The Bureau of Land Management is currently accepting applications for the Wildlife Program that focuses on addressing habitat connectivity issues and implementing projects that consider climate change impacts to short- and long-term objectives.
Specific BLM (HQ) Wildlife Program focuses to implement the Department priorities include, but are not limited to, those actions that: protect wildlife habitat, migration, habitat connectivity that supports biodiversity; increase resilience to climate change and help leverage natural climate solutions; contribute to conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by the year 2030; support State agencies to meet State wildlife population objectives; engage communities of color, low income families, and rural and indigenous communities to enhance economic opportunities related to wildlife; and use the best science and data available to make decisions.
Objective and Goals
The BLM (HQ) 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.
The BLM (HQ) 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 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.
Identifying, restoring or maintaining area for 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.
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.
Funding Information
Estimated Total Funding: $4,000,000
Maximum Award: $1,500,000
Minimum Award: $10,000
Anticipated Number of Awards: 20
Projects cannot be funded for more than a five-year period
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible Applicants
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.
