"Private landowners and conservation groups want to help conserve fish and wildlife but the costs of protecting, restoring and managing habitat can be prohibitive," said Service Director Steve Williams. "The Bush Administration is lending a hand to support the efforts of our valued partners."
The Private Stewardship Grants Program provides $10 million in federal grants and other assistance on a competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary conservation efforts on private lands that benefit at-risk species including federally listed endangered or threatened species as well as proposed or candidate species. Under this program, landowners and their partners will be able to submit proposals directly to the Service for funding to support those efforts. The deadline for private landowners and their partners to submit proposals is December 2, 2002.
The Services Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin) has $942,981 available under the Private Stewardship Grants programs for landowners and their partners in those states. Applicants may submit their proposals to Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, One Federal Drive, Fort Snelling, Minnesota 55111-4056; attention Pete Fasbender (612-713-5343).
The Landowner Incentive program, a $40 million competitive grant program for State and territorial fish and wildlife agencies and Tribes, supports collaborative efforts with private landowners interested in conserving natural habitat while they continue to engage in traditional land-use practices. It establishes or supplements existing landowner incentive programs that provide technical assistance to private landowners for the protection, restoration, and management of habitat to benefit species at risk, including federally listed endangered or threatened species as well as proposed or candidate species on private land. The deadline for states to submit proposals to the Service is December 2, 2002. Further guidance specific to Tribes is now being developed.
For more information on the two grant programs and how and where to submit proposals, please visit the Services website at http://www.fws.gov and click on "grants." You may also contact:
Private Stewardship Grants Program: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of Recovery and State Grants, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203 Phone 703-358-2061.
Landowner Incentive Program: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 140, Arlington, VA 22203 Phone 703-358-2156.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses nearly 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.
For further information about programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, visit our website at " facehttp://midwest.fws.gov
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