Partners for Fish and Wildlife

 

Deliver Department of the Interior priorities and US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) mission by providing financial and technical assistance to private landowners and Native American Tribes interested in voluntarily working with USFWS to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. Provide technical assistance to State and Federal conservation agencies.

Active 15.631 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of The Interior B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2017 The Program expects to complete at a minimum 900 project accomplishments. The Program completed 2,511 projects that enhanced and restored over 200,000 acres of habitat, 298 river miles, and 78 fish passage structures.
Fiscal Year 2018 Hundreds of agreement/awards, approximately 2,500 total accomplishments, 30,732 wetland acres, 290,531 upland acres, and 254 stream miles nationwide
Fiscal Year 2019 The Program completed over 1,800 project accomplishments that enhanced and restored over 220,000 acres of habitat, 189 river miles, and 84 fish passage structures.
Fiscal Year 2020 The Program completed over 1,900 project accomplishments that enhanced and restored over 260,000 acres of habitat, 280 river miles, and 63 fish passage structures.
Fiscal Year 2021 The Program completed over 2,000 project accomplishments that enhanced and restored over 258,000 acres of habitat, 242 river miles, and 57 fish passage structures.
Fiscal Year 2022 FY22: The Program completed over 1,800 project accomplishments that enhanced and restored over 251,000 acres of habitat, 279 river miles, and 60 fish passage structures.
Fiscal Year 2023 The Program expects to complete a minimum of 950 project accomplishments.
Fiscal Year 2024 The Program expects to complete a minimum of 950 project accomplishments. Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act, 16 U.S.C. §§3771-3774; Fish and Wildlife Act; 16 U.S.C. §742 et seq.; and Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. §§661-666; Inflation Reduction Act - Weather Events (Pub. L. 117-169 [H.R. 5376], §60302, 136 STAT. 2079); Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58 [H.R. 3684] 135 Stat. 1389) Private landowners, tribal governments, local and state governments, educational, for-profit, and non-profit institutions and organizations are eligible for financial and technical assistance from Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Projects must be located on private lands. Private land is defined by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774, as any land that is not owned by the Federal Government or a State. Private land includes tribal land and Hawaiian homeland. Private landowners, tribal governments, local and state governments, educational, for-profit, and non-profit institutions and organizations are eligible for financial and technical assistance from Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. Projects must be located on private lands. Private land is defined by the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774, as any land that is not owned by the Federal Government or a State. Private land includes tribal land and Hawaiian homeland. Not applicable. Preapplication coordination is not applicable. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. The local Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Coordinator works with the applicant and makes a site visit to design a project that will benefit Federal trust resources and is acceptable for the landowner's needs. Contact the appropriate Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Office for application procedures. Applicant must complete the Standard Form (SF) 424, and the appropriate Budget and Assurances forms (SF424A and SF 424B - Non-construction; or SF 424C and SF 424D - Construction) Information is also available at http://www.grants.gov. After a project has been designed and the cost calculated, the local Partners Program coordinator will be able to inform the private landowner whether or not the Service will provide cost-share assistance. When the landowner has signed a cooperative agreement (a minimum of 10 years) work can begin on the project. The Service reimburses the landowner after the project is completed. September 30, 2023. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, however, applications received after June 1st may be deferred for consideration in a future fiscal year and not assured funding in FY23. Not applicable. Not applicable. None. Private land owners may request additional projects on their lands. All projects must benefit Federal trust species, involve partnerships, be-cost effective, and where applicable involve on-the-ground habitat restoration. Specific criteria for reviewing and ranking projects were established in the national Partners policy, at https://www.fws.gov/policy/640fw1.html. The program gives high priority to proposed projects that benefit the National Wildlife Refuge System, species at risk, conserve globally or nationally imperiled habitats; and reduce habitat fragmentation. Please review the annual Notice of Availability of Federal Assistance for additional selection criteria referenced in http://www.grants.gov. The PFW program uses congressionally appropriated funding in accordance with the Partner for Fish and Wildlife Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 3771-3774. Performance Reports: Performance reports are required. Recipients must monitor and report on project performance in accordance with the requirements in 2 CFR 200.329. A final performance report is due within 120 calendar days of the award period of performance end date, unless the awarding program approves a due date extension. The FWS details all reporting requirements including frequency and due dates in Notices of Award. Not applicable. Records must be maintained in accordance with 2 CFR 200. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. Assistance is available on a continuous basis based on funding, funds typically must be spent 1 year from time of obligation. Program obligates funds and sends a notice of award to successful applicants. No regional offices. Visit https://www.fws.gov/program/partners-fish-and-wildlife/contact-us for contact information. Matt Filsinger
