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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeks Proposals
from States for Endangered Species Conservation Grants
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December 11, 2002
Contact:
Tom MacKenzie, 404/679-7291
Patricia Fisher, 202-208-1459
The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking proposals from states
and U.S. territories interested in acquiring land or conducting conservation
planning for endangered species. Although at this time the Service has
not yet received a final fiscal year 2003 appropriation, the agency
is proceeding with a request for proposals to ensure timely completion
of the grant selection process in anticipation of a final appropriation.
The three grant programs fund planning activities and land acquisition
for federally protected species and grants are expected to be awarded
in Spring 2003.
“We’ve been hearing from grantees that endangered species
grants encouraged partnerships at the state and local level to develop
projects and acquire land to conserve federally-listed species,”
said Service Director Steve Williams. “Because there are no one-size
fits all solutions for conservation problems, these partnerships are
essential to the development and implementation of effective, publicly
supported projects.”
Included below are some examples of how some 2002 grants are making
a difference in the Southeast:
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Georgia: The Georgia
Department of Natural Resources received funds to help
buy 5,480 acres of land next to their Chickaswhatchee Wildlife Management
Area in Albany. Chickaswatchee Swamp is one of the largest remaining
freshwater swamps in the Southeast. The area is being managed for
the recovery of several endangered and threatened species like the
wood stork and the gulf moccasinshell mussel and for the protection
of migratory birds, fish, mussels, animals, and plants.
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The Georgia Department of Natural Resources received
a $281,934 grant to facilitate the ongoing phases of a multi-year,
multi-county habitat conservation planning (HCP) process in the Upper
Etowah River basin that will have significant benefits for 15 listed
and candidate aquatic species. The grant helped fund steering committee
meetings, public meetings, outreach materials, development of a regional
greenspace protection plan, and a statistical model of storm water
run-off and erosion sources and their effects on aquatic species.
Another HCP grant was awarded to facilitate the purchase of two tracts
totaling up to 748 acres adjacent to DNR’s Moody Forest Natural
Area. The tracts supplement lands managed for recovery of the red-cockaded
woodpecker as part of DNR’s statewide incidental take permit
for this species.
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Tennessee: The Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation received funding
to aid the recovery of the endangered plant, Pyne’s ground plum.
A population of 250 or 300 plants is found in Rutherford County, Tennessee,
near Murfreesboro. Protection of this site protects one of only three
known populations of the ground plum and its pristine cedar glade
habitat.
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The Tennessee
Wildlife Resources Agency received funds to help acquire
land on the Duck River in Marshall and Maury Counties. Protection
is assured for several fish and mussel species, including three federally-listed
mussel species.
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The grants are to be awarded from the Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund, authorized under the Endangered
Species Act. This fund provides grants to states and territories
to support their participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation
projects for listed species, as well as for species that are either
proposed or candidates for listing. By law, the state or territory must
have a current cooperative agreement with the Service and contribute
25% of the estimated program costs of approved projects, or 10 percent
when two or more states or territories undertake a joint project.
The three grant programs are:
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Recovery Land Acquisition Grants
- These grants provide funds to states and territories for acquisition
of habitat for endangered and threatened species in support of approved
recovery plans. Acquisition of habitat to secure long term protection
is often an essential element of a comprehensive recovery effort for
a listed species.
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Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants
- These grants provide funds to states and territories to support
the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), through the
support of baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation,
outreach, and similar planning activities.
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HCP Land Acquisition Grants - These
grants provide funds to states and territories to acquire land associated
with approved HCPs. Grants do not fund the mitigation required of
an HCP permittee; instead, they support acquisitions by the State
or local governments that complement actions associated with the HCP.
For more information about these grants in the Southeast
Region, contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological
Services, Suite 200, 1875 Century Boulevard, Atlanta, Georgia
30345, telephone: 404/679-7132. Information also can be accessed at http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife
and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of
small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates
70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological
services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife
habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation
efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds
of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment
to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://southeast.fws.gov/
or http://www.fws.gov/.
NOTE: You can view our releases or subscribe to receive them -- via
e-mail -- at the Service's Southeast Regional home page at http://southeast.fws.gov.
Our national home page is at: http://news.fws.gov/newsreleases/.
Atlanta, GA 30345
Phone: 404/679-7289 Fax: 404/679-7286
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