To provide Federal financial assistance to any State or
Territory (hereafter, "States"), through its appropriate State or
territorial agency, to assist in the development of programs for the
conservation of endangered and threatened species.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
The assistance provided to the State fish and wildlife agency can include
animal, plant, and habitat surveys; research; planning; monitoring; habitat
protection, restoration, management, and acquisition; and public education.
Assistance is restricted to those State agencies with which the Fish and
Wildlife Service has a current cooperative agreement for the species involved.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: Participation limited to
State agencies that have a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of the
Interior.
Beneficiary Eligibility: All States that have
entered into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of the Interior.
Credentials/Documentation: A current cooperative
agreement(s) between the Secretary of the Interior and the State Conservation
agency(ies) concerning endangered and threatened species is necessary. Costs
will be determined in accordance with 43 CFR Part 12, Subpart C, "Uniform
Administrative Requirements for Grants and Cooperative Agreements to State and
Local Governments." Section 12.62 (of the common rule), identifies
Federal cost principles for determining allowable costs. Separate agreements
for animals and plants are normally made with each State's responsible agency.
Pre-application Coordination: The standard
application forms furnished by the Federal agency and required by 43 CFR Part
12, Subpart C, "Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and
Cooperative Agreements to State and Local Governments," must be used for
this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E. O. 12372,
"Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should
consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in
his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be
followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for
review.
Application Procedure: A standard application for
Federal Assistance is submitted. The project description section of the
application should address the evaluation factors identified in the annual
request for proposals.
Award Procedure: Final selection is made by the
Secretary of the Interior, based on recommendations by the Director or
Regional Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Funds are obligated by
signature on a project agreement.
Deadlines: Variable. Contact the regional office
for application deadlines.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: Not
applicable.
Appeals: Decisions can be appealed to the Fish
and Wildlife Service, Chief, Endangered Species Division of Consultation.
Final determination rests with the Secretary of the Interior.
Renewals: Renewals can be made through submission
and approval of a project agreement.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: States may
receive up to 75 percent of the program costs. When two or more States have a
common interest in one or more endangered or threatened species and enter into
a joint agreement, the Federal share may be 90 percent.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: Any amount
obligated to any State for any fiscal year remaining unused at end of the year
is available to that State until the close of the succeeding fiscal year. Any
amount obligated to any State that remains unused at the end of the succeeding
fiscal year is available to the Service as reverted funds to conduct other
section 6 programs.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: A performance report is required for each
project segment within 90 days following the close of the segment.
Audits: In accordance with the provisions of OMB
Circular No. A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997, "Audits of States, Local
Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that
receive financial assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal Awards will have a
single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal
entities that expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt
from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No.
A-133.
Records: Records must be maintained for 3 years
following the submission of request for final reimbursement.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 14-5143-0-2-303.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $104,694,000; FY 02
est $96,235,000; and FY 03 est $91,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: $1,000
to $14,362,500.
In fiscal year 2001, a total of $104,694,000 was appropriated to the
Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF) (Section 6 of the
Endangered Species Act). This represented an increase of approximately
$82,000,000 over the FY 2000 appropriation, and allowed for the creation of
four new grant programs in FY 2001: Recovery Land Acquisition, Habitat
Conservation Planning Assistance, Safe Harbor, and Candidate Conservation
Agreement Grants. Through the traditional Conservation Grants program,
$7,503,000 was allocated regionally based on the number of species covered
under cooperative agreements within each region. An unprecedented $68,773,000
in Habitat Conservation Planning (HCP) Land Acquisition Grant funding was used
to fund 15 individual projects out of 17 proposals across 10 States. The new
Recovery Land Acquisition Grant program ($10,427,000) awarded 13 out of 46
proposals to provide project funding in 10 states. The new Habitat
Conservation Planning Assistance Grant program awarded 24 out of 43 proposals
to provide project funding in 14 states. For the Safe Harbor and Candidate
Conservation Agreement Grant Programs, each was funded at $4,740,000. In
fiscal year 2002, the Service will provide $7,520,000 to States for
traditional Conservation Grants; $6,650,000 for Habitat Conservation Planning
Assistance Grants; $61,306,000 for HCP Land Acquisition Grants; and
$17,759,000 for Recovery Land Acquisition Grants. Funding through the Safe
Harbor Grants and the Candidate Conservation Agreement Grants is not available
in fiscal year 2002.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
Endangered Species Act, 50 CFR 81, Federal Aid Manual.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: See Catalog Appendix IV
for addresses.
Headquarters Office: Fish and Wildlife Service,
Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW (MS-420 ARLSQ), Washington, DC
20240. Contact: Chief, Endangered Species: Division of Consultation, HCPs,
Recovery and State Grants. Telephone: (703) 358-2171. Use the same number for
FTS.
Web Site Address: http://www.endangered.fws.gov.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
A variety of projects were funded through the Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund in FY 2001, including Habitat Conservation Planning
Assistance grants to develop Habitat Conservation Plans across the country in
areas ranging from the North Slope of Alaska to the islands of Hawaii, from
the mountains of West Virginia to the forests of the Pacific Northwest. These
HCPs will benefit a wide range of plants and animals, including the Houston
toad in Texas, Ute ladies-tresses in Washington state, and the Florida golden
aster in Florida. Most of the HCPs will address multiple species, many of them
on a city, county or large watershed basis. Recovery Land Acquisition grants
awarded in fiscal year 2001 will be used to acquire and protect important
prairie, coastal, mountainous desert, cave, and riparian habitat, land that
represents critical portions of species' last remaining habitat. Some of these
acquisitions support many endangered species, as well as important habitat for
migratory birds and other wildlife. For example, acquisition of property in
Kern County, California benefits the largest known population of the Kern
primrose sphinx moth by securing protection for an area that is the only place
this species has been sighted in the past 20 years. In Tennessee, acquisition
of a 25-acre site will protect one of only five known populations of the
endangered Tennessee coneflower. HCP Land Acquisitions in fiscal year 2001
will be used to help acquire vital habitat for threatened and endangered
species ranging from loggerhead turtles in Florida to imperiled songbirds in
Texas. The lands acquired under the HCP Land Acquisition program are purchased
only from willing sellers, and are intended to complement but do not replace
the conservation responsibilities contained in a HCP.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Proposals for grant funding must be submitted by the State fish and wildlife
agency. The State must have an approved cooperative agreement with the
Secretary of the Interior which provides for sharing responsibilities for
endangered species, prior to receiving Cooperative Endangered Species
Conservation Fund (section 6 of the Endangered Species Act) funds. Individual
project proposals must compete with other State submissions for funding.
