The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a request for proposals from federally recognized tribes to conserve and recover endangered, threatened and at-risk species and other wildlife on tribal lands under the Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) and Tribal Landowner Incentive Programs (TLIP).
"Native American lands are a critical component in the national mosaic of fish and wildlife habitat and I am proud of what we are able to do in Indian Country," Service Director Dale Hall said. "Through these two grants programs, we are building important partnerships with tribes that empower them to conserve tribal land and recover their wildlife resources.?
President Bush developed the two programs, which are similar to the Landowner Incentive and State Wildlife Grants programs to conserve and restore the habitat of threatened, endangered and at risk species on private lands. The programs were modeled after a successful program implemented by President Bush in Texas when he was governor. This will be the fourth year that these grant programs have been available to Indian tribal governments.
Grants in the two programs are awarded through a competitive process. TWG, in fiscal year 2006, has $5,971,000 available for grants that will benefit wildlife and its habitat, including species that are not hunted or fished. Although matching funds will be considered as an indicator of tribal commitment to a project, they are not required for these grants. The maximum award under this program is $250,000.
In fiscal year 2006, TLIP has $2,388,600 available for federally recognized Indian tribes to address 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. Up to 75 percent of the costs associated with each project funded under this program may be covered by Federal funds. The maximum award under this program is $150,000.
Native American tribes have a controlling interest in more than 52 million acres of Tribal trust lands with an additional 40 million acres held by Alaskan Native Corporations. Much of this land is relatively undisturbed, providing a significant amount of rare and important fish and wildlife habitat. In the Southeastern United States there are 10 federally-recognized Indian tribes that are eligible for these grant programs.
TWG and TLIP projects range from comprehensive surveys of plant and vertebrate fish and wildlife on reservation lands in order to establish data bases to habitat and fish restoration to development of new resource management techniques. Some of the at-risk species benefiting from these projects include lake sturgeon, sage grouse, antelope, black footed ferret, and American bald eagle.
The request for proposals was published in the November 2 Federal Register and grant applications must be postmarked by January 31, 2006.
For grant application kits, please visit http://grants.fws.gov/tribal.html or contact Patrick Durham, Office of the Native American Liaison (202) 208 4133.
Since programs inception more than $2.2 million in grants have been awarded to tribes in the Southeast.
Southeast Region Tribal Grants, FY03-05
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Catawba Indian Nation Catawba Indian Nation Poarch Band of Creek Indians
Catawba Indian Nation Seminole Tribe of Florida Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
Poarch Band of Creek Indians $225,000 Seminole Tribe of Florida $250,000
classSection1 7The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 545 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.
