The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has formally proposed guidelines to improve the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program of yearly matching grants to coastal states and U.S. territories for projects involving the acquisition, restoration or enhancement of coastal wetlands. All of the projects must be administered for long-term conservation benefits to wildlife and habitat.
The proposed guidelines provide clear direction on grant proposal development, along with examples and information on how projects are ranked and scored. An additional criterion was developed to address the benefit of candidate projects to coastal-dependent and migratory birds.
AThe proposed rule provides clear guidance to the states, territories and other partners and will greatly improve the efficiency of the program,@ said Fish and Wildlife Acting Director Marshall Jones. Implementation of the proposed guidelines is anticipated for the Fiscal Year 2003 grant cycle, which begins in March 2002.
The Service has provided more than $90 million in grants to 25 states and one U.S. territory under the grant program. When the 2001 grant projects are complete, more than 105,000 acres will have been protected or restored since the grant program was created in 1990.
The eligible agencies of coastal states and territories develop and implement projects in partnership with other agencies, tribes, private conservation groups, local organizations, businesses and individuals. The project scoring process encourages cooperative efforts.
The program is one of three conservation efforts funded by the 1990 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act. All grants are awarded through a competitive process. Funding for the program is generated from excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat and small engine fuels. These taxes are deposited into the Sport Fish Restoration Account of the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (commonly called Wallop-Breaux after its Congressional sponsors).
The proposed rule was published in today=s Federal Register, and the public comment period will remain open for 45 days. Comments in writing on the proposed rule should be addressed to: Ms. Sally Valdes-Cogliano, Division of Fish and Wildlife Management Assistance and Habitat Restoration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 400, Arlington, Virginia, 22203.
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 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource 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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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov
