USDA PROVIDES UP TO $1.7 MILLION FOR FISH AND WILDLIFE HABITAT IMPROVEMENTS

Grants will develop and evaluate technology to improve fish and wildlife habitat

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2006—U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Bruce Knight today announced that up to $1.7 million will be available through competitive grants to develop and evaluate technological tools for fish and wildlife habitat improvements.

"This grant competition provides an opportunity to enhance critical fish and wildlife habitat on private agricultural lands," Knight said. "With most of the nation’s nearly 1.4 billion acres of privately-owned land involved in agriculture, these grants underscores the importance of cooperative conservation efforts to enriching fish and wildlife habitat.”

An announcement of funding is available on the federal e-Grants Web site at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=8643. Proposals are due on April 27, 2006.

Individual grants will range from $10,000 to $200,000. Selected applicants may receive up to 50 percent of the project cost. Applicants must provide nonfederal matching funds for at least 50 percent of the project cost, up to half of which may come from in-kind contributions. An exception allows for limited resource and beginning farmers and ranchers, tribes, and community-based organizations representing these groups to obtain up to 75 percent of project matching funds from in-kind contributions.

NRCS will distribute the funds through a national competitive process. These fiscal year 2006 funds will come from NRCS’ existing conservation operations budget. Potential applicants include state and local governments; federally recognized tribes; and non-governmental organizations, including colleges and universities. In their project proposals, applicants will be asked how they will develop, test, implement and transfer innovative solutions that benefit fish and wildlife on cropland, grassland, forestland, rangeland, riparian areas, wetlands, streams, rivers, vernal pools and areas where farmland and urban land meet.

Projects can be single- or multi-purpose and can run from one to three years. They must address the following natural resource concerns on working agricultural land:

--effects of buffers, field borders and riparian areas on fish and wildlife;
--improvements to wetland restoration and management practices;
--grassland establishment and management for wildlife;
--evaluation of fisheries habitat, stream restoration and management;
--use of electronic technology, including Geographic Information Systems, to
measure fish and wildlife response to conservation practices; and;
--improvements of fish and wildlife management systems for limited resource and
beginning farmers and ranchers and Native American tribes.

For more information about the wildlife announcement of funding, please visit the eGrants Web site at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=8643 and click on “Full Announcement.”

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