[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 15 (Thursday, January 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3938-3940]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [http://www.gpo.gov/]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01017]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-WSFR-2018-N129; 91400-5110-0000; 91400-9410-0000]
Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Fiscal Year 2018 Priority
List and Approval To Award Funds for Conservation Projects
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt and award of the priority list and
publication of grant awards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 3939]]
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
Fiscal Year 2018 priority list of wildlife and sport fish conservation
projects from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
(Association). As required by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
Programs Improvement Act of 2000, the Association submits a list of
projects to us each year to consider for funding under the Multistate
Conservation Grant Program. Once projects are awarded, this list must
be published into the Federal Register. We have reviewed the list and
recommended all projects on the list for award to the Service Director.
The Service Director approved the entire list of projects for award,
and we have awarded all projects from the list.
ADDRESSES: John C. Stremple, Multistate Conservation Grants Program
Coordinator; Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike; MS: WSFR; Falls Church, VA 22041-
3808.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John C. Stremple, via phone at 703-
358-2156, via email at [email protected], or via the Federal Relay
Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 priority list of wildlife
and sport fish conservation projects from the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies (Association). As required by the Fish and Wildlife
Programs Improvement and National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act
of 2000 (Improvement Act, Pub. L. 106-408) amended the Pittman-
Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.) and the
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.), the
Association submits a list of projects to us each year to consider for
funding under the Multistate Conservation Grant Program. We have
reviewed the list and recommended all projects on the list for award to
the Service Director. The Service Director approved the entire list of
projects for award, and we have awarded funds for all projects from the
list.
Background
The Fish and Wildlife Programs Improvement and National Wildlife
Refuge System Centennial Act of 2000 (Improvement Act, Pub. L. 106-408)
amended the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669
et seq.) and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C.
777 et seq.) and established the Multistate Conservation Grant Program.
The Improvement Act authorizes us to award grants of up to $3 million
annually from funds available under each of the restoration acts, for a
total of up to $6 million annually. Projects can be funded from both
funds, depending on the project activities. We may award grants to
projects from a list of priority projects recommended to us by the
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. The Service Director,
exercising the authority of the Secretary of the Interior, need not
fund all projects on the list, but all projects funded must be on the
list. The Improvement Act provides that funding for Multistate grants
is available in the year it is appropriated and for the following year.
Funding Amounts
Total funding available for FY 2018 was $6,039,090; the total
requested was approximately $6,024,583.08. The available funding was
due to funding carried over from FY 2017, as well as the availability
of funding that had previously been sequestered. After subtracting
committed funds ($3,261,027) among the three components of the 2016
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
(parts A & B), there was $2,778,063 available for new awards. The 2018
new award Priority List requested $2,763,556.08.
Funding Eligibility
Grantees under this program may use funds for sport fisheries and
wildlife management and research projects, boating access development,
hunter safety and education, aquatic education, fish and wildlife
habitat improvements, and other purposes consistent with the enabling
legislation.
To be eligible for funding, a project must benefit fish and/or
wildlife conservation for at least 26 States, for a majority of the
States in any one Service Region, or for one of the regional
associations of State fish and wildlife agencies. We may award grants
to a State, a group of States, or one or more nongovernmental
organizations. For the purpose of carrying out the National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, we may award
grants to the Service, if requested by the Association, or to a State
or a group of States. Also, the Association requires all project
proposals to address the Association's National Conservation Needs,
which are announced annually at the same time requests for proposals
are sent out. Further, applicants must provide certification that no
activities conducted under a Multistate Conservation Grant will promote
or encourage opposition to regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife,
or to regulated angling or taking of fish.
The Association's committees and interested nongovernmental
organizations that represent conservation organizations, sportsmen's
and -women's organizations, and industries that support or promote
fishing, hunting, trapping, recreational shooting, bowhunting, or
archery review and rank eligible project proposals. The Association's
National Grants Committee recommends a final list of priority projects
to the directors of the State fish and wildlife agencies for their
approval by majority vote. By statute, the Association then transmits
the final approved list to the Service for funding under the Multistate
Conservation Grant program by October 1 of the fiscal year.