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Department of the Interior
5275 Leesburg Pike MS: NWRS
Falls Church, VA 22041
Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 US
matthew_filsinger@fws.gov
Phone: (703) 358-2011 https://www.fws.gov/program/partners-fish-and-wildlife 14-1611-0-1-302 (Project Grants (Cooperative Agreements)) FY 22$15,000,000.00; FY 23 est $15,999,998.00; FY 24 est $17,000,000.00; - The Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program conducts voluntary restoration and enhancement projects on private lands through grants and cooperative agreements. Cost-share range per project is from $200 to $25,000. The average cost per project is $5,400. For information about Program policy and guidelines see the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program Management Policy in the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual, 640 FW1 (at http://www.fws.gov/policy/640fw1.html). Fiscal Year 2017 The Program has not yet selected projects to support. The Program anticipates funding projects that help protect and restore fish and wildlife habitats to benefit Federal trust species and declining species. Montana: Blackfoot River MT-BF-17-23 Providing angling opportunities This project provides improved instream and riparian habitat conditions that will benefit local fisheries population as well as downstream populations in the Blackfoot river drainage. Specifically, the priority species to benefit are the sensitive westslope cutthroat trout. Trying to keep species off the Endangered Species List is a goal for the program. The project will also benefit other aquatic invertebrates, amphibian and native riparian plant communities. The project improved recreational opportunities for anglers and miles of habitat Utah: UT-2017-006 Restoring Trust and Being a Good Neighbor The purpose of this project is to allow the landowner to manage grazing on riparian and upland areas. The private property is within an area that is primarily Federally owned. A plan has been developed to consolidate grazing allotments and rotate through the area and the landowner would like to be able to have better grazing control on the private property. To continue managing the grazing on the privately owned property the boundary fence was repaired to insure the landowner can maintain grazing control on sagebrush acres and riparian areas of a stream. Oklahoma: 1014365-MH_Wetland Providing hunting opportunities The property can be described as an upland savanna habitat with adjacent riparian habitat. The area is vegetated with introduced grasses and native grasses scattered across the upland habitat with a variety of hardwoods tree species in the riparian habitat. Habitat treatments include restoring a 3 acre wetland, enhance 14 acres of riparian habitat to benefit federal trust resource species and migratory birds by constructing a fence to protect the area from livestock grazing. Water levels will be allowed to fill in the winter months for waterfowl use and recreational opportunities.
Fiscal Year 2018 Program entered into hundreds of landowner/cooperative agreements to restore wetland, grassland, and aquatic habitats providing wildlife, recreational, ecosystem and environmental benefits to the American people.
Fiscal Year 2019 Montana: MT-CV-19-02; Providing angling opportunities and restoring habitat. This project will reactivate approximately 1.55 miles of channel on Middle and West Creeks in the Centennial valley on private property. Currently, some reaches of the channel are located within incised irrigation ditches and have lost hydrologic connectivity, instream and riparian habitat. Earthen plugs will be used to block ditches and divert flow back into the historic channel. The projects will improve hydrologic connectivity, riparian vegetation, stream function, instream channel habitat and fish passage. This project will benefit numerous fish and angling opportunities including for the Arctic grayling and other species that depend on these critical riparian zones. Wyoming: WY019-007 PTR; Restoring Trust and Being a Good Neighbor. The purpose of this project is to allow the landowner to manage grazing on upland areas. This is a multi-year, multi-pasture project with an end target of 14,300 acres treated. Water developments and fencing improvements will enable better grazing management and herd distribution throughout the area which will in-turn enhance the habitat for wildlife species. Where applicable, fencing has been modified to wildlife-friendly fencing to allow safe passage by big-game animals such as pronghorn. The delivery of this project underpins one of the programs goals of restoring trust and being a good neighbor by working voluntarily with the landowner and being substantially involved during delivery of the infrastructure. Kansas: 64860-11RL05; Providing hunting opportunities. This site lies within the northern edge of the Flint Hills region of Northeastern Kansas. The proposed work will include treating invasive plant species through mechanical and chemical applications and where applicable, prescribed burning. The removal of these harmful invasive species will allow better habitat for upland dependent grassland birds such as the northern bobwhite quail who thrive on early successional habitat. The cattle grazing will also be managed to ensure good vegetative cover. This project has a number of external partners including working closely with the state fish and wildlife agency, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
