OARS funding Conservation

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative targets the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing federal projects that address these problems. One goal is to improve habitat and wildlife protection and restoration. Using appropriations from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program anticipates funding wetland and associated upland habitat restoration and enhancement projects for conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly migratory birds. Restoration projects will be completed on privately owned (non-federal/non-state) lands. Emphasis will be placed on, but not limited to, completing projects within the watersheds of Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The PFW Program is not a traditional grants program; it is a direct federal assistance program. The PFW Program does not solicit projects through a request for proposals. Instead, projects are developed in collaboration and with substantial involvement from PFW field biologists. PFW biologists from eight Great Lakes states work directly with landowners to plan and implement projects based on priorities and geographic focus areas identified in a regional strategic plan. Substantial involvement on the part of the Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the activities to be funded. In particular, the Service will be responsible for the following: PFW biologists provide direct technical assistance to landowners to identify, design and implement voluntary habitat improvement projects, such as wetland restoration, or grassland establishment, on private lands. For more information, contact the local PFW Program office. For office contact information please visit: http://www.fws.gov/partners/contactUs.html.

Background: Counts of sage-grouse (primarily males) attending leks provides a measure of population trend over time and serves as the basis for making annual minimum population estimates. On average, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) with assistance from Oregon BLM annually surveys 36 percent of 733 known lek complexes in Oregon. Leks in remote areas or with other access issues are under-surveyed. The ODFW has identified the need to monitor sage-grouse population trends and to develop a more efficient method for estimating population size, especially for regions where only a subsample of leks can be monitored (2011 Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Assessment and Strategy for Oregon). More complete and accurate population data will contribute to improved habitat management for sage-grouse in eastern Oregon. Objectives: The recipient and BLM will collaborate to: Survey a statistically valid sample of leks/complexes to achieve a minimum annual survey of two trend leks/complexes per stratum per Oregon PAC (Priority Area for Conservation), Evaluate and incorporate where appropriate new survey methodology (e.g., transect, infrared surveys) with current sage-grouse data, Annually assess the BLM's adaptive management triggers for sage-grouse population.

This RFP seeks cost effective proposals from eligible applicants to support national pollution prevention (P2) information needs. In this RFP the Agency is directing P2 information center activities toward three national P2 emphasis areas to more effectively achieve measurable results and demonstrable impact in these targeted areas. Work in the national P2 emphasis areas (NEA) should support the P2 technical assistance work of state programs in promoting use of source reduction techniques by businesses. Applicants will collaborate with other grantees as part of their work in the national P2 information network. Applicants must propose work in one or more of the national P2 emphasis areas and must propose work that addresses one or more regional priorities.

Grant projects must support the survey, inventory, and designation of historic properties that are associated with communities currently underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places and among National Historic Landmarks, as determined by the National Park Service and the applicant.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants to build or refine state/tribal/local government wetland programs as described in Section I, FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION, of this announcement. States, tribes, local government agencies, interstate agencies, and intertribal consortia are eligible to apply under this announcement, as further described herein. Universities that are agencies of a state government are eligible, but must include documentation demonstrating that they are chartered as part of a state government in the proposal submission. Non-profit organizations are not eligible to compete under this RFP.

Description of Program and/or Project Background: The project is a long-term inventory, monitoring, and assessment program of human impacts resulting from recreation uses on the Arizona Strip District using a standardized quantitative recreation monitoring approach. Using baseline data compiled in a geo-referenced database of impacts available on an easily accessed website, existing recreation sites will be monitored on a regular schedule to determine recreation-created impacts and make management recommendations for future actions. Graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in the recreation monitoring and assessment program and conference presentations and publications in pertinent scientific literature will represent the results of these studies, not required as deliverables to the BLM. Regular reporting with recommendations to management and staff will be conducted in order to assist the BLM in protecting and maintaining recreation settings and opportunities. Recreation assessments would also be conducted under this agreement for National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS) areas, such as national monuments, wilderness areas and national trails. Data collected during the inventory and the BLM and recipient will jointly develop monitoring. Project data will be available to the BLM on an as needed basis. This project provides opportunities for students and/or entry-level professionals to work with experienced, professional land managers to obtain experience in complex public land management issues. This project will provide the background experience by which students may make long term career goals and decisions, and will enable continuing development between the recipient and the BLM in terms of student development, recruitment, and service opportunities between the two entities. To ensure that data collection is useful and reliable, a standard monitoring procedure will be followed. This will also include proper GPS techniques with geo-referenced data,

