[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20408-20409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7998]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


[FWS-R9-MB-2011-N215; 91400-5110-0000-7B; 91400-9410-0000-7B]

Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Priority List and Approval 
for Conservation Projects

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of priority list and approval of the 
projects.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), announce the 
fiscal year 2012, 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 have reviewed the list and have awarded 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, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop MBSP-4020, 
Arlington, VA 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John C. Stremple, at the above 
address, or at (703) 358-2156 (phone) or [email protected] 
(email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration 
Programs Improvement 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 FWS 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.
    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 in at least 26 States, or in a majority of the 
States in any one FWS Region, or it must benefit a regional association 
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 
Wildlife-Associated Recreation, we may award grants to the FWS, if 
requested by AFWA, or to a State or a group of States. Also, AFWA 
requires all project proposals to address its National

[[Page 20409]]

Conservation Needs, which are announced annually by AFWA at the same 
time as its request for 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.
    Eligible project proposals are reviewed and ranked by 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. AFWA's Committee on 
National Grants recommends a final list of priority projects to the 
directors of State fish and wildlife agencies for their approval by 
majority vote. By statute, AFWA then must transmit the final approved 
list to the FWS for funding under the Multistate Conservation Grant 
program by October 1 of the fiscal year.
    This year, we received a list of 12 recommended projects from AFWA. 
We recommend all of them for funding in fiscal year 2012. The list 
follows:

                    Multistate Conservation Grant Program--FY 2012 Cycle Recommended Projects
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                                                                                                    Total 2012
      ID                   Title                  Submitter       PR funding \1\  DJ funding \2\   grant request
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12-034........  Multistate Conservation     AFWA................     $145,260.00     $145,260.00     $290,520.00
                 Grant Program
                 Coordination.
12-001........  Coordination of Farm Bill   AFWA................      156,600.00       52,200.00      208,800.00
                 Program Implementation to
                 Optimize Fish and
                 Wildlife Benefits to the
                 States.
12-008........  Coordination of the         AFWA................      152,775.00       50,925.00      203,700.00
                 Industry, Federal and
                 State Agency Coalition.
12-028........  State Fish and Wildlife     AFWA................      299,359.80      299,359.80      598,719.60
                 Agency Coordination and
                 Administration.
12-029........  State Fish and Wildlife     AFWA................       64,075.00       64,075.00      128,150.00
                 Agency Director Travel
                 Coordination and
                 Administration.
12-010........  2011 Economic Impacts of    American                         0.0       82,503.00       82,503.00
                 Sportfishing.               Sportfishing
                                             Association.
12-022........  The Wildlife and Sport      Wildlife Management        50,000.00       50,000.00      100,000.00
                 Fish Restoration Program    Institute.
                 75th Anniversary.
12-011........  Investigating Factors       American                   92,886.15       92,886.15      185,772.30
                 Related to Hunting and      Sportfishing
                 Fishing License Sales       Association.
                 Increases.
12-017........  Longitudinal Evaluation of  National Wild Turkey      173,172.38      173,172.38      346,344.76
                 Hunting, Fishing, and       Federation.
                 Shooting Recruitment/
                 Retention Programs.
12-033........  Organizational Development  National Fish                      0      100,000.00      100,000.00
                 Training for Fish Habitat   Habitat Action Plan
                 Partnerships to Increase    Board.
                 Capacity.
12-021........  Trailblazer Adventure       U.S. Sportsman             40,000.00       40,000.00       80,000.00
                 Program.                    Alliance Foundation.
12-030........  Conserving Fish Habitat     Atlantic States                    0      261,440.38      261,440.38
                 from Whitewater to          Marine Fisheries
                 Bluewater.                  Commission.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
                                                                    1,174,128.33    1,411,821.71    2,585,950.04
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\1\ PR Funding: Pitman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds.
\2\ DJ Funding: Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds.


    Dated: December 28, 2011.
Rowan W. Gould,
Acting Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-7998 Filed 4-3-12; 8:45 am]
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