Deadline: 30-Sep-2024
Applications are now open for the Bureau of Land Management National Operations Center (NOC) Wildlife Resource Management Program.
The Wildlife Program fulfills the Department of the Interior visions of improving the management of wildlife and their habitats, and upholding trust and related responsibilities.
The Wildlife Program is responsible for administering program activities that support maintaining functioning wildlife habitats, developing, and implementing restoration projects, and the inventory and monitoring of priority habitats and species to track trends and use on public lands. BLM-managed lands are vital to thousands of species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. To provide for the long-term conservation of wildlife and biodiversity on public lands, the Wildlife Program uses a science-based approach to manage public lands to identify projects that support meeting land health standards and desired resource objectives for priority species and habitats, as outlined in land use plans. The program is focused on addressing habitat connectivity issues and implementing projects that consider climate change impacts to short- and long-term objectives.
The BLM National Operations Center (NOC) Wildlife Program’s priority work includes:
- Identifying and supporting projects that address wildlife habitat restoration that are in alignment with restoration landscapes, address habitat land health standards, and improving habitat connectivity supporting wildlife migration such as big game, and migratory birds.
- Projects the support collaborations with State and Tribal Wildlife agencies to address data gaps, implement coordinated landscape or regional monitoring to inform populations status and trend tied to public lands administered by BLM.
- Support projects that will assist BLM with using existing assessments or data to understand climate change impacts on landscape or priority ecosystems important to achieving short and long terms habitat objectives, for example, water availability during extended droughts, or new or emerging impacts for invasives species.
- Inventory of priority wildlife species and habitats to inform distribution, condition, trend, and utilization of wildlife and special status plant resources to inform preparation of environmental impact statements (EIS’s), environmental assessments (EA’s), resource management plans (RMP’s), activity plans, and certain resource management authorizations.
- Identifying regional or landscape restoration opportunities that address or incorporate priority habitat desired outcomes, and/or address habitat connectivity (such as grassland, woodlands, dunes, deserts, riparian, and wetland areas) for priority wildlife populations that depend on BLM managed lands. Projects should support resiliency on the landscape, including seasonal habitats.
- Collaborating with state wildlife agencies to attain wildlife population goals for priority species, including recreational species, and identifying and managing for habitat connectivity, migrations, stopover habitats, critical water sources, refugia, etc.
- Collaborate with State wildlife agencies to develop an inventory and status of wildlife infra-structure such as water developments, fencing, perches, enclosures, bat gates, etc., and addressing climate effect such as drought.
- Collaborating with Tribal governments to develop management strategies for conserving wildlife resources on public lands.
- Working with local governments, communities, private landowners, and conservation organizations to develop partnership opportunities, leverage resources, implement projects, and improve recreational access for hunting and fishing on public lands.
- Developing and sharing science-based strategies for wildlife conservation through professional workshops, meeting, and work groups.
- Evaluating existing decision support tools and information to enhance BLM’s wildlife conservation activities to meet goals and objectives, with consideration of climate effects under different future scenarios. Results should be applicable for informing on the ground activities and identifying any gaps or questions to be addressed.
- Coordinating and implementing wildlife related environmental education to stimulate public understanding of the BLM role in maintaining and enhancing viable populations of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
The BLM NOC Wildlife Program has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with national or regional efforts across state boundaries for the following:
- Contributing to the above-Program focuses.
- Focusing on implementing activities that meet the goals and objective of BLM Strategic Plans for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Pollinator Conservation, BLM Resource Management Plans, and Conservations plans that maintain or restore habitats for upland game, waterfowl, big game, pollinators, sensitives species, and watchable wildlife species.
- Conserving priority wildlife habitat (vegetation communities, water resources, or connectivity) or reducing threats to habitat or species.
- Monitoring and inventorying wildlife populations and habitats to provide complete, current, and accurate information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat of wildlife that depend on BLM managed public lands to increase professional and public knowledge and understanding of these resources.
- Assessing wildlife habitat and verifying the achievement of resource management goals and objectives.
- Enhancing the understanding of management opportunities to conserve wildlife populations that depend on BLM managed lands.
- Improving how BLM uses and integrates coordinated wildlife monitoring data such as IMBCR and NaBat, and new research to inform achievement of land health fundamental standards related to wildlife habitat and land use plan objective at the ecosystem and watershed level.
- Performing outreach/education projects to facilitate wildlife stewardship and conservation of species that depend on BLM managed lands, including through citizen science and student-based science.
- Increasing public awareness of wildlife resources, conservation challenges and successes on BLM managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low income families, and rural and indigenous communities.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $800,000
- Expected Award Amount
- Maximum Award: $500,000
- Minimum Award: $25,000
- Anticipated Award Funding and Dates: Projects cannot be funded for more than a five-year period
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 5
Eligibility Criteria
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Individuals and For-Profit Organizations are ineligible to apply for awards under this NOFO.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.