Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration and Associated Grant Programs Program Update March 2005 Including a Special Highlight Section of Region 5

              Sport Fish and Wildlife
Restoration and
Associated Grant
Programs
Program Update March 2005
Including a Special Highlight Section of Region 5
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Assistant Director, Mitch King’s Comments....................................................................................1
Region 5 Director, Marvin Moriarty’s Comments ..........................................................................2
News Section - Federal Assistance Employee Updates..............................................................4
Staff Directory, Federal Assistance, Washington, D.C. Office ....................................................5
Federal Assistance Program - Overview ........................................................................................6
Focus on Specific Programs and Activities....................................................................................7
State Wildlife Grants................................................................................................................7
Wallop-Breaux Reauthorization Update ............................................................................8
Landowner Incentive Program ............................................................................................9
Sport Fish Restoration Program Update ..........................................................................10
Wildlife Restoration Program Approaching 70 Years of Conservation Funding ......11
State Audit Update ................................................................................................................12
Joint State/Federal Task Force on Federal Assistance Policy ......................................12
Boating Infrastructure Program Responds to Stakeholder Input................................12
E-Grants Initiative Continuing: Four Grant Programs Come Online ......................13
Partnership Addresses Excise Taxes of the Sport Fish and Wildlife Programs ........14
More States Certifying Licenses Electronically with Service........................................15
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation..............15
Fishing License Holders Table ............................................................................................16
Hunting License Holders Table ..........................................................................................17
New Survey Report on Deer Hunters ................................................................................18
Section 4 and 10: Hunter Education Program ................................................................19
Archery Range Construction/Improvement......................................................................20
National Archery in the Schools Program ........................................................................20
The Financial and Business Management System (FBMS) of the DOI ....................21
National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program Announces Fiscal Year 2005 Awards ..22
Renewed Interest in Clean Vessel Act Program ..............................................................25
Public Access Civil Rights Program ..................................................................................26
Multistate Conservation Grant Program..........................................................................26
2005 Multistate Conservation Grant Programs Selected for Funding ........................28
Special Highlight Section of Region 5 ..........................................................................................29
Table of
Contents
It has been an exciting first four months
for me on this job. I’ve been on a steep
learning curve since the day I walked in.
Besides working on a variety of issues
ranging from bears to boating access, I
am exploring new territories like excise
tax issues, working with industry and
most importantly, meeting some great
people. I continue to be impressed with
the passion for the Federal Assistance
Program expressed by Service and the
State staffs. At the same time, the support
for the program from the fishing, archery
and guns and ammunition industry is
uplifting.
Mixed in with all this excitement, there
are some really great things happening.
The Federal Assistance Joint Policy Task
Force is providing clear and consistent
policy interpretations that will clarify
issues for our State partners and drive
implementation decisions made by the
Service’s regional staff.
Full implementation of the State Wildlife
Grant program is moving towards reality.
State fish and wildlife agencies are
working with their local partners to
develop quality State Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Strategies. Several
States are beginning to share their draft
strategies on web sites and what we are
seeing looks great! Come October 1, I’m
confident that all 56 States and Territories
will submit their strategies for review and
approval. The development, review and
approval of these strategies is an exciting
and important milestone for the
conservation community.
I can’t tell you how excited I am about the
steps the Service is taking to work with
the States, Industry (fishing tackle,
archery equipment, and guns and
ammunitions manufactures), and the
various tax collection agencies to assure
consistent application of tax laws and to
make sure that industry and others know
where their tax dollars are being spent.
This is an extremely important issue with
huge implications on the funding for State
fish and wildlife agencies and on
Industry’s bottom-line.
As I’ve become more familiar with the
program, I see a couple of areas that need
some focused attention over the next year.
Compliance––The Service needs to help
our State partners get through the
“compliance” maze. It is not unusual to
hear stories where States are being forced
to modify their management actions to
address the complications associated with
NEPA, ESA and National Historic
Preservation Act compliance. In my
opinion we can do better. Our State
partners need help in this area and I’m
going to be looking to State and Service
staff to come up with innovative solutions
that provide a level of resource protection
appropriate to the proposed fish and
wildlife management actions.
Accomplishment Tracking––This is an
area that will require increased attention
levels. The Wildlife and Sport Fish
Restoration Programs, State Wildlife
Grants and the Landowner Incentive
Program represent the most important
and successful conservation programs in
the country. Unfortunately, while we all
know this to be true, I have not been too
impressed with our ability to prove it.
At the same time, I am constantly hearing
requests to better articulate our
accomplishments to OMB, Congress,
Industry and the hunting and fishing
community. Articulating our
accomplishments is even more important
with the State Wildlife Grant and
Landowner Incentive Programs, which
are appropriated annually by Congress.
To see these programs grow, we must
do a better job of proving that we get
the biggest resource bang for the
appropriated buck. We will be working
with our State partners over the next year
to come up with the most effective way to
track our accomplishments.
Let me close by saying THANK YOU for
helping me through these first few
months and I look forward to many more.
Mitch
March 2005 1
Comments from
Mitch King
Assistant
Director for
Wildlife and
Sport Fish
Restoration
Programs
2 March 2005
Greetings from
Marvin Moriarty
Northeast
Regional Director
I would like to invite you to take a look at
the Northeast––birthplace of our great
nation, and of wildlife conservation. The
first game law was enacted to protect
white-tailed deer in Massachusetts in
1696, in recognition of human impacts on a
valuable natural resource. The first laws
against market hunting were formed by
the New York Sportsmens Club in the
1840’s. Today, despite the pressures
resulting from a human population of
approximately 70 million, the Northeast
has abundant wildlife, from moose
wandering the North Woods of New
England to striped bass filling the
Chesapeake Bay.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works
in partnership with over 30 state agencies
to conserve fish and wildlife resources in
the Northeast. The Division of Federal
Assistance is an integral part of that
incredibly productive state/federal
relationship. Federal Assistance
administers over 800 grants totaling
approximately $116 million to the 13
northeast states and the District of
Columbia. With small geographic areas,
many of our states receive minimum
apportionments of Federal Aid––however,
on average, these funds make up in excess
of 30% of the state fish and wildlife agency
budget.
With exciting new initiatives like the
Landowner Incentive Program and State
Wildlife Grants, in addition to the
cornerstone Federal Aid in Sport Fish and
Wildlife Restoration Programs, Federal
Assistance touches most aspects of fish
and wildlife management and
environmental conservation and works
with a diverse group of partners. The
Federal Assistance staff here in the
Northeast work closely with state
agencies at each stage of grant funded
work, from developing proposals to
monitoring performance. Our relationship
with state agencies is based on mutual
trust and respect, and a shared dedication
to natural resource conservation.
I am particularly proud of our efforts to
assist states in the development of their
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation
Strategies (CWCS). Every Division of the
Service has offered assistance to our state
partners, and many of the state
development teams include
representatives from Refuges, Ecological
Services, Fisheries, and Migratory Birds.
The Atlantic Coast Joint Venture, in the
Division of Migratory Birds is assisting
states by collecting existing information
on bird conservation priorities in the
region to determine overlaps and gaps
between bird initiative priorities, state
priorities, and other bird conservation
efforts. Summaries of bird information
will be produced for use by state partners
to assess how their strategies compare
with those of other states, and how they
reflect regional priorities.
Of course, the Division of Federal
Assistance is the primary contact for
states in the CWCS development. To
assist Northeast states, Regional staff
created a website of CWCS planning
resources, listserve to facilitate
communication, and a database for state
contacts for each species of regional
conservation concern. A regional matrix of
species of greatest conservation need is
under development, and will be presented
at the Northeast Fish and Wildlife
Conference in April 2005. Federal
Assistance staff have attended SWG
meetings at the regional and national
level, and met with many individual state
agencies to assist with strategy
development. Federal Assistance is
actively involved in IAFWA’s Teaming
with Wildlife Workgroup and is
spearheading the Northeast’s
Development Assistance Team that is
designed to ensure that any and all
Service resources requested by states to
assist in CWCS development are
delivered.
As I reflect upon the high standard of
service offered by Federal Assistance to
our states, I would be remiss in not
acknowledging the efforts of Robert
Sousa, recently retired Division Chief.
Bob continued to build on the philosophy
of his predecessor, Bill Hesselton, of
March 2005 3
empowering good people to provide
exemplary service in their daily working
relationships with state colleagues. This
philosophy has created a Federal
Assistance team that is a model for how
the Service can work with states. This
Federal-state partnership, plus the
contributions of other Service programs,
contributes to a comprehensive approach
that focuses on high priority needs of fish,
wildife and people here in the Northeast.
4 March 2005
News Section
Federal
Assistance
Employee
Updates
Dan Edwards
Retirements
Don Friberg retired July 1st as Federal
Assistance Chief. Don worked in the
Federal Assistance Program for over 30
years, and had worked with State of South
Dakota for 10 years prior to coming to the
Fish and Wildlife Service.
Lanny Moore – Long time Washington
office Federal Assistance staff member
Lanny Moore retired at the end of
December, 2004. Most recently Lanny had
been assigned to the International
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
to assist with the Excise Tax Working
Group (ETWG). Lanny had over 20 years
of experience with the Service and was
previously recognized by the American
Recreation Coalition for his conservation
efforts in the Washington Office. Lanny
was also recognized by the Director of the
FWS for his efforts on the ETWG at the
2004 North American Wildlife and
Natural Resource Conference.
Blake Weirich, Assistant Federal
Assistance Training Program Coordinator,
has announced that February 4, 2005 will
be his last day with us in the Federal
Assistance Division. His career spans
more than 38 years (4 years as a High
School Chemistry/Biology Teacher,
24 years with the PA Fish & Boat
Commission, and more than 10 years with
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Blake’s
involvement with the Federal Assistance
Training Program began in 1999 as an
instructor for our Basic Grants
Management course. Shortly after that
he was hired as the Assistant FA Training
Program Coordinator. Blake has made
many significant contributions to the
Federal Assistance Division and our
training program. His tireless efforts in
developing and delivering our State
Project Leaders Course to hundreds of
our State project leaders is just one of his
noteworthy accomplishments.
Bob Sousa retired as Federal Assistance
Chief in Region 5. Bob worked for the
Federal Assistance program for 20 years,
the last 12 in Region 5. He also spent 4
years at the Silvio Conte Anadromous
Fish Research Center.
Welcomes
Fred Caslick was recently announced as
the new Federal Assistance (FA) Portland,
OR Chief to replace Don Friberg in
Region 1. Fred has worked in the FA
program twice in his 20-plus years as a
Fish & Wildlife Service employee. His
first stint in FA was in the Region 1 office
(1988-91) as the educational specialist. His
second stint was in the Region 5 FA office
in Massachusetts, where he worked
for several years as the Finance/
Administrative Officer. In addition to FA,
Fred has worked as a regional planning
and evaluation specialist in Region 5 as an
outdoor recreation planner on the
Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge and
as an outreach specialist (currently
located in the Cortland, New York Field
Office). He has a PhD and two masters
degrees in natural resource policy and
management.
Dan Edwards, Wildlife Restoration
program grants manager, was hired as the
new Wildlife Section Chief for Region 1;
Dan came to us from Oregon Dept of Fish
and Wildlife after 21 years of wildlife
management work with the state.
Tim Hess is the new Chief in Region 7-
Alaska. Tim has a B.S. in Fisheries
Science from Cornell University and an
M.S. from Tennessee Tech in Fish and
Wildlife Biology. He worked for the
Georgia Wildlife Resources Division from
1975 to 1995 as a Fisheries Biologist and
Assistant Chief of Fisheries. As Assistant
Chief, Tim also served as Georgia’s
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration
coordinator for 13 of those years. From
1995 until 2001, Tim was the Chief of
Fisheries for the Vermont Fish and
Wildlife Department. In 2001, he began
his employment with the Policy Branch of
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in
Arlington, Virginia. Tim completed a short
detail with the USGS Bird Banding Lab in
Patuxent before joining the Region 7 staff
in Anchorage as Federal Assistance Chief
in late November. Tim has one child,
Chad, who is currently in his final
semester at Tufts University in Boston
completing a B.F.A. program. During his
free time, Tim enjoys fishing, skiing, and
working with the youth in this community.
