Washington, D.C. - The Shoshone and Arapaho Joint Business Council is set to receive federal grant funding to help meet the wildlife management challenges on the Wind River Reservation, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced yesterday that the Joint Business Council will receive $190,900 to help manage large predators such as grizzly bears and wolves and to create a sage grouse/sage brush management plan.

The sage brush ecosystem on the Wind River Reservation encompasses about 930,000 acres and its health is important to the long-term sustainability of not only sage grouse, but other species that also depend on this habitat such as antelope, pygmy rabbit, sage vole, sage thrasher, sage sparrow, and brewer's sparrow, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The funding comes from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under two new programs, the Tribal Landowner Incentive Program and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program. These programs assist states, local communities, private landowners and other partners to undertake wildlife conservation projects.

For more information, please visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife website (http://www.fws.gov).