USFWS to Award more than $800,000 in Resource Management and Youth Science Camp Grants in Alaska

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award more than $800,000 in Challenge Cost Share grants in 2009 to projects in Alaska. Challenge Cost Share grants are Congressionally appropriated funds designated for the protection and conservation of wildlife resources. This is a federal matching grant program which leverages federal dollars with support from non-federal sources.

1in Combined grants and matching funds will result in nearly three million dollars worth of projects on or near our Alaskan national wildlife refuges. These federal dollars will be matched with contributions from the State of Alaska, local governments, regional Native corporations, the University of Alaska, and non-profit organizations. 1in This year, approximately 50 grants, ranging from $3,000 to $35,300, will fund activities on refuges across Alaska, from the remote Aleutian Islands of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (where they’ll fund a study of the breeding ecology of Kittlitz’s murrelets on Agattu) to the coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (where a grant will support studies intended to increase our understanding of the decline of muskoxen in the face of a changing climate). Each project provides an opportunity to increase the impact of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s wildlife conservation efforts through the strength of partnerships. 1in Projects range from biological research studies to community outreach efforts. In Fairbanks, the “Eider Journey Science Program&rdquoWill help involve local students in Steller’s eider conservation, while, closer to Anchorage, hiking and canoe trails will be enhanced and improved on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Other grants will fund some 16 youth science camps across the state, and support biological research on a suite of species from rusty blackbirds to polar bears. 1in Challenge Cost Share grants help the Alaska Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fulfill its mission of working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.More information, including application forms and instructions, is available at: http://alaska.fws.gov/nwr/visitor/grants.htm. The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

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