Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Wildlife Program

The Bureau of Land Management New Mexico Wildlife Program is focused on ensuring self-sustaining populations and a natural abundance and diversity of wildlife on public lands for the enjoyment and use of present and future generations.

Donor Name: Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Deadline: 04/03/2023

Size of the Grant: $135,000

Grant Duration: 5 years

Details:

The program is responsible for managing habitats for wildlife species that depend on public lands for all or part of their life cycle. Program activities address habitat maintenance, restoration, and species conservation in cooperation with federal, state, Tribal governments, private landowners, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). BLM-managed public lands are home to thousands of mammals, reptile, avian, amphibian, and invertebrate species over some of our nation’s most ecologically diverse and essential habitat. The New Mexico Wildlife Program works with partners and cooperating agencies/governments to align efforts to manage priority habitats and species, identify and implement strategies that promote building resiliency to climate change and environmental stressors, including drought; wildland fire; unusual weather events; and insects/disease. Priority habitats are identified through the BLM land use planning process, and can include but are not limited to, Areas of Critical Environmental Concerns (ACECs), wildlife management areas, key habitat areas, migration areas, habitat connectivity areas, watchable wildlife areas, roost sites, lambing or fawning areas, riparian and wetlands, etc.

The BLM New Mexico Wildlife Program’s priority work includes:

• Inventorying and monitoring priority wildlife species to inform populations and habitat trends at broad landscapes, with consistent methodologies and appropriate data management.
• Inventory of priority wildlife species and habitats to inform distribution, condition, trend, and utilization of wildlife and special status plant resources to inform preparation of environmental impact statements (EIS’s), environmental assessments (EA’s), resource management plans (RMP’s), activity plans, and certain resource management authorizations.
• Identifying regional or landscape restoration opportunities that address or incorporate priority habitat desired outcomes, and/or address habitat connectivity (such as grassland, woodlands, dunes, deserts, riparian, and wetland areas) for priority wildlife populations that depend on BLM managed lands. Projects should support resiliency on the landscape, including seasonal habitats.
• Assessing the success of actions, projects, and treatments in areas targeted for habitat conservation and restoration.
• Increasing the percentage of Bureau Sensitive Species meeting or exceeding established objectives in Resource Management Plans or other conservation plans, including State Fish and Wildlife Agency Wildlife Action Plans.
• Collaborating with state wildlife agencies to attain wildlife population goals for priority species, including recreational species, and identifying and managing for habitat connectivity, migrations, stopover habitats, critical water sources, refugia, etc.
• Collaborate with State wildlife agencies to develop an inventory and status of wildlife infra-structure such as water developments, fencing, perches, enclosures, bat gates, etc., and addressing climate effect such as drought.
• Collaborating with Tribal governments to develop management strategies for conserving wildlife resources on public lands.
• Working with local governments, communities, private landowners, and conservation organizations to develop partnership opportunities, leverage resources, implement projects, and improve recreational access for hunting and fishing on public lands.
• Developing and sharing science-based strategies for wildlife conservation through professional workshops, meeting, and work groups.
• Evaluating existing decision support tools and information to enhance BLM’s wildlife conservation activities to meet goals and objectives, with consideration of climate effects under different future scenarios. Results should be applicable for informing on the ground activities and identifying any gaps or questions to be addressed.
• Coordinating and implementing wildlife related environmental education to stimulate public understanding of the BLM role in maintaining and enhancing viable populations of wildlife and wildlife habitat.

The BLM New Mexico Wildlife Program has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with national or regional efforts across state boundaries for the following:

• Contributing to the above-Program focuses.
• Focusing on implementing activities that meet the goals and objective of BLM Strategic Plans for Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and Pollinator Conservation, BLM Resource Management Plans, and Conservations plans that maintain or restore habitats For upland game, waterfowl, big game, pollinators, sensitives species, and watchable wildlife species.
• Restoring or improving priority wildlife habitat (vegetation communities, water resources, or connectivity) or reducing threats to habitat or species.
• Completing wildlife projects to further wildlife conservation.
• Monitoring and inventorying wildlife populations and habitats to provide complete, current, and accurate information on the distribution, abundance, and habitat of wildlife that depend on BLM managed public lands to increase professional and public knowledge and understanding of these resources.
• Assessing wildlife habitat and verifying the achievement of resource management goals and objectives.
• Protecting, preserving, and restoring various wildlife populations residing on BLM managed lands.
• Enhancing the understanding of threats to wildlife populations that depend on BLM managed lands.
• Improving how BLM uses and integrates wildlife data and new research into its decisionmaking processes.
• Performing outreach/education projects to facilitate wildlife stewardship and conservation of species that depend on BLM managed lands, including through citizen science and student-based science.
• Increasing public awareness of wildlife resources, conservation challenges and successes on BLM managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low income families, and rural and indigenous communities.

Funding Information

• Maximum Award $135,000
• Minimum Award $45,000

Project Period

Agreement terms for funded projects are estimated to range between one and no more than five years and are determined based on the period of performance as stated on the recipient’s project proposal.

Eligible Applicants

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education

Additional Information on Eligibility

• Individuals and For-Profit Organizations are ineligible to apply for awards under this NOFO.
• This program NOFO does not support entities hiring interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, 16 USC, Chapter 37, Subchapter IIPublic Lands Corps, is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to “hire” interns under this authority. Therefore, eligible Youth Conservation Corps may only apply for projects developed under NOFO 15.243 – BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.