Through the Services grants programs, Indiana will receive $587,250 to develop a statewide habitat conservation plan on Indianas state forest lands to benefit the endangered Indiana bat. Funding totaling $850,000 was also provided to acquire land to support a habitat conservation plan developed by Cinergy in 2001 to conserve endangered least terns which nest at the companys Gibson Generating Station in southern Indiana.
The grants to Indiana and other states were awarded through the Services Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance and Land Acquisition grant programs. They will support up to 75 percent of the cost of habitat conservation planning activities and land acquisitions for federally listed species.
"By supporting local planning and habitat protection efforts, these grant programs help states and local governments provide for continued economic development while conserving threatened and endangered species," said Steve Williams, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The two grant programs were established to help reduce conflicts between the conservation of threatened and endangered species and land development and use. Under the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Program, the Service provides grants to states or territories for land acquisition associated with approved Habitat Conservation Plans. The Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Program provides grants to States and Territories to support development of Habitat Conservation Plans through funding of surveys, inventories, document preparation, outreach, and similar planning activities.
A Habitat Conservation Plan is an agreement between an landowner and the Service that allows the landowner to incidentally take
