Sacramento, Calif.— The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $6.6 million in Tribal Wildlife Grants to federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native Tribes in 17 states to bolster fish and wildlife conservation and key partnerships. The awards will support 37 projects that benefit a wide range of wildlife and habitats, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished.
The Service will deliver more than $1.3 million to tribes in California and Nevada.
“Respect for wildlife and their habitats is central to Indigenous communities’ relationships with our natural world. Since time immemorial, Native American and Alaska Native Tribes have engaged in conservation efforts that continue to inform our decision-making today,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “This funding opportunity will help support our collaborative conservation efforts with Tribes to restore, conserve, and protect Tribal resources, wildlife habitat, and species – a main pillar of the America the Beautiful initiative.”
The America the Beautiful initiative – the Administration’s goal to conserve, connect, and restore 30 percent of lands, waters, and wildlife by 2030 – calls upon local, state, and federal leaders to honor Tribal sovereignty and support the priorities of Tribal nations when making decisions related to sustainable land management and the conservation of natural, cultural, and historical resources.
Since its inception in 2003, including this year’s 2021 Tribal Wildlife Grants awards, the competitive Tribal Wildlife Grants Program has awarded more than $105.6 million to Native American and Alaska Native Tribes, providing support for 593 conservation projects.
“The Tribal Wildlife Grants Program provides an unparalleled opportunity for federal and state government agencies to partner with Tribes in the conservation of our shared and highly valued natural heritage, as well as cultural priorities,” said Service Principal Deputy Director Martha Williams. “These grants are critical in helping achieve these goals and strengthening partnerships between the Service and Tribes.”
The grants have enabled Tribes to develop increased management capacity, improve, and enhance relationships with conservation state partners, address cultural and environmental priorities, and help train the next generation of conservationists by engaging Tribal students interested in fisheries, wildlife, and related fields of study. Some grants have been awarded to support recovery efforts for federally listed threatened and endangered species.
California projects approved this year include:
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians $193,989
Audie Murphy Management
The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians will implement a wildlife management project for the biologically and culturally sensitive southwestern pond turtle and burrowing owl. The goal of the project is to restore and manage sensitive species and ecosystems in a way that honors and preserves the rich and vulnerable cultural resources of the Audie Murphy preserve.
Hoopa Valley Tribe $200,000
Hoopa Pacific Lamprey Passage Project
The Hoopa Pacific Lamprey Passage Project will specifically address passage issues in the Trinity River Basin and provide valuable information applicable to regional lamprey conservation efforts by local Tribes and other stakeholders.
Yurok Tribe $199,676
Determining Baseline Occupancy of Humboldt Marten During the Critical Dispersal Season
The objective of this project is to increase the limited data on Humboldt marten occupancy, critical to inform effective species conservation action. There are only two known populations remaining in California, including the Northern Coastal California extant population area. Yurok Tribal lands are considered a secondary population area and have the potential to host Humboldt marten population expansion from adjacent core population areas on National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service lands, as well as provide connectivity between them.
Robinson Rancheria - Band of Pomo Indians $197,759
The Robinson Rancheria Clover Creek Hitch Passage Improvement and Vegetation Restoration
The objective of the project is to work collaboratively with local Tribes, water agencies, and nonprofits to improve Clear Lake hitch spawning and nursery habitats in Clover Creek by removing non-native vegetation and replanting with native riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian vegetation that is of cultural significance to local Tribes.
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians $168,300
Update and Implement the Tribal Historic Conservation Plan & Improve Habitat for Desert Tortoise on the Twenty-Nine Palms of Mission Indians' Reservation Land
Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians’ will update the Tribal Habitat Conservation Plan in response to an economic development project by incorporating comprehensive mitigation strategies for the protection of federally threatened Agassiz’s desert tortoise, and subsequently implementing construction, operational, and conservation measures.
Nevada projects approved this year include:
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe $197,718
Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention and Management
Project objectives are focused on the continuation of aquatic invasive species invasive species
An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.
Learn more about invasive species prevention, early-detection monitoring, eradication and control, and education efforts for the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. The objectives of this proposal concentrate on the preservation of the federally endangered cui-ui and threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Walker River Paiute Tribe $200,000
Riparian Enhancement Planning and Implementation
The Walker River Paiute Tribe will continue implementation and monitoring of riparian restoration activities and to re-invigorate the Tribe's members' connection to the wildlife and ecosystem of the lower Walker River.
A complete list of the Tribal Wildlife Grant awards approved in fiscal year 2021 is available online. To learn more about the grant program and application process, please visit: https://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/grants.html.
These grants are provided exclusively to federally recognized Native American and Alaska Native Tribal governments, and are made possible under the Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002 through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program.
For additional information about the Service’s Native American Programs, visit: https://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information about our work and the people who make it happen, visit https://www.fws.gov/cno/ or connect with us via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr.
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