[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14156-14158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06097]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-MB-2015-N228; 91400-5110-0000; 91400-9410-0000]


Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Fiscal Year 2015 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 (Service), announce the 
Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 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, 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 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 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.
    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 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 17 projects 
that they recommended for funding. We have awarded all of the 
recommended projects for FY 2015. The list follows:

                                      Multistate Conservation Grant Program
                                               [FY 2015 Projects]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   ID               Title                Submitter         PR Funding \1\     DJ Funding \2\    Total 2015 grant
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.......  Multistate Conservation   AFWA...............         $43,560            $43,560            $87,120
           Grant Program
           Coordination.

[[Page 14157]]

 
2.......  State Fish and Wildlife   AFWA...............         149,160            149,160            298,320.50
           Agency Administration
           and Coordination.
3.......  State Fish and Wildlife   AFWA...............          64,075             64,075            128,150
           Agency Director Travel
           Administration and
           Coordination.
4.......  Coordination of Farm      AFWA...............         124,500             83,000            207,500
           Bill Program
           Implementation to
           Optimize Fish and
           Wildlife Benefits to
           States.
5.......  Coordination of the       AFWA...............         108,480            108,480            216,960
           Industry, Federal and
           State Agency Coalition.
6.......  Understanding the Trends  MAFWA & WAFWA......         226,933.50         226,933.50         453,867
           in Public Values toward
           Wildlife as a Key to
           Meeting Current and
           Future Wildlife
           Management Challenges.
7.......  Educating Lawyers, Law    AFWA...............         100,000            100,000            200,000
           Students, students of
           all ages the judiciary
           and the general public
           on state fish and
           wildlife management:
           Implementing AFWA's
           2013-2015 Strategic
           Plan Goal 2.
8.......  Hunting, Fishing, and     NSSF...............          69,865.05          69,865.05         139,730.10
           Sport Shooting
           Recruitment and
           Retention: A
           Practitioner's Guide.
9.......  National Survey of        AFWA...............         145,500                  0            145,500
           Ownership and Use of
           Traps by Trappers in
           the United States and
           evaluation of the use
           and implementation of
           BMPs by state fish and
           wildlife agencies.
10......  Promoting Strategic Fish  NFHB...............               0            521,600            521,600
           Habitat Conservation
           through Regionally-
           coordinated Science and
           Collaboration.
11......  Development and           WMI and CAHSS......         207,900                  0            207,900
           Implementation of a
           National Initiative for
           Hunter and Shooting
           Sports Recruitment,
           Retention, and
           Reactivation.
12......  Improving the             AFWA...............          58,125             58,125            116,250
           Conservation of Fish
           and Wildlife
           Populations and
           Habitats During Energy
           Exploration,
           Development and
           Transmission Through
           Enhanced Industry/
           Agency Coordination.
13......  Boosting Fishing          ASA................               0             60,000             60,000
           Participation by Boat
           Owners.
14......  Professional Development  Max McGraw Wildlife         116,150                  0            116,150
           Workshops for effective   Foundation.
           communication and
           outreach regarding
           regulated trapping,
           established Best
           Management Practices,
           and furbearer
           management.
15......  Coordination of the 2016  FWS................         123,437            123,437            246,874
           National Survey Efforts
           (part A).
16......  50 State Surveys Related  Rockville Institute         279,822            279,822            559,644
           to Fishing, Hunting,      (Westat).
           and Wildlife-Associated
           Recreation (part B).
17......  National-Level Results    FWS/U.S. Census             407,903            407,903            815,806
           for the 2016 Survey of    Bureau.
           Fishing, Hunting and
           Wildlife-Associated
           Recreation (part A).
                                                        --------------------------------------------------------
          ........................  ...................       2,225,410.55       2,295,960.55       4,521,371.10
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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.
ASA: American Sportfishing Association.
CAHSS: Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports.
NFHB: National Fish Habitat Board.
NSSF: National Shooting Sports Foundation.
MAFWA: Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
WAFWA: Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
WMI: Wildlife Management Institute.


     Dated: December 15, 2014.
Stephen Guertin,
Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-06097 Filed 3-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55-P