SACRAMENTO – On May 17, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced the availability of approximately $2.1 million in grants to improve conditions for federally-imperiled species and their habitats impacted by the Central Valley Project (CVP).
The grants are funded by the Fiscal Year 2017 Central Valley Project Conservation Program (CVPCP) and Central Valley Project Improvement Act Habitat Restoration Program (CVPIA HRP). Operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, the CVP is one of the world’s largest water storage and transport systems.
The CVPCP and CVPIA HRP have established 16 specific Priority Actions related to CVP-impacted species, their habitats, and corresponding geographic areas. Each of these Priority Actions is supported by a threatened or endangered species recovery plan that provides strategies and guidance as to how the imperiled species could be restored to a healthy and viable status. Applicants are requested to submit proposals that support these Priority Actions.
The 2017 grants continue 22 years of funding projects. This year, four categories of projects are being solicited for funding: land protection (fee title and conservation easement conservation easement
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a government agency or qualified conservation organization that restricts the type and amount of development that may take place on a property in the future. Conservation easements aim to protect habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife by limiting residential, industrial or commercial development. Contracts may prohibit alteration of the natural topography, conversion of native grassland to cropland, drainage of wetland and establishment of game farms. Easement land remains in private ownership.
Learn more about conservation easement ); habitat restoration; research; and captive propagation and reintroduction.
State or local government agencies, private non-profit or profit organizations, individuals, and educational institutions are eligible to apply for grants. Applications for grants will close on September 30, 2016. Instructions for submitting a proposal, as well as background information on the programs, are found at www.grants.gov in the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Applicants may search for the FOA by the Funding Opportunity Number which is BOR-MP-16-0004.
Additional information about the CVPCP and HRP can be found at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvpcp/
--FWS--
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