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Briefings - Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)

Purpose: To establish, or supplement existing, landowner incentive programs that provide technical and financial assistance, including habitat protection and restoration, to private landowners for protection and management of habitat to benefit federally listed, proposed, or candidate species, or other at-risk species on private lands.

This program defines species at risk as any Federally-listed, proposed, or candidate species or other species of concern as officially determined and documented by a State. Private land is considered any non-government-owned land.

Eligible Participants: LIP funds are available to the State agency with primary responsibility for fish and wildlife. All other governmental entities, individuals, and organizations, including Tribes, may partner with or serve as a subgrantee to that fish and wildlife agency.

Funding: The Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002, allocated $40 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for conservation grants to States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U. S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, (hereafter referred to as States) and Tribes under a Landowner Incentive Program (LIP). The Service will allocate $34.8 million for States, $4.0 million for Tribes, and $1.2 million for program administration by the Service.

Matching Requirement: The Program requires a 25% minimum, non-Federal match. Insular Areas (.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands)are exempt from matching requirements for this program (based on 48 U.S.C.1469a. (d)).

Project Application/Selectiion Process: The Service will use a two-tiered award system -Tier I and Tier II. Tier I grants will be judged for minimum eligibility requirements, while Tier II grants will be ranked according to criteria contained in the federal register notice and awarded after a national competition.

• Tier I - intended to provide staff and associated support necessary to fund a landowner program to benefit private landowners and other partners to help manage and protect habitats that benefit species at risk; projects may include plan development, outreach, and associated activities that assist in implementation of projects on private lands.

• Tier II -- should place a priority on implementation of projects to provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners; should emphasize protection and restoration of habitats to benefit federally-listed, proposed or candidate species, or other species at risk on private lands; Tier II grants are intended to fund expansion of existing State landowner incentive programs or those created under Tier I.

Grant recipients must comply with nearly 30 other federal acts or requirements (i.e., NEPA, Endangered Species Act, archeological and historical requirements). Projects are monitored to ensure they are completed as proposed and funds are spent on approved activities.

WSFRP CONTACT:

Barb Behan (barb_behan@fws.gov) 503-231-2066

Ruth Utzurrum, Pacific Islands Coordinator (ruth_utzurrum@fws.gov) 808-792-9571