Request for Proposals: Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program 2023 (US)

Deadline: 3-Aug-23

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is soliciting proposals for projects that voluntarily conserve, restore, and improve habitat in the Intermountain West.

The objective of the Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program (RMR) is to work in focal landscapes in the region to restore and conserve wildlife species associated with sagebrush, irrigated meadows and aquatic systems while conserving the phenomenon of large mammal migration. Competitive proposals submitted under this RFP will support voluntary strategic projects that accelerate and implement priority conservation practices as identified in the RMR business plan. The following practices will be given priority consideration during this funding cycle:

• Innovative and strategic management of annual invasive grasses in Idaho
• Habitat enhancement through mesic area/wet meadow, sagebrush restoration and strategic conifer removal on Bureau of Land Management lands that may also include cross jurisdictional ownership
• Projects that promote innovations in grazing management that result in sustainable livestock production and enhanced wildlife habitat
• Promote the removal or modification fence or other anthropogenic obstructions that increase landscape permeability for wildlife
• Projects in south-central Montana that achieve any of the above actions and may have an access component are encouraged to apply
• Preference will be given to projects that accelerate adoption of the most cost effective and sustainable approaches that exhibit a high likelihood of success. The Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program will award approximately $2.5 million. Major private funding provided by Cargill, Taco Bell, Capri, and Altria, with federal funding from The Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Department of Agriculture, and the Natural Resources Conservation Services.

Program Priorities

• Much of the Intermountain West is checkered by mixed ownership. Generally, throughout the West land ownership adheres to the following pattern: the lower water-rich properties tend to be privately owned, the more arid uplands are typically federally owned and managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and lands located in upper watersheds are frequently managed by the U.S. Forest Service. When additional state land and other holdings are included, the ability to manage across a landscape becomes complex. Capacity to communicate and assist with management, restoration and enhancement of habitat will address conservation bottlenecks in communities throughout the West. Priority will be given to projects in Idaho that result in a reduction of invasive annual grasses and maintenance/increase of desired perennial plants (Idaho Cheatgrass Challenge) as well as projects that include a focus on restoration and enhancement of mesic wet meadows on BLM and neighboring land.
• All proposals must specifically address how projects for which funds are requested will directly and measurably contribute to the accomplishment of program goals. The Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program seeks projects in the following program priorities:
  • Management/local eradication of invasive annual grasses (cheatgrass, ventenata, or medusahead) on sagebrush rangelands in Idaho
    • Annual invasive grasses have impacted over 52 million acres of the American west reducing forage capacity of rangelands resulting in negative economic impacts on rural communities, altering and increasing catastrophic wildfire in both size and frequency and vastly altering wildlife habitat. To proactively address the spread of these species NFWF will consider projects in Idaho that apply integrated, ecologically-based invasive plant management strategies that result in a reduction of invasive annual grasses and maintenance/increase of desired perennial plants. Priority will be given to projects that:
    • Are located within existing conservation priority areas (e.g., sage-grouse priority areas),
    • Strategically address recent or low-density annual grass invasion sites
    • Contain monitoring and outreach/demonstration components that share results, successes and lessons learned with other land managers through a dedicated communications component with various publics and promote awareness about invasive annual grass management
  • Mesic area/wet meadow, sagebrush restoration and strategic conifer removal on Bureau of Land Management lands that may also include cross jurisdictional land ownership
    • Mesic area/wet meadow:
      • Many of the species found in the sagebrush landscape are adapted to the arid climate and do not rely exclusively on access to water. However, the benefits realized from mesic areas and wet meadows are critical during certain life stages of sagebrush species, including utilization by sage-grouse for brood rearing habitat and critical winter range for elk, mule deer and pronghorn. Threats to these systems include altered hydrology (digging stock ponds or “dirt tanks”), de-watering or diversion of water for irrigation elsewhere, historic eradication of beaver, and mismanagement of grazing which can lead to erosion issues and an ultimate lowering of the water table.
      • Techniques such as installation of rock structures or beaver mimicry are often site specific and are just recently being adopted and formalized by many of the state and local land management agencies. There is a significant need for investment in these emerging techniques for both the transfer of knowledge and landscape level implementation. Additional practices may include managing adjacent uplands through grazing management or conifer removal to increase mesic area resiliency.
    • Conifer encroachment:
      • Numerous studies produced over the last decade have shown the benefits of removing encroaching conifer to nesting sagebrush obligate songbirds, sage-grouse, groundwater retention as well as forb, grass, and shrub production. Several low impact methodologies are being deployed to address the issue at scale including lop and scatter which involves trained crews cutting trees by hand via chainsaw and scattering the brush so as not to create predator denning sites. The other is mechanical mastication which uses a piece of heavy machinery to splinter the tree into mulch, vastly decreasing the amount of time needed for the tree to decompose. Both practices have shown positive results for multiple sagebrush obligate species.
  • Projects that promote innovations in grazing management that result in sustainable livestock production and enhanced wildlife habitat
    • Managed grazing of livestock is an ecologically compatible and economically viable land use in the region and as such can be prescribed to meet both wildlife habitat and production goals. The implementation of prescribed grazing techniques is extremely site specific and scale dependent and should factor in landowner needs, species needs, and a suite of abiotic factors including soil types and weather patterns. Projects will promote habitat heterogeneity at ecologically significant scales. Management prescriptions may adjust stocking rates and the timing and intensity of grazing to meet specific habitat outcomes. Projects with formal management agreements will be given preference.
  • Promote the removal or modification of fence or other anthropogenic obstructions that increase landscape permeability for wildlife.
    • Fencing can be a significant obstruction to ungulates and other wildlife, resulting in direct mortality from entanglements, indirect mortality, or reduced fitness from reduced landscape permeability. NFWF will invest in conversion or removal of fences as a low-tech way to make significant impacts on ungulate herds throughout their lifecycle. Fencing can also be an important tool and deployed as a deterrent or to funnel animals to safe passage or more desirable habitats.
    • Community Impact and Engagement: Projects that incorporate outreach to communities, foster community engagement, and pursue collaborative management leading to measurable conservation benefits are encouraged. When possible, projects should be developed through community input and co-design processes. Additionally, projects should engage community-level partners (e.g., municipalities, NGOs, community organizations, community leaders) to help design, implement, and maintain projects to secure maximum benefits for communities, maintenance, and sustainability post-grant award.

