Spending Your Tax Dollars - Landowners Receive More Than $9.4 Million To Conserve Imperiled Species Under New Grant Program

May 28, 2003

Press release from: Mitch_Snow@fws.gov

Contact: Patricia Fisher 202-208-5634

For a complete list of Private Partnership Stewardship grant awards,
visit:

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship/Awards.pdf

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship.html

Under the new Private Stewardship Grant program envisioned by
President Bush when he was still Texas governor, the Interior Department's
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced 113 grants totaling more than
$9.4 million to individuals and groups to undertake conservation projects on
private lands in 43 states for endangered, threatened and other at-risk species.

President Bush originally proposed the creation of the Private
Stewardship Grant program during a speech in Lake Tahoe, Nevada in June 2000.

The grants announced today, the first ever awarded under the program,
will benefit species ranging from the whooping crane in Nebraska to the bald
eagle in the state of Washington.

Each grant must be matched by at least 10 percent of the total project cost
either in non-federal dollars or in-kind contributions.

"Conservation, and especially the conservation of imperiled species,
must be a partnership between the American people and their government," said
Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton. "By making these grants, we are empowering
citizens to restore habitat on their land and take other steps to protect and
recover endangered, threatened and at-risk species."

"Judging from the number of truly innovative grant proposals we
reviewed, landowners across the U.S. are eager to work with us to conserve
at-risk species," said Service Director Steve Williams. "We anticipate this
public/private partnership will result in significant conservation achievements
for wildlife and wildlife habitat."

The Private Stewardship Grants Program provides federal grants on a
competitive basis to individuals and groups engaged in voluntary
conservation efforts on private lands that benefit federally listed
endangered or threatened species, candidate species or other at-risk
species.

Under this program, private landowners as well as groups working with private
landowners are able to submit proposals directly to the Service for funding
to support these efforts.

President Bush has requested funding of $10 million for this program in 2004.

The following are some examples by state of the Private Stewardship
Grants funded today (keep in mind, please, that this is only a PARTIAL LIST:

Alabama:

Mobile Area Water and Sewer System: A Plan to Enhance and Maintain Longleaf
Pine Habitat in Mobile County ($106,046)

This project will help preserve, enhance and sustain gopher tortoise
populations and other species, including restoration of a longleaf pine
ecosystem. These actions, designed to benefit eight at-risk species,
include prescribed burning on 1,000 acres; using herbicides to control
exotics on 300 acres; installing 4.5 miles of perimeter fencing; and
constructing two creek crossings for management purposes. The project not
only seeks to protect sensitive species but also to protect the City of Mobile's
water supply.

Alaska:

North Slope Borough: Restoration and Enhancement of Habitat Adjacent to
Barrow ($176,814)

This project will restore and enhance habitat near Barrow to reduce
mortality and increase the nesting success of the federally threatened
Steller's and spectacled eiders and other species at risk. The project will
have two components:

1) trail hardening to reduce ATV disturbance to nesting areas and

2) installation of bird flight diverters to power lines to reduce mortality
to birds due to collisions with wires.

Yakutat Salmon Board: Moonwort Protection and ATV User Outreach ($34,870)

This project protects two rare moonwort plant species threatened by a
number of biological and human impacts including ATV use. First, the
project will provide immediate site protection of populations near Yakutat,
Alaska by cordoning off high-density moonwort areas and redirecting ATV
traffic. Second, the project will create a 30 minute educational video using footage
of site protection efforts that were used in the first part of the project,
including responsible ATV use.

Arizona:

Malpai Borderlands Group: ($100,000)

This project will improve habitat on the San Bernardino National Wildlife
Refuge for endangered and sensitive species of the Rio Yaqui River system by
building small diversion structures on private lands outside the refuge boundaries
to reduce and reverse erosion along tributary drainages.

This project will benefit 34 federally listed, state listed or at-risk species
including the Huachuca water umbel, an endangered plant; the Yaqui chub,
Yaqui shiner, and Yaqui topminnow, all desert fish; the Chiricahua leopard frog;
the Northern Aplomado falcon; the southwestern willow flycatcher, a bird; and
the yellow-billed cuckoo.

California:

The Nature Conservancy/County of Santa Barbara: Santa Cruz Island Native
Plant Restoration Project ($40,000)

This is a multi-phase project designed to restore native plant communities on
Santa Cruz Island by removing non-native woody species.

It also will provide habitat benefits for up to eight federally or state
listed species and 20 species of concern.

Florida:

National Audubon, Audubon Florida, Florida Coastal Islands
Sanctuaries: Protection and Management of Coastal Bird Colonies in Florida
($85,000)

This project supports continued management of 30 species of colonially
nesting waterbirds through enhanced security, monitoring, invasive plant control,
habitat restoration, and public outreach.

Twelve [of] the species [that are] expected to benefit from this project are
federally and/or state-listed including the brown pelican, white ibis,
tricolored heron, black skimmer, wood stork and roseate spoonbill.

Illinois:

Fox Valley Land Foundation: Managing Habitat for the Threatened
Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid in Northern Illinois ($79,500)

This project seeks to increase the number of eastern prairie fringed orchid
populations on private lands in northern Illinois through monitoring activities
and managing habitat to support stable or increasing populations.

Kansas:

Comanche Pool Prairie Resource Foundation: Comanche Pool Prairie Resource
Foundation/High Plains Partnership ($100,000)

This project will help continue a rancher-led initiative that has
successfully enhanced mixed-grass and prairie stream habitat for at-risk
species such as the black-tailed prairie dog, the lesser prairie chicken, the
federally listed Arkansas River shiner and Arkansas darter, both fish.

Participating ranchers will use a variety of resource management tools such
as altered grazing management, prescribed burning, cutting of invasive woody
species and stream restoration to improve habitat for these species.

Maryland:

Anne and Robbie Wiley: Habitat Improvement for the Delmarva fox
squirrel (DFS) in Dorchester County ($33,322)

This project will improve disturbed woodlands for the benefit of the
endangered DFS and includes a survey to assess the benefits of these
habitat improvements.

An area of previously clearcut and select cut woods in lower Dorchester
County will be improved by clearing dead debris and grading the woodland floor.

Replanting with trees and seed/fruit bearing shrubs will offer a long-term
food source for the Delmarva fox squirrel.

Mississippi:

American Bird Conservancy, American Forest Foundation, Environmental Defense,
and Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation: Restore longleaf and southern
pine forest habitat in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi ($315,475)

This project seeks to develop and implement multi-species Safe Harbor
Agreements/Candidate Conservation Agreements simultaneous to pine ecosystem habitat
restoration efforts such as prescribed burning, thinning, hardwood control, and
regeneration. It also includes an outreach and education plan using "Field
Day" demonstrations, a "Conservation Handbook," and a conservation education
trail to reach out to landowners. Covering 23 counties in Alabama, Mississippi
and Louisiana, the project will restore fire-maintained long leaf and other
southern pine habitat for the benefit
of gopher tortoise, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, black pine snake, Northern
Bobwhite, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Bachman's Sparrow, Prairie Warbler, Henslow's
Sparrow, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and other species.

Nebraska:

Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.: Platte River
Channel Habitat Restoration and Enhancement ($97,500)

This project will restore river channel, wet meadow and wetland habitats on a
segment of the Platte River that is habitat for endangered whooping cranes,
threatened piping plovers and endangered least terns, as well the endangered
pallid sturgeon and numerous other at-risk species.

It will restore habitat for listed species along 60 miles of the Platte River
and features partnerships with numerous private landowners.

New York:

The Nature Conservancy: F.E.E.T. On the Ground, Long Island
($82,5000)

This project will improve ground management of piping plovers and other beach
dependent species such as the common tern and black shiner on eastern Long
Island, NY.

The work will focus on privately owned nesting areas or areas that are
significantly impacted by the activities of landowners on adjacent properties.

Oregon:

The Nature Conservancy of Oregon: Willamette Valley ($289,760)

This project will restore riparian, prairie, and oak woodland habitat and
habitat conditions for a total of 21 separate populations of seven
federally listed species including Fender's blue butterfly, Oregon chub,
Willamette Valley daisy, Bradshaw's lomatium, the streaked horned lark, a
candidate species, and five Federal species of concern including northwestern
pond turtle, yellow-breasted chat, and white-tip aster.

In addition, the project will provide additional benefits for eight at-risk
species including western meadowlark (the State bird), and western gray
squirrel and will enhance existing at-risk species benefits at five
important sites in the Willamette Valley ecoregion. It will also provide a
foundation of restored habitat and restoration capacity on which to base
coordinated species recovery efforts on targeted private lands throughout the
Willamette Valley.