The Lakeview BLM in cooperation with the Lake County Cooperative Weed Management Area has been actively surveying the North Warner Sage Grouse Project Planning Area through a past agreement through both aerial and ground based survey methods. The North Warner area covers 222,667 acres of checker boarded ownerships of BLM, USFS, Oregon Department of State Lands and private lands. To date surveys have taken place over 130,000 acres. The North Warner project planning area falls within the Lakeview BLM Resource Area and is approximately 50 miles Northeast of Lakeview on the eastside of the Warner Mountain range. Studies have shown invasions of annual grass species could easily degrade the habitat for sage grouse and other wildlife species. Medusahead Rye and other non-native winter annual grass species were discovered the summer of 2010. The infestations have been found on all four of the ownerships. The majority of the infestations are small isolated infestations that could effectively be managed though cooperative control efforts. The issue in the past has been the lack of effective herbicides available for use on BLM lands. However, the NEPA to allow the use of imazapic and other more effective herbicides has been completed and should be available for use by the fall of 2015. This project will allow continued coordination among all of the land managers in the North Warner area. One of the biggest needs is education for all of the land managers, which will improve accurate identification of the annual grass species invading the North Warner Area. Surveys will need to continue to cover the southern portion of the project area. Once the use of imazapic use is finalized, large scale cooperative projects can be planned across all of the jurisdiction boundaries. These large scale projects will entail a lot of coordination and planning.

The Sport Fish Restoration Act and the Wildlife Restoration Act, as amended by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-408) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to make up to $6,000,000 ($3,000,000 each from the Sport Fish Restoration and Wildlife Restoration Program trust funds) available annually under the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program for the purpose of funding multistate conservation project grants. The program is a discretionary grant program which awards grants based on a nationally competitive process that is administered jointly between the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The BLM is interested in partnering with a recipient to conduct research on the effectiveness of forest and rangeland restoration projects in Nevada

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Midwest Region, intends to issue a Single Source Cooperative Agreement Award without competition to the Missouri Botanical Garden for a project consisting of both a research and an outreach component to advance the state of science for monarch butterfly conservation in urban areas as described below.

Background: The BLM Richfield Field Office works together with Utah State Parks, the Forest Service, and private land owners to manage and maintain the Paiute Trail and other motorized trails to provide a unique and seamless experience for users and the public. This trail is over 900 miles long and benefits the local economies of multiple communities, draws in thousands of visitors each year, and helps maintain solid working relationships between the agencies and landowners with cohesive goals to benefit the public through the motorized trail systems. The BLM has worked with and Utah State Parks for the past 5 years to provide maintenance, public outreach, and to improve the trails for the benefit of the public. The BLM Richfield Field Office is seeking proposals to assist with maintenance, education, and monitoring on the Paiute and associated OHV trails. Objective: 1. The partner and BLM will continue to provide monitoring, education, and maintenance on over 150 miles of motorized and Paiute ATV trail on public lands, provide upkeep on kiosks and trailheads, litter removal and to provide a quality experience for thousands of recreational visitors. Areas to be maintained include recreation areas and trailheads associated with the motorized trails. Otter Creek trail access including Fishermans Beach, Tamarisk Point, and South Point. Sauls Meadow, Kingston Canyon, Aurora Open Area, Glenwood Open Area, Bicknelll Bottoms Trailheads, Koosharem Reservoir, and other recreation areas and trailheads along the trails will be maintained. Work would also include public outreach and education, trail work, maintenance, sign installation and maintenance, clearing, improving, and additional work and special projects as needed along the motorized trails on public land connecting communities, state parks, and trailheads. This would ensure a well-marked, signed, and maintained long-distance trail system with adequate support facilities that are open to the general public for recreati

Description of Program and/or Project a. Background: The BLM conducts population and habitat monitoring of Sonoran desert tortoise at previously established, 1 square mile, long term monitoring plots in the Tortilla and Maricopa Mountains of south central Arizona to determine current population and habitat status and trend using established protocols. Methods consist of mark/recapture surveys. Individual desert tortoises will be located, mapped, marked, measured and evaluated for presence of disease indicators. Habitat parameters, including vegetative composition will be measured and the presence of potential tortoise and habitat stressors will be documented and assessed. Data will establish current population demographic composition, presence of disease, recruitment, habitat conditions and presence and magnitude of threats to the population and habitat. Data will be compared with previous years and summarized in a monitoring report. b. Objectives: Determine current population demographic composition, presence of disease, recruitment, habitat composition and condition, and presence and magnitude of threats to the population and habitat at 2 locations in the Sonoran Desert following established protocols. Compare current conditions with historical data to determine trends and disseminate information to Arizona Interagency Desert Tortoise Team members.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) supports federal projects and grants aimed at jump-starting achievement of GLRI long term goals: safely eating the fish and swimming at our beaches, assuring safe drinking water, and providing a healthy ecosystem for fish and wildlife. The GLRI was announced in May of 2009 as part of the President's FY2010 budget. To guide this work, federal agencies have drafted GLRI Action Plan II, which summarizes the actions that federal agencies plan to implement during the years 2015-2019. Information about the GLRI, including agency-by-agency funding allocations, and general descriptions of the work that's planned, is posted at http://greatlakesrestoration.us/.The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is soliciting project proposals for federal assistance under the GLRI - Endangered Species Template (GLRI-ES). The GLRI - ES provides grants and other assistance on a competitive basis to individuals, groups, and government agencies engaged in voluntary conservation efforts to benefit species listed or proposed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), candidate species, or other at-risk species within the Great Lakes Basin of the United States. The Service will award grants for actions and activities that protect, restore, and enhance habitats that benefit federally listed, proposed, or candidate species.