Fiscal Year 2020 Maryland: Landscape Conservation: Wetland/Upland Restoration in Choptank River Watershed Chesapeake Bay Field Office’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife biologists, in coordination with a Caroline County, Maryland landowner and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), are restoring an 89-acre mosaic of wetlands and uplands on mostly hydric soil cropland. Enrolled in the NRCS’s Wetland Reserve Easement program (WRE), the project is located in the headwaters of the Choptank River watershed, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay with significant runs of river herring (Alosa spp.) and striped bass (Morone saxatilis) among many other species of fish. The restoration includes construction to create emergent wetlands, planting trees, and planting meadow areas. The restored forests and grasslands will provide a buffer for emergent wetlands, slow surface runoff, and improve infiltration for stream base flow. The permanent protection of the forest will provide habitat for forest interior nesting birds. Grasslands will provide habitat for grassland nesting birds, as well as pollinators. The wetland component will provide habitat for many types of birds, including ducks, geese, wading birds, shorebirds, and neotropical migratory songbirds. This project is part of an ongoing initiative to restore vital habitats on the Delmarva Peninsula where over 50 percent of historic wetlands and forests have been drained or cleared. Montana: Hat Creek Ranch Sage steppe and Wildlife Corridor Project Montana Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program completed multiple projects on the Hat Creek Ranch (HCR) in the Big Hole watershed of southwest Montana to enhance sage steppe habitat and wildlife migratory corridors. HCR is home to a diverse array of wildlife species including greater sage grouse, sage steppe obligate song birds, pronghorn, elk, moose, mule deer, numerous carnivores, raptors and Arctic grayling. The project included improved wildlife passage through 10 miles of fence modification, enhanced range and riparian conditions on 4,981 acres, restoration of 5 acres of mesic habitat, and removal of invasive conifers on 100 acres. Cumulatively these projects will enhance healthy habitat and corridors for wildlife and maintain a sustainable and economically viable ranch. The HCR Sage Steppe and Wildlife Corridor Project exemplifies the importance of landowner stewardship and partnerships necessary to enhance and protect wildlife habitat, maintain open spaces and support a working landscape. Partners for this project include Hat Creek Ranch, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership, The Nature Conservancy and the Montana Conservation Corps. Oklahoma: Livestock Grazing Control and Improved Water Quality The cooperator installed a permanent barbed wire fence along 4.25 miles of the Cimarron River to prevent livestock access to the riparian area. This practice helped control livestock grazing, reduce soil bank erosion, and improve water quality. Once restored, the area will provide improved habitat for many endemic and migratory riparian dependent species as well as aquatic species such as the Arkansas River shiner. The project area will also be burned as needed to enhance native plant growth, increase pollinator plants, and protect the area from encroachment of non-native vegetation and woody tree species. The project has also prevented livestock escapes into the River and slowed soil erosion along the river.
Fiscal Year 2021 Nevada: Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFW) Program biologists assisted a private landowner with planting 205 shrub seedlings along a riparian corridor and in pinyon-juniper habitat. This project will enhance big game winter habitat and habitat for a variety of other sagebrush ecosystem dependent species. Shrubs planted were chosen for their value to wildlife and included antelope bitterbrush, mountain snowberry, serviceberry, and mountain mahogany. A winter storm passed through the area the day after planting finished (excellent timing), providing moisture which will help the plants establish. PFW provided technical assistance and financial support for this habitat restoration project which builds on prior low-tech, process-based riparian restoration activities on this site. Vermont: PFW Biologists, with assistance from NRCS, installed a series of beaver dam analogs on a restoration site in Orleans County, Vermont. The small stream was deeply incised and no longer had floodplain access. The previously ditched stream through a heavily grazed pasture had been downcutting in recent years. This problem was observed by the landowner and likely worsened by larger intense rain events in the region. The beaver dam analogs consist of cedar posts that were driven in perpendicular to the stream channel and then woven with willow, cottonwood and dogwood stems that were cut on site. This work aims to slow peak flows, improve floodplain access, trap sediment and regenerate woody riparian vegetation. A longitudinal profile survey was completed to monitor the effectiveness of the work in the future as well. The BDAs are part of a larger PFW designed restoration project on the 100-acre site that included seven ditch plugs, two culvert removals, ditch fills, spoil removal, decompaction and the placement of approximately 6,000 cubic yards of woody debris. Florida: The PFW program worked to expand longleaf pine habitat by restoring approximately 25 acres of disturbed sandhill on the 125-acre Sweetwater Preserve located in Southeast Gainesville, Florida. The Preserve is part of the Kincaide Loop Longleaf Restoration Partnership which includes a city park, state park, and private conservation area. Restoration along with proximity to other protected lands provides valuable habitat for the gopher tortoise and Eastern indigo snake. Items completed include the chemical treatment of invasive exotics, pasture grasses, and off-site hardwoods; prescribed fires; installation of wiregrass plugs; and the seeding of diverse native groundcover species collected from local conservation areas. Partners and County staff are currently working on the final phase of the project to include additional herbicide applications, native seed collection, and planting. Restoration efforts have resulted in reduced midstory, improved ground cover, and notable longleaf pine recruitment and retention.
