FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 10, 2010
Contact:
Ashley Spratt 612-713-5314
Secretary Salazar Announces $2 Million in Wetlands Grants for Migratory Waterfowl in Indiana and Iowa
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission has approved $2 million in grants aimed at protecting and restoring 7,107 acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat in Indiana and Iowa under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA).
· The Prairie Lakes Wetland Initiative project includes the acquisition and/or restoration of 3,127 of wetland, grassland and upland habitat in Iowa. One million dollars in federal funds and an additional $2,046,315 in partner contributions will support the project.
· The Wabash River Habitat Protection project includes the acquisition and/or restoration of 3,980 wetland and grassland acres in Indiana. One million dollars in federal funds and an additional $2,353,417 in partner contributions will support the project.
The Commission meeting on March 10 in Washington D.C. approved nearly $20 million in NAWCA funding nationwide, which will support the protection and restoration of nearly 136,000 acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat in the United States and Mexico.
The Commission includes Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas, Congressmen John Dingell of Michigan and Robert Wittman of Virginia, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, as well as state representatives as ex officio members who vote on projects located within their respective states.
The grants were awarded under NAWCA’s U.S. Standard Grants and Mexico Grants Programs administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a Department of the Interior agency. The grants are funded by annual Congressional appropriations; fines, penalties and forfeitures levied under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; interest accrued on funds under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act; and excise taxes paid on small engine fuels through the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Fund.
Passed in 1989, NAWCA provides matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Act was passed in part to support activities associated with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international agreement providing a strategy for the long-term protection of wetlands and associated upland habitats vital to waterfowl and other migratory birds in North America.
More information on NAWCA grant programs: http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/grants/NAWCA/index.shtm
Additional information about the history on the ongoing efforts to conserve North America’s wetlands and waterfowl can be found at Flyways.us. The website provides waterfowl enthusiasts, biologists and agency administrators with the most up-to-date waterfowl habitat and waterfowl population information.