NRCS Oregon requests proposals for Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. For fiscal year 2015, up to $250,000 may be available for the Oregon statewide CIG competition. The Oregon CIG category available in FY 2015 is the State Resource Concern Category. Proposals are requested from eligible nonfederal government or non-government organizations or individuals for competitive consideration of grant awards for projects between 1 to 3 years in duration. Proposals can request federal funds of up to $75,000 and must be implemented within the state of Oregon.

Hundreds of watersheds across Alaska have been mined in the past or are currently being mined or proposed for future mining. Stream reclamation restoration in Alaska is complex and has often failed to achieve stability goals within 10 years post construction. The protracted recovery periods and limited success are due in large part to the absence of baseline data needed for channel design and an over reliance on natural processes to facilitate recovery of disturbed streams. To enhance the probability of restoration success, baseline data on stream function and stream functional lift potential need to be gathered. In addition, regional hydraulic geometry curves need to be developed for Alaskaÿfds mining districts. Coupled with site specific baseline geomorphic data, this information can greatly enhance stream restoration success and the rehabilitation of fish and wildlife habitat. The testing and adoption of proven stream design techniques, such as Rosgenÿfds Natural Channel Design, in Alaska is also essential to developing an effective approach to improving conditions with watersheds degraded by historic or ongoing placer mining.

The State Wildlife Grants Program provides States, the District of Columbia, Commonwealths, and territories (State(s)) Federal grant funds for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitats, including species that are not hunted or fished. Eligible activities include both planning and implementation. Planning activities must contribute directly to the development or modification of the Stateÿfds current Wildlife Action Plan (Plan) approved by the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service). Implementation activities are activities that a State intends to carry out to execute their Plan. Priority for use of these funds should be placed on those species of greatest conservation need and take into consideration the relative level of funding available for the conservation of those species. Ineligible activities include wildlife education and law enforcement activities, unless the law enforcement or education component is a minor or incidental activity which is considered critical to the success of a project.

Population trend data will be established for BLM sensitive species at the WY Field Office level and provide a baseline for project level monitoring.

Background: The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council completed field surveys of over 130 culverts within the watershed. They used data from the field surveys to identify culverts that pose a barrier to fish passage according to the USFS/BLM coarse-screen filter, and to prioritize culverts for replacement across the entire watershed. Geographic Information Systems were used to prioritize culverts based on fish use, barrier severity, available upstream habitat, the presence of impassable culverts downstream, and culvert condition. The Middle Fork Willamette Watershed Council received a grant which was used to generate engineering plans for the replacement of 7 high-priority culverts in the Lost Creek and Rattlesnake Creek basins to allow for the passage of juvenile and adult salmonids, and to identify appropriate sites for the addition of large wood structures to improve habitat conditions for fish in the streams where culverts will be replaced. Objectives: The objective of this agreement is to restore temporal and spatial connectivity within the Lost Creek Watershed.

The BLM has worked with the Institute of Applied Ecology for over 10 years demographic monitoring to determine the effects of climate and cattle grazing on Snake River goldenweed, Pyrrocoma radiata. This species, formerly known as Haplopappus radiatus, is listed as endangered by the State of Oregon, as a Species of Concern with the USFWS, and is a BLM Sensitive Species. Pyrrocoma radiata is endemic to eastern Oregon and western Idaho. 93 P. radiata locations are recorded in the GeoBOB database of which 83 of the sites have not been visited in over 13 years. Furthermore, population size has been recorded for only 7 of these sites thus the current status of P. radiata is unknown. There are significant threats to the Snake River goldenweed which include precipitation changes, livestock grazing, construction of wind energy turbines, power line construction, and noxious weed encroachment. Additionally the results of increasing wildfires have converted the Snake River goldenweed's habitat, sagebrush steppe, to annual grassland. It is unknown if the Snake River goldenweed will be able to persist under these altered habitat conditions. The objective of this project is to improve the management of Snake River goldenweed, Pyrrocoma radiata, currently listed as endangered by the State of Oregon, as a Species of Concern with the USFWS, and is a BLM Sensitive Species. This project is to determine the extent and population status of the species and to develop a Conservation Strategy and detailed management plan for maintaining viable populations of the species. Year one of this project will include re-locating and re-sampling of all ten monitoring plots for P. radiata. Monitoring results will be summarized in a report addressing species management options for improved protection, conservation, and preservation of the species. Additional surveys of at least 15 new sites per year will be done to document population size and threats currently affecting the Snake River goldenweed's h

The U.S. Standard Grants Program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States that further the goals of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. These projects must involve only long-term protection, restoration, enhancement and/or establishment of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. A 1:1 match is required. Research funding is ineligible.