Fiscal Year 2022 Idaho: Partners for Fish and Wildlife staff in Idaho, in partnership with the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Clover Creek Ranch recently completed a big-game migration habitat and movement project in the Smoky Bennett Big-Game Priority Complex near Bliss, Idaho. Clover Creek, a 2,200 acre working farm and ranch, is critical winter range for mule deer, elk, and pronghorn. This area harbors a large volume of deer and elk during both winter and summer due to an abundance of high-quality crops under pivot and adjacent rangelands. This property is also important for wintering sage-grouse, migrating waterfowl, and sand-hill crane. In the northern portion of the ranch, 670 acres of upland (rangeland) habitat was treated with a pre-emergent herbicide to reduce invasive-annual grass germination. Within the same treatment unit, 663 acres were aerial seeded with a sagebrush/grass mix, 211 acres were drill seeded by the landowner utilizing USFWS rangeland drill, and approximately 15 acres were planted with sagebrush and bitterbrush seedlings. PFW staff worked with the landowner to remove 6.3 miles of fence identified through IDFG GPS-data and on-the-ground observations to have the most beneficial impact to wild ungulates. IDFG partnered with the landowner to replace 4.4 miles of fence with a 4-strand wildlife friendly fence design. Sections of the fence were let-down and high-tensile electric, allowing for efficient, seasonal management. Delaware: The PFW program restored 2.18 acres of emergent wetlands in an agriculture row crop field. The project is in the Cedar Creek watershed, which drains to the Delaware Bay in Sussex County Delaware. PFW Biologists provided the survey, design, and construction oversight. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) provide the funding for construction. A wet area in the field was excavated and the material used to construct a low berm that will increase the ponding area. A water control structure was installed to allow moist soil management to promote emergent vegetation growth in the spring and summer, which will provide habitat structure and food for waterfowl, wading birds, and spotted turtles, an at-risk species. Georgia: PFW staff in Georgia worked with the Limestone Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council, Coosa River Basin Initiative, Georgia Environmental Protection Division, and a cattle ranch to protect and enhance a 1-mile segment of Holly Creek within the Conasauga River watershed, an aquatic biodiversity hotspot. Prior to this collaboration, cattle were allowed to freely access Holly Creek and its riparian areas for water and food, which was degrading aquatic habitats by damaging streambanks, removing riparian vegetation, compacting soils, and introducing nutrients to the stream. Approximately 10,562 linear feet of two strand smooth electric wire fencing was installed to exclude cattle from within 50 feet of Holly Creek. In addition, three low water crossings were installed to allow cattle to access water during the summer and pastures on both sides of Holly Creek under a rotational grazing regime. Lastly, over 12,000 native woody trees and shrubs, and 800 grasses and forbes were planted within the cattle exclusion area to enhance the now protected 11.3-acre riparian corridor. Overall, this work will benefit seven listed aquatic species (including the blue shiner, trispot darter, finelined pocketbook, Alabama moccasinshell, Coosa moccasinshell, southern pigtoe, and triangular kidneyshell), two at-risk aquatic species (Alabama rainbow and Coosa creekshell), and improve over 0.4 miles of designated critical habitat occurring in Holly Creek.
Fiscal Year 2023 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that voluntarily restore habitat for wildlife and recreational benefits to the American people.
Fiscal Year 2024 Program has not yet selected projects for funding. Program anticipates funding projects that voluntarily restore habitat for wildlife and recreational benefits to the American people.