(WASHINGTON)-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 United States are eager to work with
us to conserve at-risk species," said U.S. Fish and Wildlife 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 and 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:
" 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; theYaqui
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 the species
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.
