The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories interested in acquiring land or conducting conservation planning for endangered species. Although at this time the Service has not yet received a final fiscal year 2003 appropriation, the agency is proceeding with a request for proposals to ensure timely completion of the grant selection process in anticipation of a final appropriation. The three grant programs fund planning activities and land acquisition for federally protected species and grants are expected to be awarded in Spring 2003.
"Weve been hearing from grantees that endangered species grants encouraged partnerships at the state and local level to develop projects and acquire land to conserve federally-listed species," said Service Director Steve Williams. "Because there are no one-size fits all solutions for conservation problems, these partnerships are essential to the development and implementation of effective, publicly supported projects."
Included below are some examples of how these grants are making a difference:
o Pima County, AZ used a recovery land acquisition grant to help acquire Lords Ranch, a 640 acre in holding of the Ironwood Forest National Monument that had been at risk of being developed. This land, now protected in perpetuity, provides habitat for 15 listed species such as the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, the lesser long nosed bat and the acuna cactus.
o The Nature Conservancy received a recovery land acquisition grant to help purchase 7,900 acres of shrub-steppe habitat in Washingtons Grant and Douglas counties to help conserve the Columbia Basins dwindling pygmy rabbit population. In addition, a private landowner donated 260 acres for a 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 .
o The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is using grant funding to support local communities working to implement conservation strategies to help maintain 75 acres of high-quality Karner blue butterfly habitat in the Albany Pine Bush/Glacial Lake Albany region, essential for the long-term recovery of this endangered species.
o The continued survival of the endangered Indiana Bat as well as 30 other State-listed species will benefit from the development of an Indiana Bat Habitat Conservation Plan designed to cover the entire 150,000 acre Indiana State Forest system. This HCP, funded in part by an HCP planning grant, was the first to address Indiana Bat management concerns on an actively managed forest, will be a model for other States and forest managers.
o A Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition grant is providing funds to purchase 63 additional acres in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, CA, to protect habitat for the federally-endangered Delhi Sands flower loving fly. This property provides habitat for the second densest population of the species remaining throughout its range.
The grants are to be awarded from the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, authorized under the Endangered Species Act. This fund provides grants to states and territories to support their participation in a wide array of voluntary conservation projects for listed species, as well as for species that are either proposed or candidates for listing. By law, the state or territory must have a current cooperative agreement with the Service and contribute 25% of the estimated program costs of approved projects, or 10% when two or more states or territories undertake a joint project.
The three grant programs are:
Recovery Land Acquisition Grants- These grants provide funds to states and territories for acquisition of habitat for endangered and threatened species in support of approved recovery plans. Acquisition of habitat to secure long term protection is often an essential element of a comprehensive recovery effort for a listed species.
Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants - These grants provide funds to states and territories to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), through the support of baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation, outreach, and similar planning activities.
HCP Land Acquisition Grants- These grants provide funds to states and territories to acquire land associated with approved HCPs. Grants do not fund the mitigation required of an HCP permittee; instead, they support acquisitions by the State or local governments that complement actions associated with the HCP.
For more information about these grants contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Consultation, Habitat Conservation Planning, Recovery and State Grants, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203, 703-358-2106.
Information also can be accessed at http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/.
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 540 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.
FWS
For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov.
