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. Congress has appropriated $71 million for fiscal year 2004 to support grants awarded under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund.
"These grant programs are important not only because they fund projects that protect irreplaceable habitat for threatened and endangered species, but also because they are the building blocks for ensuring strong conservation partnerships among states, territories, private organizations, landowners and the Service," said Service Director Steve Williams.
As authorized under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, these grants are available 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 grants are expected to be awarded in summer 2004.
The Service is seeking proposals for the following three grant categories under the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund:
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.
Some examples from the fiscal year 2003 program of how these grants are making a difference include:
