USA -(Ammoland.com)- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking proposals from states and U.S. territories for federal financial assistance for conservation activities that benefit the nation’s most imperiled species.
The Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF), authorized under Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, provides grants to support voluntary conservation projects for listed species and species that are candidates for listing.
For fiscal year (FY) 2017, the President’s budget requested $53.495 million for CESCF. The actual amount of funding available is based on Congress passing a final appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior.
The Service is seeking proposals in three categories:
- Recovery Land Acquisition Grants: provide funds for the acquisition of habitat in support of approved and draft species recovery plans.
- Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants: provide funds to support the development of Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) that protect habitat for listed species while providing for economic growth and development.
- HCP Land Acquisition Grants: provide funds to acquire habitat for listed species associated with HCPs.
To receive a CESCF grant, a state or territory must have a current cooperative agreement with the Secretary of the Interior and contribute at least 25 percent of the total project cost, or 10 percent when two or more states or territories undertake a joint project.
Proposals must be submitted electronically through grants.gov, or to the appropriate Service regional offices by March 17, 2017.
For more information and application requirements, contact: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of Recovery and State Grants, 5275 Leesburg Pike MS: ES, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803; tel: 703-358-2171. The CESCF is number 15.615 in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.
Learn more about the grants, including details of grants awarded in FY 2016, visit their website.