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 Landowner Incentive (TLIP) and Tribal Wildlife Grant (TWG) programs.
"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," said Regional Director Dave Allen. "Through these two grants programs, we are building important partnerships with tribes that empower them to conserve tribal land and recover their wildlife resources."
These two programs are similar to the new Landowner Incentive and State Wildlife grants programs to conserve and restore the habitat of threatened, endangered and at risk species on private lands. 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.
Indian 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.
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 the eastern cougar.
The request for proposals was published in the November 2, 2005 Federal Register. All TWG and TLIP Grant Applications must be postmarked by January 31, 2006. Grant application kits may be obtained by visiting the Pacific Region's website at http://pacific.fws.gov/ea/tribal/ or by contacting the Service's Regional Native American Liaison, Scott Aikin, at (503) 231-6123.
Additional information about all FWS grant programs is available on the Internet at http://www.grants.fws.gov. The CFDA number for Tribal Landowner Incentive grants is 15.638 and 15.639 for Tribal Wildlife grants.
