[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 28 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7371-7373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02799]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-MB-2016-N218; 91400-5110-0000]; [91400-9410-0000]
Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Fiscal Year 2016 Priority
List and Approval for Award of the Conservation Projects
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of priority list and approval of projects.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 priority list of wildlife and sport fish
conservation projects from the Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies (AFWA). As required by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
Programs Improvement Act of 2000, AFWA submits a list of projects to us
each year to consider for funding under the Multistate Conservation
Grant Program. We reviewed the list and have awarded all the grants
from the list.
ADDRESSES: John C. Stremple, Multistate Conservation Grants Program
Coordinator; Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program; U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike; MS: WSFR; Falls Church, VA 22041-
3808.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John C. Stremple, (703) 358-2156
(phone) or [email protected] (email).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fish and Wildlife Programs Improvement
and National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act of 2000 (Improvement
Act, Pub. L. 106-408) amended the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife
Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq.) and the Dingell-Johnson Sport
Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq.) and established the
Multistate Conservation Grant Program. The Improvement Act authorizes
us to award grants of up to $3 million annually from funds available
under each of the restoration acts, for a total of up to $6 million
annually. Projects can be funded from both funds depending on the
project activities. We may award grants to projects from a list of
priority projects recommended to us by the Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies. The Service Director, exercising the authority of
the Secretary of the Interior, need not fund all projects on the list,
but all projects funded must be on the list.
The Improvement Act provides that funding for Multistate grants is
available in the year it is appropriated and for the following year.
Total funding for the FY 2016 Multistate Conservation grants is in
excess of $6 million due to funding that has been carried over from FY
2015, as well as the availability of funding that had previously been
sequestered.
Grantees under this program may use funds for sport fisheries and
wildlife management and research projects, boating access development,
hunter safety and education, aquatic education, fish and wildlife
habitat improvements, and other purposes consistent with the enabling
legislation.
To be eligible for funding, a project must benefit fish and/or
wildlife conservation for at least 26 States, for a majority of the
States in any one Service Region, or for one of the regional
associations of State fish and wildlife agencies. We may award grants
to a State, a group of States, or one or more nongovernmental
organizations. For the purpose of carrying out the National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting, and
[[Page 7372]]
Wildlife-Associated Recreation, we may award grants to the Service, if
requested by AFWA, or to a State or a group of States. Also, AFWA
requires all project proposals to address its National Conservation
Needs, which AFWA announces annually at the same time it requests
proposals. Further, applicants must provide certification that no
activities conducted under a Multistate Conservation Grant will promote
or encourage opposition to regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife,
or to regulated angling or taking of fish.
AFWA committees and interested nongovernmental organizations that
represent conservation organizations, sportsmen's and women's
organizations, and industries that support or promote fishing, hunting,
trapping, recreational shooting, bowhunting, or archery review and rank
eligible project proposals. AFWA's Committee on National Grants
recommends a final list of priority projects to the directors of the
State fish and wildlife agencies for their approval by majority vote.
By statute, AFWA then transmits the final approved list to the Service
for funding under the Multistate Conservation Grant program by October
1 of the fiscal year. This year, AFWA sent us a list of 18 projects
that they recommended for funding. We awarded all of the recommended
projects for FY 2016. The list follows:
Multistate Conservation Grant Program
[FY 2016 projects]
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Total 2015
ID Title Submitter PR funding \1\ DJ funding \2\ grant
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1................. State Fish & AFWA $3,360 $3,360 $6,720
Wildlife Agency
Technical
Workgroup for the
2016 National
Survey.
2................. State Fish and AFWA 77,386.63 77,386.63 154,773.26
Wildlife Agency
Administration
and Coordination.
3................. Development of a AFWA 74,925 74,925 149,850
National Outreach
Strategy.
4................. Increasing AFWA 15,000 15,000 30,000
Effectiveness of
State Wildlife
Agencies Through
Leadership &
Professional
Development.
5................. Management AFWA 118,568 118,568 237,136
Assistance Team
(MAT) and the
National
Conservation
Leadership
Institute.
6................. State Fish & AFWA 48,056.25 48,056.25 96,112.50
Wildlife Agency
Director Travel
Administration
and Coordination.
7................. Expansion & AFWA 12,485 12,485 24,970
Implementation of
the North
American
Conservation
Education
Strategy's
Outdoor
Recreation Model.
8................. Preserve State AFWA 9,000 9,000 18,000
Agencies'
Authority to
Manage Wildlife
Resources and
Promote Their
Interest in the
Implementation of
International
Treaties.
9................. Diversifying ATA 52,500 0 52,500
Outdoor
Education:
Translate Explore
Bowhunting into
Spanish to Reveal
an Untapped
Market.
10................ AFWA's Legal AFWA 75,000 75,000 150,000
Strategy:
Educating Law
Students,
Lawyers, Judges,
and the Public on
State Legal
Authority to
Manage Fish and
Wildlife
Resources.
11................ Coordination of AFWA 86,640 86,640 173,280
the Industry,
Federal, and
State Agency
Coalition.
12................ Recruitment of Max McGraw Wildlife 19,675 0 19,675
Hispanic Hunters: Foundation
Using a Case
Studies approach
to gain insights
into Hispanic
values toward
wildlife and
motivations and
participation in
hunting.
13................ Crucial Habitat WAFWA 20,000 20,000 40,000
Assessment Tool
(CHAT).
14................ 2016--Raising WMI 60,000 60,000 120,000
Awareness of the
WSFR Program and
improving
industry
relations to
ensure the long-
term stability of
the program.
15................ Advancing the AFWA/NFHB 0 86,000 86,000
Objectives of the
National Fish
Habitat Action
Plan through
Regional and
Collaborative
Science and
Priority Setting.
16................ Coordination of FWS 128,483 128,483 256,966
the 2016 National
Survey Efforts
(part A).
17................ 50 State Surveys Rockville Institute 1,780,370 1,780,370 3,560,740
Related to (Westat)
Fishing, Hunting,
and Wildlife-
Associated
Recreation (part
B).
18................ National-Level FWS/U.S. Census Bureau 1,272,167 1,272,167 2,544,334
Results for the
2016 Survey of
Fishing, Hunting
and Wildlife-
Associated
Recreation (part
A).
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3,853,615.88 3,867,440.88 7,721,056.76
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\1\ PR Funding: Pitman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds.
\2\ DJ Funding: Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds.
AFWA: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
ATA: Archery Trade Association.
NFHB: National Fish Habitat Board.
WAFWA: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
WMI: Wildlife Management Institute.
[[Page 7373]]
Dated: December 7, 2015.
Stephen Guertin,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-02799 Filed 2-10-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P