Tim Hess
Staff Directory
Federal
Assistance
Washington DC
Office
Federal Assistance Main Phone Number
703/358 2156
Web Address
http://federalaid.fws.gov
Mitch King, Assistant Director for Wildlife
and Sport Fish Restoration Programs
Kris E. LaMontagne, Division Chief
Jim Greer, Deputy Division Chief -
Operations
Doug Gentile, Civil Rights Coordinator for
Public Access
Jimmye Kane, Lead Secretary
Pam Matthes, Multistate Conservation
Grant Program Coordinator
Hsia Franklin, Secretary
Branch of Budget and Administration
Tom Jeffrey, Branch Chief - Budget
Development and Execution - Program
Management
Mary Grieco, Administrative Officer
Linda Muhammad Puchoon, Program
Support Assistant
Tracey Vriens, Program Analyst
Branch of Information Management
Lorinda Bennett, Branch Chief
Vacant, Fiscal Management - Audit
Liaison
Ed Duda, System Developer
Vacant, System Developer
Jeffrey Graves, Server Support - Web Site
Support
Pete Hitchcock, Network Engineer,
Security Officer, Acting FAIMS Lead
C. J. Huang, Database Administrator
Sandie Lehberger, Administrative
Technician
David Washington, ADP Systems Support -
ADP Acquisition Support
Debbie Wircenske, Help Desk and Fiscal
Administration Training
Branch of Grants Operations and Policy
Tom Barnes, Branch Chief - National Issue
Management
Brian Bohnsack, Sport Fish Restoration
Program - Coastal Wetlands - Clean Vessel
Program - Boating Infrastructure Grant
Program
Kim Galvan, Regulations - U. S. Fish and
Wildlife Service Manual Chapters -
Section 6 Grants - Landowner Incentive
Program
Genevieve Pullis-LaRouche, State Wildlife
Grants
Joshua Winchell, Regulations - Education
Liaison
Branch of Audits
Pat McHugh, Branch Chief - Audits
Ord Bargerstock, Systems Accountant -
Audit Resolution
Branch of Surveys
Sylvia Cabrera, Branch Chief - National
Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-
Associated Recreation
Richard Aiken, Economist - National
Survey
Jerry Leonard, Economist - National
Survey
Branch of Training
Steve Leggans, Branch Chief
Julie Schroyer, Administrative Analyst
Debbie Unbehagen, Grants Management
Specialist (Instructor)
One Year IPA Position Available
in the Washington Office
The Division of Federal Assistance is
looking for an individual to serve for up to
one year under a full-time IPA
(Intergovernmental Personnel Act)
appointment in the Fish and Wildlife
Service’s Washington Office, Division of
Federal Assistance.
The position will focus on the
implementation of the State and Tribal
Wildlife Grants program and completion
of the States’ Comprehensive Wildlife
Conservation Strategies (CWCS). The
individual selected will assist the National
Advisory Acceptance Team during the
review process for the Strategies. This
individual will also help put into place
mechanisms that will measure program
performance during the implementation
phase of the CWCS. The Service views the
CWCS and the State Wildlife Grant
program to be one of the most important
and effective means to achieve wide-scale
wildlife conservation. This is a great
opportunity to further this important
effort and to work closely with Fish and
Wildlife Service leadership and the
national Federal Assistance team.
Candidates who have worked closely on
the CWCS and/or the State Wildlife Grant
program are encouraged to apply.
Interested individuals who are not
currently in a position that allows for an
IPA should inquire about similar
employment possibilities. Salary, lodging
and some personal travel expenses will be
paid; relocation expenses will not be paid.
Start time is negotiable but a June start
date is preferred.
Candidates should send letters of inquiries
as soon as possible but no later than April
1 to: Genevieve Pullis LaRouche, 4401 N.
Fairfax Drive, Room 4020, Arlington, VA
22203. Email: genevieve_larouche
@fws.gov. Phone: 703/358 1854.
Fax: 703/358 1837.
March 2005 5
The goal of the Federal Assistance
Program is to work with States to
conserve, protect, and enhance fish,
wildlife, their habitats and the hunting,
sport fishing, and recreational boating
opportunities they provide. The Federal
Assistance Program is responsible for
administering the following Programs:
n Wildlife Restoration
n Sport Fish Restoration
n Clean Vessel Act
n Boating Infrastructure Grant
n National Coastal Wetlands
Conservation Grant
n Multistate Conservation Grant
n State Wildlife Grants
n Landowner Incentive
In addition, Federal Assistance provides
grant management support for
endangered species tradition section 6,
Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) Land
Acquisition, HCP Planning, and Recovery
Land Acquisition Grant Programs.
The following is an update on the
accomplishments of the Federal
Assistance Program and its partners with
these grant programs.
6 March 2005
Federal
Assistance
Program Overview
March 2005 7
Focus on Specific
Programs and
Activities
State Wildlife Grants
On December 8, 2004, President Bush
signed into law the Fiscal Year 2005
Consolidated Appropriations Act that
included $69,027,526 for the State and
Tribal Wildlife Grants program. The Act
states that any amount apportioned in
2005 to any State, territory, or other
jurisdiction that remains unobligated
as of September 30, 2006, will be allowed
to carry over and be reapportioned,
together with funds appropriated in 2007.
Federal Assistance is working closely with
State planners as they enter the final
stretch of developing their
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation
Strategies (CWCS). The CWCS are an
unprecedented planning effort that
focuses on species in greatest need of
conservation. All States and Territories
have committed to submit their CWCS by
October 1, 2005 in order to receive State
Wildlife Grant funds. Regional CWCS
meetings are on-going where States and
Federal Assistance staff discuss and share
information on species and habitats,
conservation actions, and other region
specific topics. In some Regions, Federal
Assistance staff, at their states’ request,
are putting together regional species
matrices.
The National Advisory Acceptance Team
(NAAT), the group charged with
reviewing all 56 Strategies and making
recommendations to the Fish and Wildlife
Service Director, met in late September at
IAFWA’s annual conference in Atlantic
City. The Team drafted a list of
Frequently Asked Questions and a
Review Process document. These
documents, sent to the States in October,
address questions heard at the Nebraska
“One-year out” meeting in August and lay
out the process for NAAT review. The
NAAT intends to meet at least 6 times in
2005, in locations across the county, to
read and review all 56 Strategies.
In addition to planning and writing their
CWCS, many States have implementation
grants on the ground. These grants are
aimed at species in greatest conservation
need and are used to address the life
needs and requirements for those species
in order to preclude them from being
listed under the Endangered Species Act.
For additional information contact
Genevieve Pullis LaRouche.
Wallop-Breaux
Reauthorization Update
The out-going Congress did not pass
legislation that would reauthorize the
Wallop-Breaux programs in the months
before the fall elections. Accordingly, the
American League of Anglers and Boaters
(ALAB) and other conservation and
recreation groups are continuing their
efforts to gain reauthorization of several
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recreation
and conservation grant programs, as well
as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Recreational
Boating Safety Program. To date, ALAB
has successfully included their
reauthorization position in legislation for
the Safe, Accountable, Flexible and
Efficient Transportation Act, also known
as the SAFETEA Highway Bill. Action on
the SAFETEA bill by Congress has
stalled and its passage appears likely to be
postponed until the spring of 2005.
Congress has provided a temporary
reauthorization of the various programs,
but this extension does not cover the
entire fiscal year.
The Service is a technical advisor to
ALAB and will work closely with this
group in the coming months.
For additional questions on this issue,
please contact Brian Bohnsack. (703/358
1801. email: Brian.Bohnsack@fws.gov).
8 March 2005
The Landowner Incentive Program
The Landowner Incentive Program (LIP)
is a grant program first authorized in the
FY 2002 Interior Appropriations Bill. It
provides competitive matching grants to
States, Territories, the District of
Columbia, and Tribes. Tribes are allocated
funding through a separate competitive
program. The grants establish or
supplement landowner incentive
programs that provide technical and
financial assistance to private landowners
for projects that protect and restore
habitats of Federally listed species or
species determined to be at-risk. Private
lands play a pivotal role in linking or
providing important habitats for fish,
wildlife, and plant species. As such,
habitat provided by private lands
represents an important tool for natural
resource managers. LIP provides States
with the funds needed to expand habitat
protection and restoration programs on to
private lands, enabling States to do
species restoration planning on a more
comprehensive statewide basis. LIP
projects involve activities such as the
restoration of marginal farmlands to
wetlands, the removal of exotic plants to
restore natural prairies, a change in
grazing practices and fencing to enhance
important riparian habitats, in stream
structural improvements to benefit
aquatic species, road closures to protect
habitats and reduce harassment of
wildlife, and conservation easements.
The State agency with primary
responsibility for fish and wildlife submits
proposals to U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (Service). The Service uses a two-tiered
award system. Tier-1 grants are
awarded if they meet minimum eligibility
requirements. The Service ranks Tier-2
proposals and awards grants after a
national competition. Tier-1 grants are
intended to provide a base for States to
fund staff and associated support
necessary to develop a new or enhance
anexisting landowner incentive program.
Tier-2 grants are generally intended to
implement landowner incentive programs
or fund the expansion of existing
landowner incentive programs or those
created under Tier-1 grants. A minimum
25% non-Federal share of project costs is
required. LIP complements other Federal
private lands conservation programs that
focus primarily on the conservation of
habitat. By requiring State fish and
wildlife agencies to use their expertise to
identify the needs of Federally listed,
proposed, and candidate species, or other
at-risk species when applying for a grant,
LIP adds a biological perspective to
habitat conservation measures. State fish
and wildlife agencies are the primary
recipients of LIP grants. However, all
other governmental entities, individuals,
and organizations, including Tribes, may
partner with or serve as a subgrantee to
that fish and wildlife agency. The Service
anticipates sending the LIP Final Policy
with Implementation Guidelines and a
Request for Proposals to the Federal
Register for publishing during the month
of February, 2005. State fish and wildlife
agencies will have 60 days to submit grant
proposals to the Washington Office of
Federal Aid for consideration. At the
end of the 60-day period, Tier 1 grant
proposals will be reviewed by the
Washington Office and the Service
Regional Offices to ensure that eligibility
criteria are met before contacting the
States regarding the grant awards. Tier 2
grant proposalswill be reviewed and
scored by a national review team made up
of Service employees familiar with grant
programs. This team will make Tier 2
award recommendations to the Director in
a timely manner.
March 2005 9
Martha Collins
Sport Fish Restoration Program
Spawns New Successes
With its apportionment of $260,526,978 for
fiscal year 2004, the Federal Aid in Sport
Fish Restoration program has awarded
more than $4.4 billion to State fishery
agencies for their fisheries conservation
and recreation programs since the
inception of the program. The Service
has recently announced the final
apportionments for the current fiscal year,
though the total was not available in time
for this update. Apportionments for this
fiscal year are likely to decrease slightly
from previous years. The decline is
primarily the result of decreased revenue
from interest that is generated by the
Aquatic Resources Trust Fund.
Fiscal Year 2004 was another successful
year for the program. Several Federal Aid
in Sport Fish Restoration grant program
projects were recognized by fisheries and
boating organizations for their
contribution to the country’s fisheries and
boating recreation programs this past
year. The Fisheries Administrators
Section of the American Fisheries Society
recognized four projects as “Outstanding
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Awards of the
Year”:
Sport Fishery Development and
Management Category: Cedar Creek
Lake Development Project- The
Kentucky Department of Fish and
Wildlife Resources used Sportfish
Restoration Funds to develop a new 784
acre lake in Lincoln County. The lake was
stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill,
black crappie, and channel catfish. The
lake is heavily vegetated and should
provide a high quality fishery for many
years to come.
Aquatic Education Category: Pisgah
Center for Wildlife Education- The
North Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission was recognized for their
aquatic education program efforts at this
center, located in Pisgah Forest. Visitors
to the Pisgah Center for Wildlife
Education can view both indoor and
outdoor exhibits that focus on North
Carolina’s natural resources. The exhibits
are designed to show the relationship
between people and wildlife, and the
natural resources they share. The facility
features three aquariums that contain
coastal, Piedmont and mountain aquatic
species.
