Program Name	Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Program Information
Sponsor(s) (fed, state, etc.):	U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Program Description / Purpose:	The Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants program provides funding to States to develop HCPs. Planning assistance grants may support planning activities such as document preparation, outreach, and baseline surveys and inventories. Under the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Program, the Service provides grants to States or Territories for land acquisitions associated with approved Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs). Grants do not fund any mitigation required of an HCP permittee, but are instead intended to support acquisitions by the State or local governments that complement actions associated with the HCP. A Habitat Conservation Plan is an agreement between a landowner and the Service that allows the landowner to incidentally take a threatened or endangered species in the course of otherwise lawful activities when the landowner agrees to conservation measures to minimize and mitigate the impact of the taking. A Habitat Conservation Plan may also be developed by a county or state to cover certain activities of all landowners within their jurisdiction and may address multiple species. There are more than 330 Habitat Conservation Plans currently in effect covering approximately 30 million acres, and some 320 more are being developed.
Program Requirements / Restrictions:	A proposal must include 25 percent non-Federal cost share (decreases to 10 percent if 2 or more States or Territories are contributors to the proposal and its activities). A proposal cannot include FWS FTE costs. We do not intend to grant funding for projects that serve to satisfy regulatory requirements of the Act. For a proposal involving an ongoing project, evidence of progress made to date must be provided. The proposal must involve a discrete activity(ies) (each activity included in the proposal must have an identified starting point and end point).
Legislative Authority:	Endangered Species Act, Section 6
Program Active:	Yes
Program Website:	http://endangered.fws.gov/grants/index.html
Eligibility Information
Eligible State(s):	Nationwide
Award Information
Assistance Type:	Grants
Match Required:	Yes
Required Match Percentage:	25
Application Information
Application Available Online?	No
Contact Information
Primary Contact:	Lynn Lewis Assistant Regional Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 5600 American Blvd. West Ste. 990 Bloomington, MN  55437 Phone: 612-713-5350  Fax: Email: Lynn_Lewis@fws.gov
Example of Funded Projects
• Greater Priest Lake Multi Species HCP (Bonner and Boundary counties, ID) - A $563,000 grant will assist the Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as they work with other stakeholders to develop a Habitat Conservation Plan to minimize the impact of any IDL activity in northern Idaho on listed species. The HCP will provide conservation benefits to listed threatened and endangered species, including grizzly bear, bull trout, lynx, and the critically endangered woodland caribou, while providing the State of Idaho with assurances of immunity for any "take" of these species that might occur incidentally to its lawful activities. • Agate Desert Multi-species Vernal Pool HCP/WCP (Jackson County, OR) - A $143,000 grant will be used to develop an HCP, coordinated with a State Wetland Conservation Plan, for the vernal pool wetlands in the urban core of the Agate Desert north of Medford, Oregon, in and around the unincorporated town of White City. These plans would provide the framework for the coordinated conservation of three federally listed species (threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp and two endangered plants associated with vernal pools) and a host of other rare species associated with the unique vernal pools. Coordinated planning will reduce degradation and loss of this unique habitat. • Broughton Land Company Native Fish HCP (Columbia County, WA) - A $24,200 grant will be used to help finalize the development of an HCP covering more than 38,000 acres of farm, forest, and range lands in eastern Washington state. These privately owned lands contain several miles of streams supporting bull trout, steelhead, and chinook salmon. HCP conservation measures will improve stream and riparian conditions.
Topic Areas
Agricultural Lands Water Quality Floodplains Wetlands Forests & Forestry Wildlife & Natural Communities
Data Collection & Analysis Planning & Growth Management Education & Outreach
Last Updated:	6/18/2012