Funding Information

• The Rocky Mountain Rangelands Program has approximately $2.5 million available in funding for the 2023 RFP. NFWF anticipates awarding between 6-8 grants with a suggested minimum requested amount of $100,000. Project duration may extend one to three years. For this cycle 1:1 non-federal match is required as in-kind or cash contributions.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, U.S. Federal government agencies, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal governments, educational institutions.
• Ineligible applicants include for-profit entities and unincorporated individuals.

Ineligible Uses of Grant Funds

• NFWF funds may not be used to support ongoing efforts to comply with legal requirements, including permit conditions, mitigation, and settlement agreements. However, grant funds may be used to support projects that enhance or improve upon existing baseline compliance efforts.
• While federal agency partners are eligible applicants, program funds cannot be applied to federal salary.
• Equipment: Applicants are encouraged to rent equipment where possible and cost-effective or use matching funds to make those purchases. NFWF acknowledges, however, that some projects may only be completed using NFWF funds to procure equipment.
• Federal funds and matching contributions may not be used to procure or obtain equipment, services, or systems (including entering into or renewing a contract) that uses telecommunications equipment or services produced by Huawei Technologies Company or ZTE Corporation (or any subsidiary or affiliate of such entities) as a substantial or essential component, or as critical technology of any system.
• NFWF funds and matching contributions may not be used to support political advocacy, fundraising, lobbying, litigation, terrorist activities or Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations.

For more information, visit NFWF