Research and Survey Category- Striped
Bass Spawning Stock Assessment
(Maryland) and Sterile Fish Program
(Idaho)- The Maryland Department of
Natural Resources and Idaho Fish and
Game Department were recognized as co-winners
for their respective research into
regionally important fisheries. Maryland’s
project focused on understanding more
about the economically important striped
bass fishery found in the state. Idaho’s
research project seeks to maximize
recreational fisheries and conserve native
fish stocks by integrating the stocking of
sterile trout into existing fisheries. It is
hoped that the use of sterile fish will
reduce the risk of swamping the gene pool
of native fishes by the hatchery fish.
In addition, the States Organization for
Boating Access recognized Federal Aid in
Sport Fish Restoration program projects
and one state agency for their boating
access work at their national meeting this
past year:
State Boating Access Program
Excellence Award- Alabama
Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources - The Alabama
agency was recognized for their
innovative approach in developing new
boating access facilities with Sport Fish
Restoration funds to meet the needs of
regional and national fishing tournaments.
Small Access Category- Fort Osage
Access, Missouri- Missouri Department
of Conservation- The Missouri agency
renovated an existing access by replacing
a concrete boat ramp, entrance road and
parking area. The renovation improved
appearance and safety, and better
accommodates disabled users at the only
public access site on this reach of the
Missouri River.
Mid-size Access Category- Newport
Public Boat Ramp, Delaware- The
Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife in
partnership with the town of Newport
jointly developed this $1.4 million project.
This project reclaimed an area that was
occupied by a construction landfill and
built a ramp to provide access to the
Christina River, which flows into the
Delaware River.
Large Access Category- Hell Creek
State Park Boating Access, Montana-
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks was
recognized for this $825,000 boating
access project located on Fort Peck
Reservoir, the second heaviest-fished
body of water in the state. The Hell Creek
State Park is extremely popular with both
resident and non-resident anglers and this
project made several significant
improvements to the park, including
expanding the boat launching facilities,
adding a RV dump station, improving the
road systems leading to and within the
boundaries of the site, expanding the
camping and parking facilities, and
constructing a restroom with showers to
accomodate disabled users.
10 March 2005
Students attend an aquatic education
event hosted by the Pisgah Center of
Wildlife Education in North Carolina.
This center, which is operated by the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission,
received the American Fisheries Society’s
Fisheries Administrators Section’s
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration
Program Aquatic Education project of the
year in 2004. Photo courtesy North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
Marina and Harbors Category- St.
Ignace Municipal Marina Expansion,
Michigan- The Michigan Department of
Natural Resources led this multi-phased
$8+ million project on Lake Huron in
downtown St. Ignace. The project
completed improvements to shore-based
infrastructure, including completing a
toilet/shower building, parking, walkways,
and fuel service area, upgrading the
harbor, including reconstruction of the
breakwalls and shore protection to
provide safety from wave action; and
expanding the number of boat slips from
20 to 134 by the addition of floating piers
within the expanded marina basin,
protected by new breakwalls.
The Service will continue its work with
stakeholders in the coming months to
ensure that the program’s successes
continue in the current year. For
additional information on this program,
contact Brian Bohnsack (703/358 1801:
Brian.Bohnsack@fws.gov).
March 2005 11
The Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks was recently recognized by the States
Organization for Boating Access for their boating access facility development at Hell
Creek State Park. The boat launch and accompanying infrastructure provide high
quality facilities for anglers in pursuit of Fort Peck Reservoir’s walleye, northern pike,
smallmouth bass, and other species. Photo courtesy Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
of the premier conservation funding
programs in the world.
Because of the program’s long-term
stable funding, the State and Territorial
wildlife agencies have been able to
develop programs that are continuing to
accomplish conservation and recreation
successes throughout the country. For
example, more than 2.2 million acres of
land was leased for hunting or protected
by conservation easements in fiscal year
2004. States and Territories also provided
technical assistance to approximately
7,000 private landowners regarding
wildlife conservation activities on their
lands in this fiscal year. In addition,
participation by a State in the Wildlife
Restoration program provides legal
protection for hunter license revenues
from being diverted to any other purpose
than legitimate work of the State fish and
wildlife agency.
For additional information on the Wildlife
Restoration program, contact Tom
Barnes (703/358 1815: Thomas_
Barnes@fws.gov).
Wildlife Restoration Program
Approaching 70 Years of
Conservation Funding
The Service recently released the final
apportionment for the Federal Aid in
Wildlife Restoration (WR) program for
fiscal year 2005. The apportionment was
down slightly from fiscal year 2004.
Funding for WR is generated from an
excise tax, at the manufacture’s level, on
sporting firearms, ammunition, handguns,
and archery equipment. The annual
apportionment varies with fluctuations in
sales of taxed equipment. The amount a
state receives also is affected by the
number of hunting licenses sold in that
state and also by the land area of each
state. The WR program has awarded
more than $4.7 billion since its inception
in 1937 and it continues to be the one
of the financial backbones of wildlife
conservation efforts in the U.S. The
program is widely recognized as one
Region 4 Federal Assistance biologist
Tom McCoy (left), Georgia Department of
Natural Resources Wildlife Division
Director Dan Forster (middle), and
Region 4 Federal Assistance Chief Mike
Piccirilli check the radio telemetry
equipment on this Georgia black bear
before its release. The Georgia
Department of Natural Resources is
conducting radio telemetry research on
black bears with funds from the Federal
Aid in Wildlife Restoration program.
State Audit Update
We are in the second cycle of State audits
conducted by the Department of Interior
Office of Inspector General. There are
currently fourteen audits in process. To
date, fifteen second cycle audits have been
completed for which we have received
audit reports. Our experiences and the
feedback from the audits continue to be
very positive. We are striving to maintain
open lines of communication between the
auditors, grantees, and Federal Assistance
offices. This strong message of
cooperation was reinforced during auditor
training and Program orientation
provided by the Division in December
2004. We welcome all comments and
suggestions on our audit program.
Our audit policies are completed and have
become part of the Service Manual. They
can be found in the Fish and Wildlife
Service, Service Manual, chapters 417
FW 1 through 6. The policies outline the
responsibilities for audits, define terms
associated with audits, provide an
overview of the audit process, and
establish procedures for objectives,
planning, conducting, reporting,
resolution, and appeals.
For additional information on this issue,
please contact Patrick McHugh.
Joint State/Federal Task Force on
Federal Assistance Policy
The Joint State/Federal Task Force on
Federal Assistance Policy (JTF)
established in September 2002, has
provided recommendations to resolve
issues of national significance in the
Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish
Restoration grant programs. Based on its
recommendations, the Service has issued
seven Director’s Orders (DO’s) and two
memos to clarify policy issues. The
USFWS is also considering the issuance
of three other DO’s proposed by the JTF.
For three additional issues, the JTF
determined that additional policy
guidance was not needed, but stated its
understanding of the existing policy
12 March 2005
pertinent to each issue and recommended
that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
take appropriate steps to ensure existing
policy is consistently applied. Finally, the
JTF determined that additional policy
guidance was not needed for three other
issues without any further
recommendation.
The USFWS and the International
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
has recently amended the JTF charter to
allow it to review operational policies and
administrative problems and recommend
solutions for State Wildlife Grants and the
Landowner Incentive Program. This
additional JTF policy-making authority
would not extend to the Tribal elements of
these two programs.
For more information on this issue,
contact Tom Barnes at 703/358 2156.
Copies of all current FWS Director’s
Orders can be found at
http://policy.fws.gov/do.html.
Boating Infrastructure Grant Program
Responds to Stakeholder Input
The Division of Federal Assistance
awarded $3,455,730 of Tier 1 funds from
the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG)
program to States for Fiscal Year 2005 in
December. The Division awarded the Tier
1 funds several months in advance of
announcing the Tier 2 awards for the
program, which is a change from previous
years. The Division changed the timing of
the award announcement in response to
input received from stakeholders received
as part of the Sport Fishing and Boating
Partnership Council’s review of the BIG
program. The Council’s review of the
program was completed recently and their
recommendations on additional program
changes will be provided to the Service.
The Council is appointed by the Secretary
of Interior and provides advice on ways to
enhance angling and boating opportunities
to the Secretary through the Service’s
Director.
Congress has extended the authorization
for the BIG program for most of the
current fiscal year. Congress has approved
$5.3 million of funding for the BIG
Audit of Sport Fish and Wildlife Resoration Grants
2005 and 2006 Schedule of States and Territories
The Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program five year audit cycle of state agencies
has completed or scheduled the audits for thirty-one States and Territories.
Representative from the OIG have contacted each of the States in the first subgroup to
determine an appropriate audit schedule that is accepatable to all parties. States and
Territories in the second subgroup, if they have not already been contacted, can expect
to be contacted by the OIG sometime after April 2005. We expect the final subgroup to
be scheduled in late 2005.
First Subgroup Second Subgroup Third Subgroup
Kentucky District of Columbia Arizona
Maine Georgia Delaware
Michigan Minnesota Guam
Nevada North Dakota Hawaii
New Mexico Northern Mariana Islands Kansas
Pennsylvania Oklahoma Maryland
South Carolina Virgin Islands Missouri
Texas Virginia Ohio
program in Fiscal Year 2005 and
additional authorizations are likely to
occur later this year when deliberations
begin again with the Highway Bill. The
American League of Anglers and Boaters
(ALAB) have proposed that funding
increase for the BIG program in the
current reauthorization efforts. Under
ALAB’s proposal, the BIG program would
receive a percentage of the total receipts
into the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund.
This percentage is estimated to increase
the total funds available for the program
to approximately $10 million per year.
The BIG program remains one of the
Service’s most competitive grant
programs. The Service received 33
proposals from 16 states requesting $15.0
million of funding for the Tier 2 portion of
this program in Fiscal Year 2005.
E-Grants Initiative Continuing: Four
Federal Assistance Grant Programs
Come Online
The Division of Federal Assistance is
continuing its efforts to make grant
programs available online for our various
stakeholders. To date, four of the
Division’s competitive grant programs
have been posted onto the federal
government’s Grants.Gov site and are now
able to receive proposals electronically.
Specifically, the Clean Vessel Act, Boating
Infrastructure Grant, National Coastal
Wetlands Conservation and Landowner
Incentive grant programs have been
posted on this site and been able to
receive proposals submitted electronically.
As one of the 24 President’s Management
Agenda E-Government initiatives,
Grants.gov’s mission is to provide a
simple, unified Web site for potential
grant applicants. By putting relevant
information in one place, we are helping
organizations less familiar with Federal
grant programs to learn about and apply
for these opportunities on a secure and
safe Web location. The Division of Federal
Assistance is one of leading organizations
within the Department of Interior with
our efforts to enter into electronic grants
management.
The Grants.Gov site is now one year old
and provides secure methods for
submitting grant proposals electronically
to federal agencies. As with any new
initiative, the Grants.Gov site began
slowly and is now becoming more
accepted within the federal government.
Over the past year, some of the
Grants.Gov accomplishments include:
n receiving more than 1,250 grant
applications government wide
n enrolling more than 3,000 grant-seeking
organizations
n making an average of 1,400 grant
opportunity notices available daily
n reviewing more than 25 million page
views
In addition to serving as a single site for
federal financial assistance, states can also
post information on their grant funding
opportunities on to this site. This feature
may be very useful for our state
cooperators that sub-grant federal funds
received from many of the Division’s
programs (e.g., community assistance
programs for the development of fishing
programs, state landowner incentive
programs, and state sewage pumpout
grant programs).
Within the Department of Interior, the
U.S. Geological Services (USGS) is
recognized as the leading agency for
electronic grants management. The USGS
requires all of their grant proposals to be
received electronically. As a result, the
USGS has increased the efficiency of
managing their grants and the efforts
have been well received both internally
within the agency as well as with their
grant stakeholders.
The Division’s grant program postings are
reaching potential new constituents and
making many individuals aware of the
diverse range of grant programs
administered by the Service. As a result of
the increased knowledge of these new
constituents, our state agency partners
are likely to receive additional contacts
from individuals and groups within their
state seeking to coordinate the submission
of their proposals. This will provide our
state cooperators with the opportunity to
expand their constituency base and
supporters.
For additional information on this issue,
contact Lori Bennett (703/358 2033:
Lori.Bennett@fws.gov) or Brian
Bohnsack (703/358 1801:
Brian.Bohnsack@fws.gov) in the
Division’s Washington office.
