[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 80 (Friday, April 25, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23009-23011]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-09416]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

FWS-HQ-MB-2014-N269; 91400-5110-0000; 91400-9410-0000]


Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Priority List and Approval 
for 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 (FWS), announce the 
fiscal year 2014 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 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, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop WSFR-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

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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, 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 Conservation 
Needs, which AFWA announces annually 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 15 projects recommended for 
funding by AFWA. We have awarded all of them for fiscal year 2014. The 
list follows:

                                                          Multistate Conservation Grant Program
                                                                   (FY 2014 projects)
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                                                                                                                                            Total 2014
         ID                              Title                                 Submitter                PR funding \1\   DJ funding \2\   grant request
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1...................  Enhancing the Wildlife and Sport Fish       Wildlife Management Institute......             AFWA         $100,000         $200,000
                       Restoration Program and Industry
                       Relations.
2...................  State Fish and Wildlife Agency Technical    AFWA...............................           45,600           45,600           91,200
                       Workgroup for the 2016 National Survey.
3...................  Coordination of the Industry, Federal and   AFWA...............................           92,850           92,850          185,700
                       State Agency Coalition.
4...................  State Fish and Wildlife Agency Director     AFWA...............................           64,075           64,075          128,150
                       Travel Administration and Coordination.
5...................  State Fish and Wildlife Agency              AFWA...............................          146,880          146,880          293,760
                       Administration and Coordination.
6...................  To Enhance State Wildlife Agencies'         AFWA...............................           23,584           23,584           47,168
                       Authority to Manage Wildlife Resources
                       through Increased Understanding of
                       International Treaties and Conventions.
7...................  Building Capacity to Assist the State Fish  AFWA...............................        94,887.97        94,887.96       189,775.93
                       and Wildlife Agencies in Developing the
                       Association's 2013 Legal Strategic Plan.
8...................  Increase Fishing License Buyers and Excise  ASA................................                0          243,800          243,800
                       Tax Receipts through State-Industry
                       Cooperative Research Into Churn Rates and
                       First Time License Buyers.
9...................  Increase Hunting License Buyers and Excise  NSSF...............................          508,600                0          508,600
                       Tax Receipts Through State-Industry
                       Cooperative Recruitment and Retention
                       Research and Testing.
10..................  Maintaining State Agency Leadership in the  AFWA...............................          209,070          209,070          418,140
                       Management of Fish and Wildlife through
                       Revision/Implementation of State Wildlife
                       Action Plans.
11..................  National Fish Habitat Action Plan           AFWA...............................                0          544,500          544,500
                       Implementation and Promoting Strategic
                       Fish Habitat Conservation through
                       Regionally Coordinated Science and
                       Collaboration.
12..................  Recruiting and Retaining Nontraditional     Georgia Department of Natural                138,500          138,500          277,000
                       Adult Participants into Fishing and         Resources/SEAFWA.
                       Hunting through Targeted Marketing,
                       Instruction, Mentoring and Social
                       Reinforcement.
13..................  Development and Registration of Toxicants   Texas Parks and Wildlife Department          414,972           46,108          461,080
                       and Delivery Strategies for Controlling
                       Wild Hogs.
14..................  Research for and Coordination for the 2016  U.S. FWS...........................          425,391          425,391          850,782
                       National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and
                       Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
15..................  Planning and Coordination of the 2016       NSSF...............................        49,228.38        49,228.39        98,456.77
                       National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and
                       Wildlife-Associated Recreation.
                                                                                                          2,313,638.35     2,224,474.35     4,538,112.70
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\1\ PR Funding: Pitman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds.
\2\ DJ Funding: Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds.
ASA: American Sport Fishing Association.
ATA: Archery Trade Association.
SEAFWA: Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
NSSF: National Shooting Sports Foundation.



[[Page 23011]]

    Dated: February 4, 2014.
Rowan W. Gould,
Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-09416 Filed 4-24-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P