Secretary Salazar Declares $57.8 Million in Grants to Support Land Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species; Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin to Gain Funds

For Immediate Release
April 22, 2009

Contact:

Georgia Parham 812.334.4261 x 1203

Valerie Fellows 703.358.2285

Valerie_Fellows@fws.gov

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today announced in excess of $57.8 million in grants to 27 states to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants. The grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species ranging from the desert tortoise to the Indiana bat.

In the Midwest, state conservation agencies in Wisconsin, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio will Gain a total of about $2.26 million to acquire land to benefit the endangered Karner blue butterfly, pallid sturgeon and interior least tern, and the threatened copperbelly water snake.

"The successful conservation of threatened and endangered species requires a partnership between the federal government and the states," Salazar said. "These grants provide state agencies the resources they need to help protect and conserve listed species and to empower landowners and local communities to be good stewards of the vital habitat that makes the recovery of imperiled species possible."

Authorized by Section six of the Endangered Species Act, the competitive grants enable States to work with private landowners, conservation groups and other agencies to initiate conservation planning efforts and acquire and protect habitat to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species.

This year, the cooperative endangered species fund provides approximately $7.6 million through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program, $36 million through the Habitat Conservation Project Land Acquisition Grants Program, and $14.1 million through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program. The 3 programs were established to help avoid potential conflicts between the conservation of threatened and endangered species and land development and use.

In Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resources will Gain about $1.53 million through the Habitat Conservation Project Land Acquisition Plan to acquire 1,100 acres within the Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area in Adams County. These lands will be permanently protected and managed for the Karner blue butterfly; the acquisition will connect areas already owned by the state and by The Nature Conservancy and enhance recovery efforts for the species.

The Missouri Department of Conservation will Gain about $243,000 through Recovery Land Acquisition backing to acquire Marquette Island, an important area for endangered pallid sturgeon and interior least tern recovery on the Middle Mississippi River. The grant will help acquire 835 acres located in Cape Girardeau County. Addition of Marquette Island to the conservation land holdings within the Middle Mississippi River floodplain will support recovery of the pallid sturgeon, interior least tern, and Indiana bat; support the goals of the Middle Mississippi River Partnership; and provide a recreational resource on the Middle Mississippi River.

Recovery Land Acquisition backing totaling $488,200 has been awarded to state conservation agencies in Michigan and Ohio to conserve habitat for the threatened copperbelly water snake. Williams County, Ohio and Hillsdale County, MI): $488,200. Funds will be used to acquire 3 parcels totaling 140 acres of copperbelly water snake habitat within the Mud Lake Complex, located in Williams County, Ohio, and Hillsdale County, Michigan. The protection and restoration of sites within this complex is critical to the conservation and expansion of copperbelly water snake populations in this region.

Habitat Conservation Projects (HCPs) are agreements between a landowner and the Service. These agreements allow a landowner to undertake otherwise lawful activities on their property, even if they may result in the death, injury or harassment of a listed species, when that landowner agrees to conservation measures designed to minimize and mitigate the impact of those actions. HCPs may also be developed by a Co. or state to cover certain activities of all landowners within their jurisdiction and may address multiple species.

Under the HCP Land Acquisition Grants Program, the Service provides grants to states or territories for land acquisition associated with approved HCPs. The grants are targeted to help landowners who volunteer to conserve imperiled species on their lands. Among recipients of today's HCP Land Acquisition grants is the state of Wisconsin, which is receiving a $1.5 million grant to acquire 1,110 acres in the Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area. The purchase of these properties will permanently protect habitat for the Karner blue butterfly, substantially benefitting the recovery efforts for the Glacial Lake Wisconsin Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Unit. This grant will also help connect State Natural Area lands owned by The Nature Conservancy with those owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which currently total over 5,000 acres.

The HCP Planning Assistance Grants Plan provides grants to states and territories to support the development of HCPs through backing of baseline surveys and inventories, document preparation, outreach and similar planning activities. For example, the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, and Texas will Gain a total of $1,080,990 to assist in the development of a landscape level, multi-species HCP. The HCP will be designed to avoid and minimize impacts to endangered and threatened species associated with wind energy development. The HCP will encompass the whooping crane migration route in the U.S. and their wintering grounds, along with a significant portion of current and historic habitat of the lesser prairie-chicken. This extensive habitat conservation Project will be the 1st of its kind to involve alternative fuel sources and climate change issues while protecting imperiled species.

The Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Plan provides funds to states and territories to acquire habitat for endangered and threatened species with approved recovery plans. Habitat acquisition to secure long term protection is often an essential element of a comprehensive recovery effort for a listed species. One of this year's grants will provide $840,593 to acquire a 1,242-acre tract that will protect the ocelot, jaguarundi, northern aplomado falcon, and several state-protected species in Cameron County, Texas. Protection of thornscrub woodlands and wooded waterways, such as resacas, is sorely needed to prevent ocelot and jaguarundi from declining even further and is imperative to both species' long-term recovery. The tract contains a wooded riparian zone along a resaca that provides existing suitable habitat for a travel corridor, and is large enough to support 3 adult ocelots. The protection of this property will contribute to recovery Project criteria by protecting existing corridors and creating new dispersal corridors.

For a complete list of the 2009 grant awards for these programs (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 15.615), see the Service's Endangered Species Grants home page at http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/section6/index.html.

The mission of the U.S.F.W.S. is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit http://www.fws.gov