March 2005 13
Partnership Addresses Excise Taxes
of the Sport Fish and Wildlife
Restoration Programs
The Service is part of a cooperative
partnership with the International
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
(IAFWA), the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau (TTB), the Bureau of Public
Debt, Bureau of Customs and Border
Protection and representatives of the
manufacturing industries of sport fish and
archery equipment, firearms and
ammunition. Excise taxes and import
duties collected by the IRS and the TTB
are the backbone of revenue sources for
the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration
Programs. The foundation of this
partnership is to ensure there is: (a)
accurate and consistent collection of excise
taxes and import duties; (b) fair
application of the tax code; and, (c) a
broad-based understanding of the
importance to and use of collected taxes
by State Fish and Wildlife Agencies in
restoring fish and wildlife resources.
One of the first actions taken by this
group was to train six field agents of the
IRS in December 2004. As part of this
training, agents learned about the history
of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and
Wildlife Restoration programs, including
the roles of the Federal partners, state
agencies, private industries, and hunters
and anglers in the programs’ successes.
Much of the training was led by IRS
personnel and focused on detailed
procedural issues for the agents, including
the complicated task of identifying
whether a company was required to pay
the tax and what percentage was owed. In
addition, IAFWA representatives, sport
fish and archery equipment
manufacturers and Federal Assistance
personnel spoke to the group. These
newly trained agents are working with
manufacturers and importers of sport fish
and archery equipment to increase
compliance with the tax code and to
consistently interpret and apply the law
throughout the nation.
Also, the TTB is working with the
manufacturers of firearms and
ammunition to help them learn more
about the TTB’s application of the tax
code. During the January 2005 SHOT
Show at the Las Vegas Convention
Center, the TTB, in cooperation with the
National Sport Shooting Foundation, held
a comprehensive seminar for industry
representatives. This seminar focused on
definitions of key terms and their affect on
tax compliance and payments and helped
manufacturers understand their role
during firearms and ammunition
transactions, including the role of their
distributors and dealers. In February, the
Service and TTB held follow up meetings
with representatives of firearms and
ammunition manufacturers to discuss
further training of manufacturers,
consistency of application of the law by
auditors and agents, and a compliance
assistance program for industry.
This is a unique partnership of tax payers,
tax collectors and fish and wildlife
agencies. This partnership is restoring the
cooperative spirit first put in place by the
visionaries that went to Congress in the
1930’s and again in the 1950’s to dedicate
excise taxes collected on sporting firearms
and ammunition, sport fishing equipment
and archery equipment for apportionment
to states for sport fish and wildlife
restoration. This unique cycle of tax
collection and disbursement has been in
place and working successfully for over 70
years; however, new developments in the
tax code, recent misunderstandings
occurring during application of the tax
code and increased numbers and locations
of manufacturers have created the need to
reinvigorate formal cooperation and to
restore common goals to foster mutual
support. This new partnership set
ambitious goals over the next four years
and is setting task oriented objectives
designed to resolve current issues. All in
14 March 2005
Gordon Robertson, of the American Sportfishing Association, spoke recently to a group
of Internal Revenue Service excise tax agents about their role in the continued success
of the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration programs.
this partnership are working
cooperatively to increase compliance with
the tax code, which in turn provides
critical funding to State and Territorial
Fish and Wildlife Agencies to manage the
Nation’s fish and wildlife resources that
will be enjoyed by millions of Americans
who fish and hunt every year.
For additional information, contact Pam
Matthes (703/358 2066)
More States Certifying Licenses
Electronically with Service: License
Revenue Continues to Increase,
Certified License Holders Decline
The Division of Federal Assistance is
continuing to work with State fish and
wildlife agencies to certify the number of
paid hunting and fishing license holders
electronically versus the traditional paper
method. License certification is an
essential part of the apportionment
process for the Federal Aid in Sport Fish
and Wildlife Restoration grant programs.
Currently, about 45% of the states certify
their license holders electronically with
the Service. To submit electronically,
contact your regional Federal Assistance
office for access requirements and to
request a free professional version of
Adobe Acrobat 6.0 which is necessary for
electronic submission of the license
figures.
The license certification information
provided by State fish and wildlife
agencies continues to indicate a mixed
future for these agencies. While hunting
and fishing license revenue continues to
increase for most state agencies, the
number of hunting and fishing license
holders certified by State fish and wildlife
agencies for the 2005 apportionments
from the Federal Aid in Sport Fish and
Wildlife Restoration programs continued
their decrease of recent years. States
certified 14,740,188 and 27,908,272
hunting and fishing license holders
respectively in license year 2003. The total
number of fishing license holders declined
for the third consecutive year, after
averaging over 29 million for several
consecutive years. The number of hunting
license holders also continued to decline
gradually since reporting more than 15
million license holders as recently as 1999.
State fish and wildlife agencies reported
$679,824,466 and $512,970, 893 of income
from hunting and fishing license income,
respectively, in 2003. Hunting license
income has increased every year since
1972. Fishing license income has
continued to increase since 2000. Fishing
license income, in general, has also
increased for many consecutive years,
though it experienced two consecutive
years of decline in 1999 and 2000.
Historical information on license sales and
revenue is located on the Division’s web
site (http://federalaid.fws.gov). Additional
information on license certification and
income can be obtained by contacting Lori
Bennett (703/358 2033:
Lori.Bennett@fws.gov).
See tables on pages 16 and 17.
National Survey of Fishing, Hunting,
and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
Planning for the 2006 Survey began in
2004. It will be the 11th conducted since
1955. The Service sponsors the survey
every five years at the request of State
fish and wildlife agencies. The survey will
be similar in content, scope, and
methodology to those conducted in 1991,
1996, and 2001— so their estimates will be
comparable. The Census Bureau will
collect the information.
During 2004 the Service, International
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies,
and Census Bureau staff met with
representatives from the 50 state fish and
wildlife agencies and with national non-governmental
organizations to discuss
survey content and reporting needs. And,
the Service and Census Bureau began
preparing the request to the Office of
Management and Budget for approval to
conduct the survey.
The Census Bureau will begin collecting
information in April 2006. It will contact
90,000 households to identify samples of
31,500 sportsmen and 24,300 wildlife
watchers. Census will ask these
individuals detailed questions about their
fishing, hunting, and wildlife-watching
activities and expenditures. This will be
accomplished by computer-assisted
telephone and in-person interviews
conducted in April and September 2006,
and in January 2007.
The 2006 Survey will generate
information identified as priority data
needed by the States, Service, non-governmental
organizations, and other
major survey users. General categories of
information collected include the number
of participants in different types of fish
and wildlife consumptive and non-consumptive
activities, the extent of
participation (days and trips), and related
trip and equipment expenditures. The
survey is one of the nation’s most
important sources of information on fish
and wildlife recreation.
March 2005 15
16 March 2005
Fishing License Holders Table
State Paid Fishing Resident Licenses, Non-Resident Licenses, Total Licenses, Tags,
License Holders Tags, Permits, and Stamps Tags, Permits and Stamps Permits and Stamps Gross Cost
Alabama 442,474 277,548 407,601 685,149 $13,067,535.86
Alaska 475,746 345,480 109,338 454,818 $6,147,667.90
Arkansas 684,834 507,979 236,316 744,295 $8,301,260.00
Arizona 381,705 373,492 166,505 539,997 $7,470,333.00
California 2,124,452 3,066,904 40,783 3,107,687 $49,769,590.00
Colorado 630,127 608,778 247,250 856,028 $9,855,726.00
Connecticut 153,810 143,584 10,226 153,810 $2,794,181.00
Delaware 19,867 21,004 3,831 24,835 $202,327.00
Florida 1,045,564 1,245,224 518,392 1,763,616 $22,448,453.00
Georgia 649,628 728,833 92,721 821,554 $7,991,288.00
Hawaii 5,251 5,390 221 5,611 $25,442.00
Iowa 418,786 739,173 53,219 792,392 $6,725,198.00
Idaho 395,964 363,233 168,026 531,259 $8,749,339.87
Illinois 701,381 750,529 28,962 779,491 $8,954,789.00
Indiana 500,608 437,165 72,751 509,916 $9,924,961.00
Kansas 273,357 242,312 38,393 280,705 $4,848,439.00
Kentucky 580,447 505,193 112,017 617,210 $8,190,157.00
Louisiana 627,551 777,738 175,937 953,675 $8,984,168.00
Massachusetts 125,704 246,369 15,628 261,997 $3,259,830.00
Maryland 377,212 393,545 79,572 473,117 $5,614,390.00
Maine 262,772 185,548 77,677 263,225 $5,856,339.00
Michigan 1,189,822 1,033,632 283,973 1,317,605 $22,318,881.00
Minnesota 1,461,112 1,092,708 249,213 1,341,921 $26,340,197.00
Missouri 851,518 1,218,176 175,418 1,393,594 $12,182,030.50
Mississippi 362,569 370,410 57,788 428,198 $4,733,231.00
Montana 383,374 400,844 358,449 759,293 $9,619,389.00
North Carolina 661,688 634,561 56,942 691,503 $12,358,455.00
North Dakota 167,344 133,381 40,587 173,968 $1,638,996.00
Nebraska 190,794 329,580 48,174 377,754 $4,106,836.00
New Hampshire 141,061 189,246 91,238 280,484 $4,867,176.00
New Jersey 166,708 233,363 13,750 247,113 $4,648,088.00
New Mexico 198,708 289,973 98,124 388,097 $3,574,627.00
Nevada 136,256 178,892 36,661 215,553 $2,796,268.00
New York 988,171 832,298 159,457 991,755 $21,399,100.00
Ohio 950,767 865,610 85,157 950,767 $12,430,910.00
Oklahoma 584,596 361,176 78,795 439,971 $6,825,418.35
Oregon 684,517 825,772 195,505 1,021,277 $15,155,681.00
Pennsylvania 1,051,043 1,560,966 159,191 1,720,157 $19,039,228.75
Rhode Island 27,534 40,051 3,576 43,627 $580,116.00
South Carolina 470,877 450,214 102,956 553,170 $5,901,740.00
South Dakota 204,285 133,298 75,352 208,650 $4,660,988.00
Tennessee 992,727 943,214 211,709 1,154,923 $12,839,048.00
Texas 1,479,414 2,041,377 92,155 2,133,532 $34,670,718.00
Utah 370,325 290,267 101,341 391,608 $9,062,617.00
Virginia 587,295 671,661 81,467 753,128 $8,763,163.00
Vermont 121,874 80,917 41,633 122,550 $2,444,268.00
Washington 668,414 1,833,269 299,648 2,132,917 $16,007,690.35
Wisconsin 1,413,804 1,279,859 411,206 1,691,065 $24,390,378.00
West Virginia 266,277 603,169 142,569 745,738 $4,512,810.00
Wyoming 258,158 117,519 156,870 274,389 $5,921,430.00
Total 27,908,272 31,000,424 6,564,270 37,564,694 $512,970,893.58
Hunting License Holders Table
State Paid Hunting Resident Licenses, Non-Resident Licenses, Total Licenses, Tags,
License Holders Tags, Permits, and Stamps Tags, Permits and Stamps Permits and Stamps Gross Cost
Alabama 99,121 185,367 37,848 223,215 $8,373,590.84
Alaska 270,229 255,022 44,202 299,224 $9,077,910.50
Arkansas 386,559 361,702 76,406 438,108 $12,153,851.00
Arizona 181,467 362,036 34,263 396,299 $10,486,835.00
California 315,588 843,357 15,334 858,691 $16,342,858.00
Colorado 309,801 388,842 165,057 553,899 $52,287,530.00
Connecticut 54,926 127,832 6,462 134,294 $2,300,724.00
Delaware 20,066 28,682 3,165 31,847 $633,008.00
Florida 176,320 313,151 8,028 321,179 $4,717,719.00
Georgia 331,795 870,755 83,371 954,126 $13,091,634.00
Hawaii 8,388 8,584 316 8,900 $285,880.00
Iowa 269,014 768,276 103,638 871,914 $17,578,690.00
Idaho 245,358 727,210 96,883 824,093 $20,321,479.88
Illinois 293,994 1,057,549 44,510 1,102,059 $16,016,031.00
Indiana 232,819 421,894 14,312 436,206 $14,943,634.00
Kansas 195,874 397,044 71,902 468,946 $12,087,277.00
Kentucky 347,379 608,399 58,296 666,695 $12,649,252.00
Louisiana 268,793 561,943 34,614 596,557 $10,010,776.00
Massachusetts 56,662 204,885 5,465 210,350 $1,931,205.00
Maryland 123,699 264,537 29,384 293,921 $5,379,334.00
Maine 201,136 217,930 47,675 265,605 $7,127,981.00
Michigan 863,946 2,225,367 40,864 2,266,231 $27,557,693.00
Minnesota 573,424 1,379,563 34,196 1,413,759 $27,543,644.00
Missouri 542,477 1,175,640 54,396 1,230,036 $19,013,206.50
Mississippi 235,447 234,717 43,971 278,688 $9,450,722.00
Montana 232,276 856,605 122,824 979,429 $24,653,681.00
North Carolina 433,542 470,217 23,728 493,945 $9,713,265.00
North Dakota 146,010 425,646 178,026 603,672 $8,517,645.00
Nebraska 176,502 345,550 51,519 397,069 $9,303,513.00
New Hampshire 63,975 188,686 37,566 226,252 $3,793,753.00
New Jersey 81,501 266,914 136,649 403,563 $7,048,188.00
New Mexico 109,948 284,052 54,516 338,568 $13,401,961.00
Nevada 60,805 75,909 14,085 89,994 $3,200,053.00
New York 641,572 1,373,531 80,698 1,454,229 $20,709,350.00
Ohio 425,992 1,108,893 19,949 1,128,842 $17,247,929.00
Oklahoma 331,672 313,181 15,812 328,993 $7,705,971.50
Oregon 295,422 1,314,350 66,817 1,381,167 $18,506,490.00
Pennsylvania 1,017,802 2,660,174 131,249 2,791,423 $39,773,564.00
Rhode Island 10,691 30,995 2,881 33,876 $476,179.00
South Carolina 272,752 200,487 58,856 259,343 $7,282,978.00
South Dakota 207,973 244,101 104,602 348,703 $15,365,201.00
Tennessee 727,525 946,477 37,513 983,990 $13,505,126.00
Texas 1,039,327 1,225,481 65,235 1,290,716 $28,126,610.00
Utah 154,884 226,437 11,636 238,073 $10,750,245.00
Virginia 304,605 763,282 50,598 813,880 $11,198,884.00
Vermont 90,110 164,924 21,865 186,789 $3,418,595.00
Washington 194,308 871,538 12,078 883,616 $12,197,388.51
Wisconsin 716,200 2,584,071 133,806 2,717,877 $32,848,828.00
West Virginia 262,835 729,189 196,988 926,177 $10,642,616.00
Wyoming 137,677 152,836 75,558 228,394 $19,073,987.00
Total 14,740,188 31,813,810 2,859,612 34,673,422 $679,824,466.73
March 2005 17
We continue to seek cost-effective
methods for the survey. In 2006 the
Census Bureau will conduct a side-by-side
test to determine the viability of using
state fishing and hunting license
databases as a supplement to the
traditional census household databases.