Fiscal Year 2018 Priority List of Awarded Wildlife and Sport Fish
Conservation Projects
For FY 2018, the Association sent us a list of 18 new projects,
plus the 3 previously approved components of the 2016 National Survey
of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation that they
recommended for funding. The list is in the following table:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 2018
ID Title Recipient PR funding DJ funding grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.................... Coordination of Farm AFWA............. $83,880 $55,920 $139,800
Bill Program
Implementation.
2.................... State Fish and AFWA............. 59,200 59,200 118,400
Wildlife Agency
Technical Workgroup
and Evaluation Team
for the 2016 National
Survey.
3.................... State Fish and AFWA............. 47,500 47,500 95,000
Wildlife Agency
Director Travel--
Enabling Coordination
and Planning of
National-Level
Conservation
Initiatives.
[[Page 3940]]
4.................... Coordinating and AFWA............. 40,000 40,000 80,000
Planning National-
Scale Conservation
Initiatives through
Communications.
5.................... Track Participation ASA.............. 69,000 69,000 138,000
Trends & R3
Effectiveness via
License Sales
Dashboards.
6.................... Coordination of the AFWA............. 77,130 77,130 154,260
Industry, Federal,
and State Agency
Coalition.
7.................... Developing Data-Based ATA.............. 130,968.11 43,656.03 174,624.14
Strategies to
Increase Bowhunting.
8.................... Determining Actionable RBFF............. 0 174,562.30 174,562.30
Strategies for Angler
R3.
9.................... Improving Recruitment NSSF............. 149,100 0 149,100
of New Hunters and
Recreational Shooters.
10................... Improving Local Angler ASA.............. 0 134,900 134,900
Recruitment Events.
11................... Developing Strategies RMEF............. 149,831.21 0 149,831.21
to Train
Professionals How to
Communicate About
Hunting.
12................... Evaluating the Promise NC State 89,309.18 33,762.25 123,071.43
and Potential Impacts University.
of R3 Efforts
Targeting College
Students.
13................... Coordination of State AFWA............. 32,100 32,100 64,200
Fish and Wildlife
Agencies' Authority
to Manage Resources
in Concert with
Federal Actions
Required by CITES.
14................... Increasing Awareness AFWA............. 50,000 50,000 100,000
and Knowledge of
State Fish and
Wildlife Management
(Based on AFWA
Strategic Plan Goal
2).
15................... Management Assistance AFWA............. 255,667.50 304,679.50 560,347
Team (MAT) and
National Conservation
Leadership Institute
(NCLI).
16................... Multistate AFWA............. 52,500 52,500 105,000
Conservation Grant
Program Management.
17................... Conservation AFWA............. 0 209,960 209,960
Collaboration across
the United States
through the National
Fish Habitat
Partnership.
18................... Chronic Wasting WY Game & Fish... 92,500 0 92,500
Disease Management in
the West.
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
1,378,686 1,384,870.08 2,763,556.08
NS................... 2016 Survey FWS.............. 136,102 136,102 272,204
Coordination (Part A).
NS................... 2016 National Report U.S. Census...... 185,106 185,106 370,212
(Part A).
NS................... 2016 Fifty-State Rockville 1,309,305.50 1,309,305.50 2,618,611
Survey Reports (Part Institute.
B).
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
3,009,199.50 3,015,383.58 6,024,583.08
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PR Funding: Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds.
DJ Funding: Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds.
AFWA: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
ASA: American Sportfishing Association.
ATA: Archery Trade Association.
NC State University: North Carolina State University.
NFHB: National Fish Habitat Board.
NS: 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
NSSF: National Shooting Sports Foundation.
RMEF: Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Inc.
RBFF: Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation.
WY Game and Fish: Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.
Dated: November 3, 2019.
Margaret E. Everson,
Principal Deputy Director, Exercising the Authority of the Director for
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-01017 Filed 1-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P