The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is seeking high quality proposals for projects to promote golden eagle conservation primarily in the Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (APWRA) in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, as well as the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area (TWRA) in Kern County, California, and fill in key data gaps.
Donor Name: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
State: California
County: Alameda County (CA), Contra Costa County (CA), Kern County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/16/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 5-10 Years
Details:
Proposals proposed for funding may include conducting golden eagle studies and surveys, assessing habitat suitability and factors affecting survival, developing models to assess spatial and temporal collision risk, evaluating the effectiveness of management practices and deterrents, collecting and analyzing telemetry data on movement and habitat use, evaluating ecosystem impacts, and/or acquiring habitat.
Priority will be given to projects designed to support the needed research to better understand how the local golden eagle population is impacted by wind generation and how that affects golden eagles across their range to develop effective management and conservation measures.
Funding Information
The requested funding for each proposal should not exceed $1,500,000.00. Partial funding for a proposal may be awarded.
Grant Period
- Applicants should anticipate a Project start date no sooner than early 2026.
- Funded activities must be completed within the grant performance period which may not extend past March 30, 2031.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entities eligible to submit grant proposals in response to this PSN include public agencies, state departments, colleges and universities, tribal governments, and nonprofit entities.
- Eligible applicants must have the specific capacity to deliver the objectives as demonstrated by past performance or expertise through a statement of qualifications and experience. Projects that require handling of (or potential impacts to) threatened or endangered species are required to have the appropriate local, state, and federal permits at the time proposal is submitted.
- Grant funds cannot be used to satisfy federal, state, or local regulatory requirements, including mitigation, avoidance, minimization, and monitoring.
- All Public Entities will require either a resolution, signature authority or delegation of authority. The document will need to be reviewed and approved by the Payable Grants Unit (PGU) prior to execution of the grant agreement.
- Landowner Permission: For work proposed to be performed on lands not owned or managed by the applicant, written proof of permission to access the land from the fee title owner or land management agency must be supplied. For projects involving multiple landowners, all landowners or appointed designees must provide written permission to access properties and carry out the project. Applicants for projects proposing on-the-ground habitat improvement must submit documentation showing that they have adequate tenure to the properties to be accessed, improved, or restored for at least 25 years. Proof of adequate land tenure includes, but is not necessarily limited to:
- Fee title ownership
- An easement or license agreement
- Other agreement between the applicant and the fee title owner, or the owner of an easement on the property, sufficient to give the applicant adequate site control for the purposes of the project and long-term management.
- Environmental Compliance and Permitting: Activities funded under this program must comply with all applicable state and federal environmental laws and regulations, including California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), California Endangered Species Act (CESA), federal Endangered Species Act (ESA), Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and other environmental permitting requirements. State Scientific Collecting Permits, CESA Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and federal ESA Recovery Permits must be current for staff identified to conduct work that “takes” or otherwise impacts state or federally listed species, and such authorizations must be in place prior to start of the grant performance period. The applicant is responsible for obtaining all permits necessary to carry out the proposed work. Applicants must identify the project’s expected permitting requirements and state which permits have been obtained and the process through which additional permits will be obtained, including the anticipated timeframe for obtaining each permit. The applicant must coordinate with CDFW prior to proposal submission if CDFW is anticipated to act as the CEQA lead agency for the project. Projects that fail to comply with this requirement will not be eligible for funding.
- Data and Reports: CDFW’s intent is to improve the management of biological resources over time by incorporating adaptive management principles and processes into conservation planning and resource management. Recipients of Golden Eagle Conservation sub grants or contracts will be required to submit data and information in a format acceptable to CDFW prior to close of the grant. Reports must be compliant with requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Recipients of a grant or contract will be provided with metadata (deployment and project information) and processed data (species identifications) templates by their grant or contract manager, which must be completed. Recipients will work with the CDFW contract manager to determine the best way to transfer photo and sound files.
For more information, visit CDFW.