If viable, the use of state databases could
reduce costs considerably for future
surveys because Census would not have to
sample as many households as it does now.
The 2006 Survey is funded by grants from
the Multistate Conservation Grant
Programs of the Wildlife and Sport Fish
Restoration Program. Products will
include preliminary reports, final national
and 50 state reports, CDs, and quick facts
brochures. All data and reports also will
be available on a website.
The Service also analyzes and produces
reports based on existing survey data.
Addenda to the 2001 Survey include the
following reports: Birding in the United
States: A Demographic and Economic
Analysis; 2001 National and State
Economic Impacts of Wildlife Watching;
Net Economic Values for Wildlife-Related
Recreation in 2001; Participation and
Expenditure Patterns of African-
American, Hispanic, and Female
Hunters and Anglers; and Fishing and
Hunting 1991-2001: Avid, Casual, and
Intermediate Participation Trends. The
most recent report issued is Deer
Hunting in the United States: An
Analysis of Hunter Demographics and
Behavior.
Copies of survey reports are available on
request or are accessible through the
following website:
http://federalaid.fws.gov. For more
information you also may contact the
Service’s survey staff.
New Survey Report on Deer Hunters
The Service recently released a new
survey report based on the 2001 National
Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-
Associated Recreation, Report 2001-6,
Deer Hunting in the United States: An
Analysis of Hunter Demographics and
Behavior. It provides a wide array of
information about deer hunters including
participation levels, demographic
characteristics, spending patterns, use of
primitive weapons, land ownership and
leasing behavior, and license purchasing
behavior. It is intended to be used as an
informational tool by resource managers,
academics, product manufacturers, and
other interested parties.
Deer hunter participation levels are
examined for the U.S. as a whole and by
state. In 2001 Deer hunting was the most
prominent hunted species by a large
margin. Approximately 79% or 10.3
million of the 13.0 million hunters in the
U.S. hunted for deer. Turkey was the
second most hunted species at 2.5 million.
Moreover, deer hunting was prominent in
nearly every state. At least 50% of
hunters in all but a few states hunted deer,
and there were 21 states in which deer
hunting participation was greater than
75%.
The distribution of the deer hunting
population with respect to commonly used
demographic features such as age,
income, gender, education, and geographic
location is compared to that of the U.S.
population and non-deer hunters. Some of
the findings include the following. At over
65 years of age, the participation rate for
deer hunting was noticeably lower than
non-deer hunting. Deer hunters had fewer
years of education on average than non-deer
hunters. The participation rate for
both deer and non-deer hunting went up
as incomes increased.
The report contrasts many behaviors of
deer and non-deer hunters including
expenditures, hunting land ownership and
leasing pattern, and the wildlife-watching
pattern of hunters. Deer hunters spent
more on hunting, particularly for special
equipment, land leasing, and land
ownership. Deer hunters were more likely
to own hunting land and hunt on privately
owned land. Both deer and non-deer
hunters participated in wildlife watching
at nearly the same rate. About 55% of
both groups participated in wildlife
watching around the home, while about
30% of both took wildlife watching trips.
Several aspects of deer hunter behavior,
including primitive weapons usage, land
ownership, and license purchasing pattern
are analyzed in greater detail. Nearly 40%
of deer hunters hunted with either a
muzzleloader rifle or bow and arrow, and
those that used these primitive weapons,
on average, participated more days and
spent more money than those who did not.
Several factors were found to have an
impact on the rate of hunting land
ownership and leasing. Both increased
with age, income, and hunting days.
Additionally, regions of the country where
relatively large amounts of public land
were available, such as the Mountain
region, were found to have low rates of
hunting land ownership and leasing.
The report made use of two questions
contained in the Survey regarding license
purchasing and exemptions to identify
those deer hunters that hunted without
purchasing licenses and were not exempt
from the requirement to do so. These
hunters were identified as likely
18 March 2005
The Fish and Wildlife Service recently
released a new report on deer hunting in
the U.S.
noncompliant with respect to license
purchasing. The report indicates that
these hunters were not necessarily
noncompliant because the respondent
may not have understood correctly or
answered truthfully to the two questions
involved. Nevertheless, they were
considered likely noncompliant. This
methodology revealed that about 8% of
deer hunters in 2001 were not licensed
and not exempt.
Lastly, the report uses statistical modeling
to help promote a greater understanding
of factors that affect the decision to hunt
without a license. The modeling identifies
how numerous demographic
characteristics and hunting behaviors
affect the probability that a hunter will
hunt without a license. Numerous factors
were found to have a significant impact on
the probability that a hunter will hunt
without a license including number of days
hunted, geographic region, age, weapons
used, gender, other species hunted,
whether hunting occurred on public or
private land, and whether land was leased
for hunting.
Section 4 and 10: Hunter Education
Program
In late September 2004, the Service
signed a four-year Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the Archery
Trade Association, the Bowhunting
Preservation Alliance, and Arrowsport to
increase archery and bowhunting
opportunities, building on bowhunters’
continued support for wildlife
conservation.
“This is another example where the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service is strengthening
partnerships with the hunting
community,” Service Director Steve
Williams said. “These groups are on the
forefront of wildlife conservation in the
Nation. Since 1985, excise taxes paid on
bows and arrows have contributed more
than $320 million to State conservation
programs.”
Specifically, the agreement will help
ensure the collection of excise taxes under
the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife
Restoration Act, and will help States use
these funds for archery and bowhunting-related
recreational programs.
“This agreement goes well beyond the
industry and the Service, it includes all
the archery and bowhunting interest
groups,” said Jay McAninch,
CEO/President of the Archery Trade
Association, the Bowhunting Preservation
Alliance, and Arrowsport. “Our
agreement underscores bowhunting as a
conservation tool that is important for
wildlife management and recreation
across the country.”
The USFWS Division of Federal
Assistance has long assisted states in
pursuing their conservation and outdoor
recreation goals by providing efficient
administration of grant funds. This MOU
reaffirms this service, as well as
formalizes a partnership with an industry
association that represents a significant
number of groups that support the
Wildlife Restoration Program through
payment of excise taxes. Included below
March 2005 19
are some examples of state archery-related
projects supported by the Wildlife
Restoration Program.
Archery Range
Construction/Improvement
Nebraska – The competitive Nebraska
Shooting Range Grant Assistance
Program provides funds to third party
conservation/shooting range organizations
and government agencies to assist in the
development of firearms and archery
facilities. Section 10 funds have been
awarded to projects throughout Nebraska
ranging from $2,000 to $30,000 per
project. One program funded under this
effort is the Ponca State Park archery
range. Grant funds were used to help
purchase archery equipment, targets, and
construct 6 sight-in stations, a storage
building and a 20 station walk-through
field course. Another effort involved a
partnership with a local archery club to
construct a 28 station walk-through field
course and 6 sight-in stations at a range in
the Big Indian Natural Resource Area.
New Hampshire – Hunter Education
Training Facility, Holderness, NH. The
facility contains an outdoor archery
shoot/don’t shoot course, an outdoor
archery target/sighting-in range, and has
a multi-purpose indoor range that can be
used for archery. The facility is
geographically located in the center of the
State and will provide access for archers
and bowhunter education courses.
Minnesota – Ten archery ranges are
currently funded under contract
agreements with the state’s Shooting
Range Development and Rehabilitation
Grant Program.
Nevada - Wildlife Restoration Section 10
Enhancement funds were provided by
NV Department of Wildlife for the
planned multi-partner $15 million Clark
County Shooting Sports Park near Las
Vegas. All shooting disciplines will be
accommodated in this state-of-the-art
facility. Archery shooting facilities will be
an integral part of the comprehensive
Hunter Education component of the
facility.
Alabama - A 25-yard rifle range, shotgun
field, and an archery range was
constructed adjacent to the existing range
at the Barbour County Wildlife
Management Area (WMA) Shooting
Range. The construction at this public
shooting range increased public access to
shooting facilities, improved safety
features, and increased public recreational
archery opportunities.
National Archery in the Schools
Program
Wildlife Restoration Program funding has
also played a critical part in the growth of
the National Archery in the Schools
Program (NASP). NASP is a physical
education curriculum initially co-created
by the Department’s of Education and
Fish & Wildlife Resources. The program
teaches Olympic-style target archery to
students in the 6th-8th grades. Since its
inception in 2002, the program has been
adopted by over twenty states across the
nation, with even more slated to
implement the program in 2005. Many
of the participating states utilize Wildlife
Restoration Funds to purchase the bows,
arrows, targets and other materials
necessary to allow the schools to
implement the program. NASP has
introduced thousands of boys and girls to
archery every year since the program
began.
20 March 2005
Professional archery coach Terry Wunderle works with seven-year-old Christopher
Reed and twelve-year-old national champion Levi Cyr at Reedy’s Archery Shop in
Massachusetts.
Terry Wunderle
The Financial and Business
Management System (FBMS) of the
Department of the Interior and
Federal Assistance Information
Management System (FAIMS)
The Federal Assistance Information
Management System (FAIMS) is used by
Fish and Wildlife Service personnel to
manage the complete life cycle of over half
a billion dollars in grants administered by
the Service. FAIMS is critical to the
reconciliation of grant related fiscal
information that exists in systems
operated by the Department of Health
and Human Services, the Division of
Federal Assistance, and the Division of
Finance. The checks and balances built
into FAIMS ensure the integrity of
Federal Assistance’s fiscal data as
confirmed by the audit firm KPMG, LLP.
