Standard Grant Instructions can now be accessed through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services home page at http://www.fws.gov"> by clicking on Wetlands, Waterfowl, and Habitat Grants or through the NAWCA home page at http://www.fws.gov/r9nawwo/nawcahp.html. The site also answers frequently asked questions about the grant process and the grants themselves, and provides other useful information.
The last 1999 deadline for U.S. standard grants was August 6, 1999, but standard grants of up to $1 million will again be available next year, with application deadlines of March 31, 2000 and July 28, 2000.
To be eligible for a standard grant, partnerships must match the grant request by at least a 1-to-1 ratio and provide long-term conservation of wetlands and associated uplands through habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement. Projects must also meet certain biological criteria established by the Act. In Mexico, environmental education, training, and management projects also qualify.
The NAWCA home page also contains information on other grants offered through the Act, including Small Grants, Mexican Grants, Canadian Grants, and the pilot Evaluation Grants program.
The North American Wetlands Conservation Act stimulates partnerships by providing matching funds to acquire, restore and enhance wetlands and associated habitats. To date, 684 projects in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, involving over 900 partners, have been granted $287 million. Partners in these wetlands conservation projects contributed $726 million, well over the required match of 1:1. Millions of acres have been acquired, restored, and enhanced in the United States, Canada and Mexico and additional acres have been affected in Mexico through conservation education, studies on the sustainable use of wetlands resources and development of management plans.
The Service administers the NAWCA grant program; however, projects are selected by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council and final funding approval is given by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission. The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is a permanent member of the Council.
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 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance 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.
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