[Federal Register: March 3, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 41)]

[Notices]               

[Page 10027-10028]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr03mr03-81]                         



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR



Fish and Wildlife Service



 

North American Wetlands Conservation Council; Standard Grant 

Application Instructions



AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.



ACTION: Notice of availability.



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SUMMARY: This notice notifies the public that updated instructions for 

applying for standard grants (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) under the 

U.S. North American Wetlands Conservation Act are available on the 

Internet at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov.





DATES: Proposals may be submitted at any time. To ensure adequate 

review time prior to upcoming North American Wetlands Conservation 

Council (Council) meetings, the Council Coordinator must receive 

proposals by March 7, 2003, and July 25, 2003.



ADDRESSES: For detailed application instructions, sample proposal 

information, and eligibility criteria visit the North American Wetlands 

Conservation Act (NAWCA) Web site at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov. If you 



cannot access the Web site, contact the Council Coordinator at U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Bird Habitat Conservation, 4401 

North Fairfax Drive, MBSP 4075, Arlington, VA 22203, or by phone at 

703-358-1784, or by fax at 703-358-2282, or by e-mail at dbhc@fws.gov. 



Send proposals to the Council Coordinator at the above address by mail 

(faxed proposals are not accepted). Send one original and two copies by 

regular mail and send one copy by electronic mail to the Council 

Coordinator. Send a copy of the proposal to your U.S. North American 

Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Joint Venture Coordinator (see next 

section for JV Coordinators) and all partners in the proposal.



[[Page 10028]]





FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: North American Wetlands Conservation 

Council Coordinator at (703) 358-1784 or dbhc@fws.gov, Bettina Sparrowe 



at (703) 358-1784 or bettina--sparrowe@fws.gov, or a JV Coordinator at 



the number given below. JV Coordinators can give you advice about 

developing a proposal, about proposal ranking, and additional 

information that may be required for compliance requirements for the 

National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, National 

Historic Preservation Act, and contaminant surveys.



Atlantic Coast (CT, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, Puerto 

Rico, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV) 413-253-8269 or andrew--milliken@fws.gov.

Central Valley (Central Valley of CA) 916-414-6459 or robert--

shaffer@fws.gov.

Gulf Coast (coastal areas of AL, LA, MS, TX) 505-248-6876 or greg--

esslinger@fws.gov.

Intermountain West (AZ, eastern CA, western CO and ID, southwest MT, 

western NM, NV, eastern OR, UT, eastern WA, WY) 801-975-3330 x129 or 

iwjv@xmission.com.

Lower Mississippi Valley (AR; eastern KY; northern LA; eastern MS, OK, 

and TN; northeastern TX) 601-629-6600 or charles--baxter@fws.gov.

Northern Great Plains 701-250-4463 x141 or aschollett@fs.fed.us.

Pacific Coast (AK, coastal areas of northern CA, HI, coastal areas of 

OR and WA) 360-696-7630 or carey--smith@fws.gov.

Playa Lakes (southeastern CO, southwestern KS, eastern NM, western OK, 

TX panhandle) 303-926-0777 or mike.carter@pljv.org.

Prairie Pothole (northwestern IA, western, MN, northern MT, northern 

and southeastern ND, eastern SD) 303-236-8155 x252 or carol--

lively@fws.gov.

Rainwater Basin (17 counties in southeastern NE) 308-382-8112 or 

steve--moran@fws.gov.

San Francisco Bay (San Francisco Bay in CA) 415-883-3854 or 

bhuning@sfbayjv.org.

Upper Mississippi River-Great Lakes (Eastern IA and counties bordering 

the Missouri River, IL, IN, KS counties bordering the Missouri River, 

MI, MO, eastern MN, NE counties bordering the Missouri River, OH, WI) 

612-713-5433 or Barbara--pardo@fws.gov.



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Council has two U.S. conservation grants 

programs for acquisition, restoration, and enhancement of wetlands in 

the U.S. Any individual or organization who has a long-term, partner-

based project with matching funds can apply. The focus of this notice 

is standard grant proposals for requests from $51,000 to $1,000,000 per 

proposal (if well justified, more may be requested). A separate notice 

will be issued later this year for small grant proposals for requests 

up to $50,000 per proposal.

    The NAWCA established the Council, a Federal-State-private body 

that recommends projects to the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission 

(MBCC) for final approval and requires that proposals contain a minimum 

1:1 ratio of non-Federal matching funds to grant funds. ``Match'' (as 

referred to throughout this document) can be cash, in-kind services, or 

land acquired/title donated for wetlands conservation purposes.

    This notice provides a summary of the 2003 proposal instructions 

and eligibility criteria available on the internet to develop a NAWCA 

standard grant proposal. In order to complete a proposal correctly, 

consult the Web site at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov for detailed 



instructions. If you cannot access the Web site, contact the Council 

Coordinator.

    Paperwork Reduction Act: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (44 U.S.C. 3501), the Office of Management and Budget has assigned 

clearance number 1018-0100 to this information collection authorized by 

the North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 4401 et seq.). The information collection solicited is necessary 

to gain a benefit in the form of a grant, as determined by the Council 

and MBCC, is necessary to determine the eligibility and relative value 

of wetland projects, results in an approximate paperwork burden of 400 

hours per application, and does not carry a premise of confidentiality. 

Your response is voluntary. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

person is not required to respond to, a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The public is 

invited to submit comments on the accuracy of the estimated average 

burden hours for application preparation and to suggest ways in which 

the burden may be reduced. Comments may be submitted to: Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, Mail Stop 224 ARLSQ, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, Washington, DC 20240 and/or Desk Officer for Interior 

Department (1018-0100), Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, 

Washington, DC 20503.

    New NAWCA Proposal Information: Six documents are available on the 

Internet at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov and are summarized below:



    1. 2003 Grant Administration Policies and Assistance Award. 

Describes policies and procedures that NAWCA projects must comply with 

and shows the one-page grant agreement that will be completed if the 

proposal is funded.

    2. 2003 Eligibility Criteria & Processes. Describes eligible 

activities and costs for NAWCA projects, gives links to cost principles 

that apply to all Federal grant programs, and describes steps in the 

proposal funding process. A standard grant proposal is a four-year plan 

of action supported by a NAWCA grant and partner funds to conserve 

wetlands and wetlands-associated fish and wildlife through acquisition 

(including easements and land title donations), restoration, and/or 

enhancement (including creation). Match must be non-Federal and at 

least equal the grant request (referred to as a 1:1 match). Match is 

eligible up to two years prior to the year the proposal is submitted 

and grant and match funds are eligible during the two-year future Grant 

Agreement period.

    3. 2003 Proposal Instructions. Describes changes from the 2002 

instructions, gives required information for a proposal and provides 

examples. A proposal has the following sections: Project Officer's 

Page; Summary; Purpose and Scope; Budget and Work Plan; Technical 

Assessment Questions; Attachments (budget table, tract table, partner 

contribution statements, optional matching contributions plan, Standard 

Form 424, optional aerial photographs, maps); and Easements, Leases, 

and Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.

    4. 2003 Word Proposal Outline. A fill-in-the-blank proposal using 

the Word program.

    5. 2003 WordPerfect Proposal Outline. A fill-in-the-blank proposal 

using the WordPerfect program.

    6. 2003 Excel Budget Table. A fill-in-the-blank budget table in 

case you do not want to use the budget tables provided in the Word and 

WordPerfect files.



    Dated: February 4, 2003.

Marshall P. Jones, Jr.,

Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 03-4878 Filed 2-28-03; 8:45 am]



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