In addition, FAIMS has an Internet
interface known as iFAIMS located at
http://faims.fws.gov. Many States are
recognizing and praising the grant
information that is available online to both
registered users (typically state federal
aid coordinators) and the general public.
This site provides available information
about the grants inside of FAIMS for a
variety of users outside of the Fish and
Wildlife Service. Registered users can
view grant information including the
planned accomplishments, amount of
federal funds obligated, and the actual
accomplishments of completed projects.
Division of Federal Assistance staff have
prepared high-quality state specific
templates for these reports and the output
can be printed and used as an
informational resource for media,
legislators and other stakeholders. Users
can also run detailed reports concerning
their grants and even submit license
certifications. Public users can view grant
information online and run many different
reports. These reports bring back more
than just static data, by providing a
parameter form we have enabled users to
retrieve information based on the values
they need for specific grants.
The Department of Interior is migrating
to a centralized and comprehensive
Financial and Business Management
System (FBMS) to manage all aspects of
business. The Department plans to deploy
grant programs administered by the
Federal Assistance Program on October 1,
2006. Until that date, current FA grant
application and award processes will
continue using FAIMS. The Service will
continue to provide information, as it is
received from the Department, regarding
training opportunities for States and
Territories and other grant recipients.
Last year some of the major
accomplishments included:
n Final implementation of new internal
controls including upgraded
configuration management and
workflow software and procedures.
n Greater use and integration of help desk
system to better respond and monitor
problems with the system.
So far in Fiscal Year 2005 emphasis has
been placed on:
n Securing the FAIMS and iFAIMS
systems from external and internal
threats via increased technical,
operational and managerial policies and
procedures.
n Analyzing FAIMS data in preparation
for FBMS conversion.
During the remainder of 2005 emphasis
will be placed on:
n Continuing to secure the FAIMS and
iFAIMS systems against external and
internal threats.
n Preparing FAIMS for implementation
in association with the FBMS. This
includes such activities as working with
Departmental personnel, BearingPoint,
and its subcontractors to:
1) complete the analysis required to
successfully convert the data contained in
FAIMS into FBMS, and
2) identify areas of FAIMS that will not be
converted into FBMS.
3) Work with department staff in
establishing needs for the Lands module.
For additional information on this issue,
contact Lori Bennett at 703/358 2033.
March 2005 21
22 March 2005
National Coastal Wetlands Grant
Program Announces Fiscal Year 2005
Awards
Ten states were recently awarded more
than $13 million in grants to conserve,
restore and protect coastal wetlands with
funding from the National Coastal
Wetlands Conservation grant program.
This is one of several programs funded
from the Sport Fish Restoration Account
as part of the larger Wallop-Breaux
program. The States awarded grants with
fiscal year 2005 funds from the National
Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant
Program include Alaska, Georgia, Maine,
Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina,
Texas, Virginia, Washington and
Wisconsin.
The grants provide funding for 16 projects
and will be supplemented with nearly $13
million from state and private partners.
The grants will be used to acquire, restore
or enhance coastal wetlands for long-term
conservation benefits to wildlife and
habitat. Partners in this year’s projects
include state and local governments,
private landowners and conservation
groups such as Ducks Unlimited, the
Trust for Public Land and the Wildlife
Forever Foundation.
“Citizen-stewards are often our most
effective conservationists, and programs
like the National Coastal Wetlands
Conservation Grant program empower
them.” Interior Secretary Gale Norton
said. “People working in partnership will
help us ensure that we can pass along to
our children and grandchildren a country
that is as healthy and whole as the one we
inherited.”
National Coastal Wetlands Conservation
grants are awarded to states through a
competitive process. The program is
funded by the 1990 Coastal Wetlands
Planning, Protection and Restoration Act.
Funding for the program is generated
from excise taxes on fishing equipment
and motorboat and small engine fuels.
These taxes are deposited into the Sport
Fish Restoration Account of the Aquatic
Resources Trust Fund.
To date, the Service has awarded almost
$152 million in grants to states and a U.S.
territory under the program. When the
2005 grants projects are complete, they
will have protected and/or restored almost
22,000 acres. Almost 189,000 acres will
have been protected or restored since the
wetlands grant program began in 1990.
This year, the program became the first
Service grant program to accept
proposals electronically through
grants.gov. The grants.gov website is a
cross-agency E-Government initiative,
spanning 900 federal financial assistance
programs and $350 billion in annual
grants.
Descriptions of the 2005 National Coastal
Wetlands Conservation Grant projects
follow.
Fiscal Year 2005 National Coastal
Wetlands Conservation Grant Recipients
Alaska
Gustavus Forelands: Snyder Parcel.
The Alaska Department of Fish and Game
will acquire 135 acres of wetlands and
coastal habitats adjacent to Icy Strait in
Alaska’s panhandle. This parcel adjoins
both Glacier Bay National Park and an
area designated for the protection of the
sandhill crane.
Partners: The Nature Conservancy.
Coastal grant request: $283,900
Partner share: $129,045
Total cost: $412,945
Nushagak Bay Watershed
Conservation, Wood-Tikchick: Phase II.
Alaska’s Division of State Parks and
Outdoor Recreation will acquire perpetual
conservation easements on 7,000 acres
along the Agulowak River within the
Nushagak Bay Watershed. The Agulowak
River is a major anadromous fish system.
It provides spawning habitat and passage
for nearly 2 million adult salmon,
representing all five Pacific species.
Partners: The Conservation Fund and
Nushagak-Mulchatna Wood-Tikchik Land
Trust.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
State share: $10,000
Partners share: $444,500
Total cost: $1,454,500
Georgia
Clayhole Swamp Acquisition.
The Georgia Department of Natural
Resources will acquire 5491acres in
Clayhole Swamp in the Altamaha River
Watershed. The Altamaha River supports
Georgia’s best stocks of anadromous fish
including American shad, shortnose
sturgeon and Atlantic sturgeon. After
acquisition the site will be available for
hunting, fishing, hiking and other outdoor
recreational use.
Partners: The Nature Conservancy.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
State share: $722,500
Partner share: $1,500,000
Total cost: $3,222,500
Maine
Cobscook Falls: Habitat Protection
Initiative. Maine’s Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife will protect 257
acres including 2.68 miles of shoreline
along Cobscook Bay. This project will add
to protected areas along the Bay and
preserve high value habitat for migratory
birds.
Partners: A private landowner and the
March Hill Real Estate Trust, Ducks
Unlimited, Maine Coast Heritage Trust,
and the Quoddy Regional Land Trust.
Coastal grant request: $528,000
Partners share: $335,000
Total cost: $863,000
Massachusetts
Great Allens Pond Ecosystem
Protection and Restoration Project.
The Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation will protect
about 156 acres along Buzzards Bay and
restore 7 acres of salt marsh. The project
area will become part a contiguous block
of 1,000 acres of protected habitats,
including salt marsh, coastal oak
woodlands, and grasslands.
March 2005 23
Partners: A private landowner, Buzzards
Bay Project/Massachusetts Conservation
Trust, Dartmouth Natural Resources
Trust, Massachusetts Audubon Society,
and Natural Resources Conservation
Services.
Coastal grant request: $600,000
State share: $109,500
Partners share: $1,545,615
Total cost: $2,255,115
Sandy Neck/Barnstable Marshes
Barrier Beach System Land
Acquisition and Restoration Project.
Phase II. The Massachusetts Department
of Conservation and Recreation will
continue to work with partners to protect
30.3 acres of in-holdings and further
restore this regionally significant coastal
resource system in Cape Cod’s Barnstable
County. The 7-mile beach at Sandy Neck
is one of the largest barrier beaches on
the North Atlantic Coast and provides
nesting and feeding habitat for a number
of shorebirds, including the federally-threatened
piping plover and least tern.
Partners: Barnstable Land Trust, The
Nature Conservancy, and the Town of
Barnstable.
Coastal grant request: $520,000
State share: $97,000
Partners share: $155,000
Total cost: $772,000
Michigan
Bete Grise Coastal Wetlands
Acquisition. Michigan’s Department of
Natural Resources will acquire 1,800
acres in Keweenaw County adjacent to the
Bete Grise Bay of Lake Superior. The
Nature Conservancy and Michigan’s
Departments of Natural Resources and
Environmental Quality have identified
this area as being the single most
important estuarine marsh remaining in
the Upper Great Lakes.
Partners: The Nature Conservancy,
Keweenaw Land Trust,
Houghton/Keweenaw Conservation
District, and the South Shore Association.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
Partners share: $488,443
Total cost: $1,488,443
North Carolina
Brown’s Island. The North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission will
acquire 107 acres on Brown’s Island
located within the White Oak River Basin
in Carteret County. Brown’s Island is an
undeveloped island that hosts a diversity
of natural communities and has been
designated by the State as a significant
natural heritage site.
Partner: North Carolina Coastal Land
Trust.
Coastal grant request: $904,267
State share: $428,843
Partners share: $6,000
Total cost: $1,339,110
Texas
West Bay Conservation Corridor. Texas
Parks and Wildlife will acquire 1,500 acres
including marsh and coastal prairie
habitats adjacent to West Bay in
Galveston County. In addition, 42 acres of
shallow open water will be restored to
estuarine emergent marsh. The habitats
protected and restored will benefit
migratory birds and commercially and
recreationally important fish species.
Partners: Harborwalk-Watkins
Properties, Trust for Public Lands, and
Scenic Galveston, Inc.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
Partners share: $508,000
Total cost: $1,508,000
Virginia
Protection of Mark’s and Jack’s
Islands. The Virginia Department of
Conservation and Recreation will acquire
2,000 acres of salt marsh wetlands on the
western side of the Chesapeake Bay in
Accomack County. This acquisition will
protect: spawning, nursery and feeding
habitat for a variety of fish and shellfish;
habitat for threatened and endangered
species; and habitat for numerous species
of resident and migratory birds.
Partners: The Nature Conservancy and
Basic, Inc.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
Partners share: $1,021,750
Total cost: $2,021,750
Washington
Davis Bay Acquisition and Restoration.
The Washington Department of Fish and
Wildlife will acquire conservation
easements and restore approximately 120
acres of estuarine and freshwater
wetlands on Davis Bay, within the Puget
Sound Ecosystem. The restoration
includes the removal of the existing tide
gate system, filling of drain ditches,
raising two sections of roads that will be
inundated by the restoration, and
providing a new potable water system for
several families. This project will provide
rearing habitat for fish and important
migration and wintering habitat for birds.
Partners: A private landowner, Ducks
Unlimited, Pacific Coast Joint Venture,
and the San Juan Preservation Trust.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
State share: $10,000
Partners share: $1,083,000
Total cost: $2,093,000
Lower Tarboo Creek Wetland
Acquisition and Floodplain
Restoration. The Washington
Department of Ecology will protect 216
acres, 200 by purchasing the land and 16
acres through conservation easements.
The project will also restore 1.5 miles of
Tarboo Creek and 1.5 miles of tributary
channels and 120 acres of wetlands that
had been drained for agricultural use.
Partners: Private individuals, Jefferson
Land Trust, and Northwest Watershed
Institute.
Coastal grant request: $875,000
State share: $350,000
Partners share: $50,000
Total cost: $1,275,000
24 March 2005
Willapa Bay/ Seal Slough Acquisition
Project. The Washington State
Department of Fish and Wildlife will
purchase 1,002 acres of fee title and
374 acres of conservation easement
acquisition along Seal Slough, Lynn Point,
and Willapa Bay tidelands and adjacent
uplands. The project will include control of
invasive Spartina on 300 acres of the tide
flats, enhancing utilization by wintering
shorebirds and foraging waterfowl.
Partners: Cascade Land Conservancy,
Pacific Coast Joint Venture, and Wildlife
Forever Foundation.
Coastal grant request: $900,000
State share: $5,000
Partners share: $562,400
Total cost: $1,467,400
Wisconsin
Clough Island Preservation and
Restoration Project. Wisconsin’s
Department of Natural Resources will
acquire 350 acres of wetlands and
associated upland habitat at the
westernmost tip of the Great Lakes. Of
these 350 acres, 133 acres of impaired
wetlands will be restored. Clough Island is
in the St. Louis River estuary, and is
surrounded by the metropolitan areas of
Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth,
Minnesota. The State of Minnesota will
work with Wisconsin to implement the
proposal.
