal Assistance Division in Hadley; proposals for future Service funding from the State Wildlife Grant Program must show adherence to the NYSDEC SCWCS. NYSDEC’s plan identified 537 species of conservation need in 11 watershed-based geographic areas. In attendance for the Service were Project Leader David Stilwell, State Coordinator PFFW Carl Schwartz, FEMRF Project Manager June Deweese, Endangered Species (Recovery) Biologist Robyn Niver, and Deputy Supervisor Laury Zicari.

On September 12, 2006, the Service released its updated Candidate Notice of Review, a yearly appraisal of the candidate species list detailing those plants or animals that may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Ten species have been removed from the candidate list and seven species have been added to the list since the last review in May 2005. There are now 279 species currently recognized by the Service as candidates for ESA protection.
Candidate List
News Release
Federal Register (pdf)

New England Cottontail, credit Anne Brown

The FERC denied Erie Boulevard Hydropower, LP’s (Erie) request for license amendment to add two new hydropower developments to the existing Black River Project. Although the two new sites at Felts Mills and Great Bend are located between two developments of the 5-development Black River Project, the dams are currently breached and have never had hydropower. A competitor has applied for preliminary permits for the two sites. The two sites were licensed to another developer back in the 1990’s but never constructed, thus the licenses were terminated. A coalition of the Service, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and New York Rivers United opposed the original licenses in the 1990’s. The same group opposed this amendment attempt. The sites represent the last free-flowing section of the lower Black River and represent important walleye spawning sites. The FERC rejected the amendment application for failure to properly consult with the agencies and failure to conduct studies. Erie had attempted to complete the application process in 4 months, and had proposed doing studies after the amendments were granted. Correspondence from the Service and our partners helped convince the FERC that Project Reviews was inadequate. Erie must now go through a complete three-stage licensing process (as their competitors must) and file a competing application at the appropriate time.

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Photo credit: Donna Dewhurst Collection

Log vanes were installed on the Little Salmon River to provide fish habitat, reduce bank erosion, and reduce sediment loads. The landowner was a logger and provided the hemlock trees and a load of a dozen large rocks. His original proposal was to riprap the bank but was very pleased when he found that the log vanes saved him over $3,000 and will accomplish his objectives. Contact: Carl Schwartz

The areas for construction of a rock vane and channel block were surveyed on the Salmon River. Construction is supposed to start before July 15 when they start drawing down the reservoir to make repairs; the flows will go from 185 cfs to 340 cfs. The river was operated for peaking power with daily discharges of 2,000 cfs and has been operating with flows of 185 and 340 for the last 10 years so bedload has deposited in some of the pools and the river is taking a chute cutoff that has major implications for the fishery. Contact: Carl Schwartz

The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees have released for public review and comment a Draft Study Plan for an Avian Egg Injection Study.

Past and continuing discharges of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have contaminated the natural resources of the Hudson River. The Hudson River Natural Resource Trustees – New York State, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of the Interior – are conducting a natural resource damage assessment (NRDA) to assess and restore those natural resources injured by PCBs. Based on results of avian investigations conducted by the Trustees, and considering factors such as the life histories of various Hudson River avian species, avian toxicology, and the goals of the NRDA, the Trustees determined that it was appropriate to conduct further investigations focused on avian species. Pursuant to that determination and to the Hudson River NRDA Plan, the Trustees conducted a study of belted kingfisher, spotted sandpiper, and tree swallow in 2004 and 2005. The Trustees further proposed conducting an avian egg injection study. Accordingly, the Trustees have developed a Draft Study Plan for an avian egg injection experiment focused on Hudson River bird species. As this study will entail injury endpoints, the Trustees will perform a peer review of the proposed study and are issuing the draft Study Plan for public review and comment, in accordance with the Hudson River NRDA Plan. The Draft Study Plan is available at:

http://www.fws.gov/contaminants/restorationplans/HudsonRiver/HudsonRiver.cfm. The comment period closes March 31, 2006.
Contact: Kathryn Jahn