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$34.8 Million in grants to support habitat conservation for imperiled species |
KEYWORDS: environmental news imperiled species animal habitat conservation grants endangered species cost-share grants Landowner Incentive Program wildlife conservation projects programs LIP grant program landowner incentive program Preble's meadow jumping mouse black-tailed prairie dog Gunnison sage grouse conserve at-risk fish and wildlife species
SOURCE: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region News Release
Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton today announced $34.8 million in grants
to states under a new partnership program to assist private landowners in
conserving and restoring the habitat of endangered species and other
at-risk plants and animals.
The cost-share grants, part of the administration's new Landowner Incentive
Program, will support innovative partnerships in 42 states. State fish and
wildlife agencies, landowners or non-profit groups must put up at least 25
percent of the cost of projects. With these grants, states will be able to
provide financial and technical assistance to interested landowners.
"For wildlife conservation to be successful, it must be a partnership
between the government and the people," Norton said. "This is especially
true with threatened and endangered species, half of which depend on
private lands for the majority of their habitat. These grants will enable
states to work with landowners and to defray the costs of habitat
improvements for imperiled species on their land."
The Landowner Incentive Program supports the administration's overall
Cooperative Conservation Initiative, which includes a number of
conservation grant programs to assist states, tribes, conservation
organizations, private landowners and others in conservation projects and
programs. President Bush proposed $113.2 million for the Cooperative
Conservation Initiative in his Fiscal Year 2004 budget.
"If conservation is going to be successful in the 21(superscript: st)
century, we must empower citizen stewards to conserve and protect natural
resources while also achieving important community and economic goals,"
Norton said. "We must provide new and expanded opportunities for
landowners, land managers, and others to participate in projects that
foster innovation and create incentives for stewardship. The Landowner
Incentive Program accomplishes this."
The LIP grant program is two-tiered. Grants awarded to states under Tier 1
focus on administrative program needs and may not exceed $180,000 in
federal money. U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia may apply for
Tier 1 grants of up to $75,000. Tier 2 grants support project
implementation. All grants require at least a 25 percent match from
non-federal sources.
Many states already have a landowner incentive program. For states that
currently do not have a landowner program, the grants will allow them to
create one. "We are providing seed money to many states to get their
landowner programs off the ground," Norton said.
For example, the Colorado Division of Wildlife plans to use its LIP funds
to focus on Front Range habitat for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse, for
Eastern short-grass prairie habitat for the black-tailed prairie dog and
several bird species, and on Gunnison Basin habitat for the Gunnison sage
grouse. Colorado will establish management agreements and seek conservation
easements with private landowners to protect and restore these habitats.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources will fund a total of 15
landowner projects on 105,140 acres across five islands. More than 60
wildlife species and 248 plant species of concern will benefit from
management actions including the creation of barrier fences, the removal of
feral pigs and goats from critical habitat areas, the creation of onsite
seed sources for endangered plant species, and the operation of a
rotational grazing program to benefit the endangered Hawaiian goose (nene).
Tribes also are eligible for an additional $5 million in grants under the
program. Further guidance specific to tribes is currently out for public
comment, and grants will be announced in the future.
"These grants are the catalysts to support efforts of local partners to
come up with new and better ways to conserve at-risk fish and wildlife
species," said FWS Director Steve Williams. "Through this program, the
Service is pooling its resources with private landowners and state wildlife
agencies to ensure these species have sufficient habitat."
A state-by-state list for the Landowner Incentive Program grants can be found at http://www.doi.gov/news/02252003.htm
SOURCE:
For more information on the Landowner Incentive Program, please contact:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Federal Aid, 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, Room 140, Arlington, VA 22203; phone (703) 358?2156 or visit the FWS
Grants-at- a-Glance web site.
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