Partners: Duluth Audubon Society,
Friends of Superior Municipal Forest,
Lake Superior Chapter of Muskies
Incorporated, McCabe Chapter of the
Izaak Walton League, Save Lake Superior
Association, and Twin Ports Bass Masters
(Minnesota B.A.S.S. Federation), and
Western Skyline Preservation Alliance.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
State share: $1,000,000
Partners share: $650
Total cost: $2,000,650
North Bay Mud Lake Ridges Land
Acquisition. The Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources will acquire or
purchase conservation easements on 655
acres surrounding the North Bay of Lake
Michigan in Door County. The project will
protect important feeding, spawning and
nursery grounds for a number of fish,
including northern pike, smallmouth bass
and whitefish.
Partners: The Nature Conservancy and
the Ridges Sanctuary.
Coastal grant request: $1,000,000
State share: $1,000,000
Partners share: $220,000
Total cost: $2,220,000
Washington and Detroit Island
Acquisition. Wisconsin’s Department of
Natural Resources will acquire or
purchase conservation easements on
about 250 acres, including 11,200 feet of
Lake Michigan shoreline in Door County.
These islands are at the tip of the Door
Peninsula, and provide spring and fall
migration stopover habitat for songbirds
and birds of prey.
Partners: Door County Land Trust and
the Washington Island Art and Nature
Center.
Coastal grant request: $788,833
State share: $960,750
Partners share: $65,000
Total cost: $1,814,583
For more information about the National
Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant
Program, please contact Sally Valdes
(Sally.Valdes@fws.gov, 703/358 1743) or
Brian Bohnsack
(Brian.Bohnsack@fws.gov, 703/358 1801),
or check the program’s Internet home
page at
http://www.fws.gov/cep/cwgcover.html.
March 2005 25
Renewed Interest in Clean Vessel Act
Program
Congress and many other long-time
stakeholders are expressing renewed
interest in the Service’s Clean Vessel Act
grant program. Much of this interest has
resulted as a result of the role that
available sewage pumpout stations for
boaters have with the designation of areas
as No-Discharge Zones by state agencies
and federal agencies such as the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The program is one of the Division’s
success stories and has proven to be an
important tool with maintaining and
improving the water quality of many of
America’s waterways. Since its inception,
the Clean Vessel Act grant program has
provided more than $98 million in awards
to state agencies.
Two relatively recent reports underscore
the importance of this program and its
importance to providing a critical service
for recreational boaters. In May 2004, the
General Accounting Office (GAO) issued
its report “Water Quality: Program
Enhancements Would Better Ensure
Adequacy of Boat Pumpout Facilities in
No-Discharge Zones.” In this report
(GAO-04-613), the GAO found that limited
oversight by state and federal agencies of
sewage pumpout facilities existed after
No-Discharge Zones are established. The
report urged the EPA to assess the
continued adequacy of the pumpout
facilities and to seek additional authority,
if needed, to require periodic
recertifications or reassessments of these
facilities. The second report, titled “Final
No-Discharge Zone Evaluation” prepared
for the EPA presented the results of a
survey of boaters and marina operators in
15 coastal and Great Lakes No-Discharge
Zones. In this research, 93% of the
boaters surveyed reported they had no
occasions in 2003 when they could not find
a working pumpout or toilet dump facility
in a No-Discharge Zone. Only 9% of the
boaters reported that they experienced
trouble at a pumpout facility in the 2003
boating season. In addition, 63% of the
marina operators that responded to the
survey indicated that their pumpout
facilities were functional 100% of the time
during the most recent boating season.
The Service recognizes the important
service this program provides recreational
boaters and continues to work closely with
the program stakeholders to improve the
program. Congress recently extended the
authorization for this program and
included $6.6 million of funding for fiscal
year 2005. Additional funding is likely to
be available later in the fiscal year as
Congress considers longer term funding
for the Highway Bill which includes
funding for the Clean Vessel Act. The
American League of Anglers and Boaters
consensus position for the program’s
reauthorization proposes a significant
change to the program by recommending
that coastal projects no longer receive a
scoring preference. In addition, ALAB’s
consensus position will change the funding
process of this program to a specified
percentage of the Sport Fish Restoration
Account rather than a specific funding
authorization as in previous years. These
changes will be under consideration in
review of the Highway Bill.
The Service accepted proposals for the
Fiscal Year 2005 Clean Vessel Act grant
program through early January and
expects to announce the awards in the
very near future. The Service received 38
proposals from 26 states requesting a
total of $15.9 million. The Service plans to
issue funding to award recipients if
Congress approves additional funding
authorization for this program later in this
fiscal year.
For additional information on this
program contact Brian Bohnsack (703/358
1801: Brian.Bohnsack@fws.gov).
Andre Boudreau (dressed as a clam) of the City of Block Island, Rhode Island, hands
out education packets to boaters to inform them of the importance of proper disposal of
their sewage to the island’s aquatic ecosystem.
26 March 2005
Public Access Civil Rights Program
The public access civil rights program,
funded separately from Federal
Assistance dollars, is a vital link to our
State agency partners because of its
mandate to ensure States’ compliance
with Federal civil rights laws and
regulations. Recipients of Federal
assistance must conduct programs,
activities and services in a manner that
does not discriminate on the basis of race,
color, national origin, disability, age or sex
(in educational programs).
Liaisons with multicultural community
groups is a key component of Title VI of
the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Public
Access Civil Rights Program. Increased
partnerships among the Service, State
fish and wildlife agencies, and minority
and disability groups provide a pro-active
framework for meeting civil rights
requirements. Active minority liaison
associations and disability liaison
associations with the State recipients can
help prevent civil rights complaints, and
resolve complaints at an early
intervention stage. Liaisons with women’s
groups accomplish the same objectives on
gender equity in educational programs
such as hunter education and aquatic
education.
Multicultural group liaisons and
partnerships also facilitate conservation
education in an increasing number of
communities, thus enhancing the
conservation mission of both the Service
and the State agencies. Including
traditionally excluded or under-represented
groups in State recreational
programs translates into more funding for
critical conservation initiatives due to the
increased receipts from excise taxes on
the sale of recreational equipment.
Minority group partners in particular can
be instrumental in ensuring equal access
for public beneficiaries with limited
English proficiency (per Presidential
Executive Order 13166), and for helping
to ensure that environmental policies and
practices do not have adverse impacts on
minority or low income groups, in
adherence with Federally assisted
environmental justice requirements.
Partnerships with multicultural groups
also facilitate attempts by State agencies
to hire and retain more diverse
workforces.
The Division of Federal Assistance works
in full partnership with State agencies to
resolve complaints of discrimination filed
by the public against these State agencies,
and to address any civil rights deficiencies
identified during systemic reviews of the
state agencies’ programs and facilities. In
the past few months, the Division of
Federal Assistance worked closely with
State agencies on voluntary alternative
dispute resolution, to informally resolve
complaints, including a pattern and
practice race discrimination complaint,
and crossbow-related complaints, where
some State agencies voluntarily allowed
bowhunters with disabilities to use a
crossbow in bow hunting season as an
accommodation. As part of program
activities, State agencies are provided
occasional updates on civil rights trends
via a listserve provided by the
International Association of Fish and
Wildlife Agencies.
Multistate Conservation Grant
Program
The Multistate Conservation Grant
Program, born out of the Wildlife and
Sport Fish Restoration Program
Improvement Act of 2000, has awarded
over 90 grants since 2001 to States,
groups of States, and non-governmental
organizations throughout the United
States. The Multistate Conservation
Grant Program is a cooperative effort
with and has shared responsibilities
between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the International Association
of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA).
These grants support products that solve
high priority problems affecting States on
a regional or national basis and allow for
efficient use of limited resources to
address the National Conservation Needs
of States established through the IAFWA.
In its fifth year of awards, the unique
work of the Program is continued by
addressing the highest priority needs of
the States. The technical scoring criteria
applied for the first time to 2005 project
proposals awarded more points to
March 2005 27
proposals that benefit more States, use
sound science, propose reasonable project
costs and measurable products and
deliverables, and clearly state the
expected benefits to State Fish and
Wildlife Agencies. (Please see the
September 2004 Program Update for
more details on the significant changes
instituted by the IAFWA and the Service
to improve the quality and acceptability of
project proposals.) This year the number
and quality of proposals received were
impressive and the amount of funding
requested exceeded that available. On
October 1, 2004, the IAFWA submitted
the following list of priority projects to the
Service’s new Assistant Director for
Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration
Programs for funding from the 2005
Multistate Conservation Grant Program.
All grants were awarded by the Service in
December 2004.
This year the IAFWA also amended the
Service’s current Multistate Conservation
Grant to conduct the National Survey of
Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated
Recreation (National Survey) to add
$50,000 to the grant annually for the next
three years. The purpose of the additional
funds is to conduct side-by-side tests
during the conduct of the National Survey.
These tests will determine the viability of
using state hunting license databases to
supplement the Census Bureau’s
database. If results are comparable, this
method could potentially reduce the cost
of future National Surveys by over $1
million.
The States, non-governmental
organizations, other partners and the
public now have access through the Web
to review grant products generated and
to learn more about the benefits derived
through the Multistate Conservation
Grant Program. Internet access to
grant information is available at
http://faims.fws.gov. The Federal
Assistance Information Management
System provides readers with funding
details, project descriptions, quarterly
progress reports and annual
accomplishment details for each
Multistate Conservation Grant awarded,
whether the grant is ongoing or completed
and closed.
For additional information on this issue,
please contact Pam Matthes.
2005 Multistate Conservation Grant Proposals Selected for Funding
ID Project Title Submitter 2005 WR 2005 SFR 2006WR 2006 SFR 2007 WR 2007 SFR Total Grant
Request
05-001 Step Outside--Expanding National Shooting Sports $49,250 $49,250 $73,200 $73,200 $73,200 $73,200 $391,300
Recruitment Opportunities Foundation
05-002 The Future of Hunting & National Shooting Sports $11,964 $174,000 $203,000 $388,964
Shooting Sports: Research Foundation w/Responsive
Strategies to Increase Management
Participation & Retention
05-003 Status of Western Native Western Division of the $50,000 $30,000 $80,000
Freshwater Fishes American Fisheries
Foundation
05-005 Hunter Education Program International Hunter $45,000 $45,000 $45,000 $135,000
Reviews: A Peer Education Association
Evaluation Approach
05-006 OWP’s Approach to Expanding Organization of $2,250 $2,250 $4,500
Multistate Collaboration & Wildlife Planners
Communication
05-009 How Much is Enough for 2007? Wildlife Management $91,000 $91,000
A regional wildlife habitat Institute
needs assessment for the
2007 Farm Bill
05-014 Eastern Brook Trout Conservation $250,781 $180,810 $431,592
Joint Venture Management Institute
05-019 Enhance & Improve the State Organization of $96,145 $96,145
Design Handbook for Boating Administrators
Recreation & Fishing Access
Facilities to include new
standards and technical
considerations
05-020 Enhancement of the Multi- American Fisheries $188,294 $188,294 $192,719 $569,307
State Aquatic Resources Society
Information System (MARIS)
to support the National Fish
Habitat Initiative
05-021 National Master Texas Parks & $45,700 $45,700 $91,400
Naturalist Initiative Wildlife Department
05-023 Focus on The Woman-- National Wild Turkey $39,440 $39,440 $78,880
Recruitment & Retention Federation
Strategies and Tactics for
Women Involved in
Outdoor Recreation
05-026 Case Studies and Guidebook Instream Flow Council, Inc. $32,400 $65,900 $98,300
for Conducting Instream Flows
for Riverine Resource Stewardship
05-027 Management Assistance Team IAFWA $216,294 $216,294 $232,798 $232,798 $237,814 $237,814 $1,373,814
05-028* Furbearer Management & IAFWA Furbearer Resources $25,000 $25,000
Communication Professional Task Force & Education,
Development Workshops for Outreach, & Diversity
Fish & Wildlife Professionals Committees
and Colleges/Universities with
Wildlife Programs
05-029* New Strategies to Increase IAFWA’s AWADS Task $151,250 $130,430 $109,920 $391,600
Fishing License Sales, Force & the American
Revenues & Participation Sportfishing Association
05-030* Coordination of the National IAFWA Fisheries & Water $151,250 $130,430 $109,920 $391,600
Fish Habitat Initiative Resources Policy Committee
05-031 A Summary of the Best IAFWA $8,187.50 $8,187.50 $16,375
Current Practices for Recruiting
& Retaining Participants in
Hunting, Angling, Boating &
Shooting Sports
05-035 Representation of the Western WAFWA $4,950 $4,950 $4,950 $4,9950 $7,700 $7,700 $35,200
Association of Fish &
Wildlife Agencies in Intl
Conventions & Protocols
05-036 Representation of the SEAFWA $4,950 $4,950 $4,950 $4,9950 $7,700 $7,700 $35,200
SoutheasternAssociation of
Fish & Wildlife Agencies in
Intl. Conventions & Protocols
05-037 Representation of the NEAFWA $4,950 $4,950 $4,950 $4,9950 $7,700 $7,700 $35,200
NortheasternAssociation of
Fish & Wildlife Agencies in
Intl. Conventions & Protocols
05-038 Representation of the Midwest MAFWA $4,950 $4,950 $4,950 $4,9950 $7,700 $7,700 $35,200
Association of Fish &
Wildlife Agencies in Intl
Conventions & Protocols
Total $553,886 $1,214,340 $544,799 $921,233 $589,814 $644,453 $4,468,525
28 March 2005
March 2005 29
Special Highlight
Section of Region 5
Federal Assistance in the Northeast
The Northeast, Region 5 of the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, encompasses 13
states and the District of Columbia.