Pennsylvania:

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: Muddy Creek "Friends of the
Mussels" Streambank Restoration and Riparian Protection ($75,000)

This project will help improve water quality and habitat for federally
endangered freshwater mussels such as the clubshell mussel, and state listed
freshwater mussels and fish species including the creek heelsplitter mussel
and the Ohio lamprey.

It will protect state listed riparian and wetland plant species through
revegetation of riparian areas with native species; restoration of eroded
streambanks using vegetative stabilization techniques; fencing of livestock from
streams, riparian, and wetland areas; and wetland restoration.

Washington:

Whatcom Conservation District: Tenmile Creek Watershed Volunteer Riparian
Pilot Program ($116,632)

This project supports ongoing grassroots efforts of voluntary in-stream and
riparian habitat restoration along reaches of Ten Mile, Four Mile, and Deer
Creeks which are tributaries to the Nooksack River in Whatcom County, WA.

Activities will restore critical spawning and rearing habitats for listed
chinook, bulltrout, and coho salmon. The project benefits mostly salmonids
and has a significant amount of landowner participation.

For a complete list of Private Partnership Stewardship grant awards,
please visit: http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship.html

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish
hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services field stations.
The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species
Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant
fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps
foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal
Aid program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise
taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.

For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our
homepage at http://www.fws.gov

News releases are also available on the World Wide Web at http://news.fws.gov

Questions concerning a particular news release or item of information should
be directed to the person listed as the contact. General comments or
observations concerning the content of the information should be directed to Mitch Snow
(Mitch_Snow@fws.gov) in the Office of Public Affairs.

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FY 2003 Endangered Species Grants to Landowners & States
In Fiscal Year 2003 (October 2002 - September 2003), the Service will award
approximately $91 million in Federal funding under five types of endangered
species grants. The Service offers many grants to our partners; the grant
programs described below are specifically for the benefit of endangered, threatened,
proposed, or candidate species or other at-risk species. For more information
about other Service grant programs that may better fit your needs, please see
http://grants.fws.gov.

Eligibility criteria and the application process for each grant program is
different. To learn more about each program, please click on the Grant Program
Name below.

Grant Program (FY 2003 Funding) / Purpose / Species Benefiting / Applicants /
Competition / Financial Match Requirement*

Private Stewardship Program ($9.9 Million)

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship.html

Local, private, and voluntary conservation efforts federally listed
threatened or endangered species, proposed species, candidate species, or other at-risk
species private landowners and their partners (non-Federal) regional
competition 10% to be provided in cash or through in-kind contributions

Conservation Grants ($7.5 M)

Implementation of conservation projects federally listed threatened or
endangered species and species at-risk States or Territories that have entered into
cooperative agreements with the Service for endangered and threatened species
conservation formula 25% of estimated project cost; or 10% when two or more
States or Territories implement a joint project

Recovery Land Acquisition ($12.7 M)

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/sec6_rfp.html

Acquisition of habitat in support of approved recovery goals or objectives
federally listed threatened or endangered species States or Territories that
have entered into cooperative agreements with the Service for endangered and
threatened species conservation regional competition 25% of estimated project
cost; or 10% when two or more States or Territories implement a joint project

Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance ($6.6 M)

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/sec6_rfp.html

Support development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) federally listed
threatened or endangered species, proposed and candidate species, and unlisted
species proposed to be covered by the HCP** States or Territories that have
entered into cooperative agreements with the Service for endangered and threatened
species conservation national competition 25% of estimated project cost; or
10% when two or more States or Territories implement a joint project

Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land Acquisition ($51.1 M)

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/sec6_rfp.html

Acquisition of land associated with approved HCPs federally listed threatened
or endangered species, unlisted (including State-listed species), proposed
and candidate species covered by the HCP** States or Territories that have
entered into cooperative agreements with the Service for endangered and threatened
species conservation national competition 25% of estimated project cost; or
10% when two or more States or Territories implement a joint project

*As required under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, grants to States
and Territories must include a minimum contribution by the project's
non-Federal partners. These contributions can be in-kind, through staff time or use of
non-Federal equipment, or financial assistance.

**A species covered by the HCP is any species (listed or unlisted) that is
included in the section 10(a)(1)(B) permit, thus receiving incidental take
authorization.

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/index.html#2003

http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/private_stewardship/PSGP.html