Stretching from the rocky coast of Maine
to the sands of the Eastern Shore of
Virginia, from the hills and hollows of
West Virginia to the age-old mountains of
Vermont and New Hampshire, Region 5
contains some amazing natural resources.
The area also has approximately a quarter
of the U.S. population, with 70 million
people living in a “megalopolis” stretching
from Washington D.C. to Boston. The
combination of unique natural areas and
continuing, centuries-old pressure from
human development presents a
challenging environment for state and
federal fish and wildlife agencies. In this
Program Update, we have tried to show
the breadth and depth of fish and wildlife
conservation funded with Federal
Assistance in the Northeast. In many
states, we have showcased a grant from
the new State Wildlife Grants program, to
highlight the important new work
undertaken and partnerships being
formed. The species presented in these
examples represent only a subset of those
that will be included in Comprehensive
Wildlife Conservation Strategies to be
developed by each State by October 1,
2005.
The Region 5 Division of Federal
Assistance (FA) staff are organized by
skills and background into areas of
specialty: Administration, Fisheries
(including Aquatic Resource Education),
Wildlife (including Hunter Education),
and Lands and Development. Grant
specialists work with project leaders and
the Federal Assistance coordinator in each
state within their area of expertise,
providing technical assistance as well as
grant oversight. State agency staff are
encouraged to call upon FA for help at any
stage of the grant process, from proposal
development to implementation. This easy
flow of communication facilitates the grant
approval process and compliance with
federal laws and regulations, by solving
problems in the draft proposal stage.
Because the FA grant specialists see
projects across the region, they can offer
suggestions on potential collaborations,
best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and more
efficient/effective methods. Ultimately, the
goal of Federal Assistance is to serve the
hunters, anglers, boaters, and other
constituents by ensuring that grant funds
are spent wisely and efficiently. The
specialist organizational structure, where
FA staff are viewed as a technical
resource, contributes to that goal by
fostering productive relationships with
state agency professionals.
Region 5 FA staff work with over 30 state
agencies in the Northeast. A wide variety
of programs and projects are funded
within these agencies, but there are some
commonalities. Federal expenditures for
some standard activities in the SFR and
WR programs in the Northeast Region
are depicted in the pie charts below. These
data are for grants that ended in calendar
year 2002 and are accessible at the
individual grant level in the online version
of the Federal Assistance Information
Management System (iFAIMS). iFAIMS
also contains information on certain units
of accomplishments of Federal Assistance
grants. Some of these for calendar year
2002 are highlighted below for the SFR
and WR programs in the Northeast.
The category of highest SFR
expenditures was for research and survey
grants, with 223 projects completed.
Hatchery fish production activities were
second highest and resulted in the
stocking of over 120 million fish, of which
74 percent were for put, grow and take
stocking, 24 percent were for restoration
stocking, and 2 percent were for put and
take stocking. Ten boating access site
construction or renovation projects were
completed and over 1,200 existing boating
access facilities were managed. SFR
funding also supported the operation and
maintenance of another 1,200 areas and
facilities including fishing lakes, fishing
piers, and fish passage facilities. Technical
guidance was provided to Federal, State
and local agencies to avoid and minimize
impacts to aquatic resource from
proposed development projects, to
fisheries technical committees regarding
status of sport fish populations, and to
private landowners to recommend
techniques to properly manage sport fish
habitat. Finally, 1,800 new educators were
trained and approximately 210,000
students or participants were reached
through aquatic resource education
programs.
30 March 2005
District of Columbia Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
Special Highlight Section of Region 5
Research and surveys was also the
category with highest expenditures in the
WR program, with 280 projects
completed. The next highest category was
operations and maintenance of wildlife
management areas and facilities totaling
over 6.2 million acres. Habitat
improvement projects such as tree
planting, wildlife food plots, disking or
burning were completed on approximately
84,000 acres. Technical guidance was
provided to Federal, State and local
agencies to avoid and minimize impacts to
wildlife from proposed development
projects and to private landowners to
recommend practices to manage habitat
for wildlife. Approximately 113,000
volunteer hours of effort were involved in
the training of over 5,000 volunteer
instructors and 127,000 students in hunter
education programs.
March 2005 31
2004 Apportionment
Wildlife Restoration Sport Fish Restoration
CT $ 1,486,607 $ 2,605,270
DE $ 1,210,263 $ 2,605,270
ME $ 2,219,066 $ 2,605,270
MD $ 1,987,636 $ 2,605,270
MA $ 1,974,680 $ 2,605,270
NH $ 1,214,574 $ 2,605,270
NJ $ 1,974,680 $ 2,605,270
NY $ 6,055,166 $ 6,630,580
PA $ 7,837,535 $ 6,628,025
RI $ 1,207,123 $ 2,605,270
VT $ 1,207,123 $ 2,605,270
VA $ 3,845,157 $ 4,325,856
WV $ 2,537,373 $ 2,605,270
DC $ 868,423
Total $34,756,983 $44,505,584
Total R5 $ 79,262,567
Total Nationwide
WR $203,674,379
SFR $260,526,978
$464,201,357
Proportion of R5 to Nation 17%
Like most agencies, the Connecticut
Wildlife Division has many more
opportunities for public education and
outreach than its staff could possibly
address. The Master Wildlife
Conservationist Program (MWCP) fills
this pressing need within the agency by
training participants in the fields of
wildlife management, natural history, and
interpretation. These individuals, in turn,
make up a volunteer corps that provides
education and outreach programs to
environmental organizations, libraries,
schools, and the general public. The
MWCP is an important communication
tool for the agency, allowing many more of
the requests for educational programs to
be fulfilled, and creating a committed
group of agency stakeholders that is very
knowledgeable about agency issues and
priorities.
Participants in the MWCP receive 40
hours of intensive classroom and field
training and have one year, following
certification, to provide 40 hours of
volunteer service.Twenty additional hours
of service are required each additional
year a volunteer chooses to remain active
in the program. The MWCP training is
conducted by Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP)
biologists, educators, and other
professional staff. The following topics are
covered: interpretation and
communication, wildlife conservation,
wildlife ecology, habitat management,
wildlife management issues, wildlife
management success stories, Connecticut
specific wildlife management issues, and
the mission and structure of the DEP and
the Wildlife Division. The Federal Aid in
Wildlife Restoration Program provides
the majority of funding for research and
management activities in Connecticut.
Educational materials and Wildlife
Division staff time devoted to training
MWCP volunteers in communicating
about the benefits and accomplishments of
FA-funded work is covered by an outreach
grant.
Over 80 individuals have completed the
Master Wildlife Conservationist Program
training, and have consequently donated
4,300 hours of time in communicating with
the public about Connecticut’s wildlife
resources and the role of Federal
Assistance funds in conserving them.
32 March 2005
The first graduating class of Master Wildlife Conservationists
Connecticut
Connecticut DEP, Wildlife Division
State Wildlife Grant Program Aquatic
Resource Investigations
The Connecticut Department of
Environmental Protection’s Inland
Fisheries Division, has identified a
number of native fish species whose status
are of concern. River herring (alewife and
blueback herring) populations in the
Connecticut River have declined
dramatically in the past 20 years.
Blueback herring counts at the Holyoke
Fish Lift, the first main stem barrier, have
gone from hundreds of thousands of fish
observed in the mid 1980s to only
hundreds in 2003. The rapid and steep
decline has resulted in herring fishery
closures in Connecticut’s portion of the
river and concern over the ecological
implications. It was clear that obtaining
critical fish population data was
imperative to begin to identify factors that
may be responsible for the declines and to
better understand the dynamics of the
herring runs in other streams as well. The
SWG Program has funded a two-year
study through the University of
Connecticut that was recently completed
in December 2004 that focused on this
important fishery resource issue.
Researchers studied two herring
populations in a tributary to the
Connecticut River (Roaring Brook) and in
a nearby coastal stream (Brides Brook).
Through intensive field sampling
operations in 2003 and 2004, starting in
early March and extending into June, the
size, timing, age structure, reproductive
condition, lengths and weights of the
herring run was examined. The selection
of Brides Brook had the advantage of
comparing biological and population
measures from a herring study conducted
in the mid 1960s.
The researchers determined that the
Brides Brook alewife run was
approximately 40% lower than in the
1960s study and that the age structure
had also shifted dramatically. The
spawning run in the 1960s had a high
proportion of age-5 and age-6 fish with
fish as old as age-8 observed and most
were repeat spawners. The 2003 and 2004
Brides Brook survey showed that age-3
and age-4 fish were the dominant age
classes and most spawners were virgins,
as opposed to repeats. The observed shift
to younger age classes was also noted with
historical blueback herring data from the
Connecticut River and the Roaring Brook
data.
Comparisons between Brides and Roaring
Brook in 2003 and 2004 showed Roaring
Brook had older age alewives present that
were also larger-at-age. The Roaring
Brook alewives were also more likely to be
repeat spawners. However, the Brides
Brook alewives were shown to have a
higher reproductive potential (at size)
than those from Roaring Brook. The
study provided important baseline data
that will be useful in examining trends and
aid in contributing to the science-based
management of these two herring species.
March 2005 33
Connecticut
Duane Raver/USFWS
Green Eggs and Sand
How do you help students learn about the
joys of managing natural resources in a
democracy? One way is to send teachers
to a Green Eggs & Sand workshop, an
innovative educational program supported
in part by Sport Fish Restoration aquatic
resource education funds in three states.
The Atlantic coast horseshoe
crab/shorebird phenomenon presents a
valuable case study of a multiple-use
resource controversy, one that has leaped
into the public eye and taken up agency
staff time over the past decade.
Recognizing the opportunity to educate
about the issues raised by this
controversy, in 2000, educators from
Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey
(states at the epicenter of the horseshoe
crab population and management
controversy) convened to launch a unique
project, aimed at presenting middle school
through college level educators with the
tools, knowledge and resources needed to
engage their students in exploring this
fisheries management challenge via a
balanced, problem-solving, critical-thinking
approach. To achieve this, the
team enlisted the help of fisheries
scientists, managers, and
representativesof the various stakeholder
groups involved in the controversy to
collaborate with a group of experienced
classroom teachers in developing an
intensive workshop experience and
comprehensive, carefully-sequenced
curriculum to teach the topic and issues.
Using a mixture of interactive activities,
video clips, powerpoint-driven mini-seminars
with world class researchers and
agency staff, and field experiences, the
Green Eggs & Sand instructional team
builds an understanding of the issues
surrounding the horseshoe crab
management controversy from the ground
up. Starting with the biology and life cycle
of the crab, moving to the linkages to
hemispheric shorebird migration (birds
such as the red knot rely on horseshoe
crab eggs on Delaware Bay beaches as a
key food item to fuel their spring
migrations from South America to the
Arctic), then bringing in the economic
value of horseshoe crabs from eco-tourism,
their use by humans as bait
(supporting the coastwide conch and eel
fisheries), and in biomedical applications
(horseshoe crab blood being the source of
a test that serves as the worldwide
standard for ensuring the safety of all
injectable medicines and implantable
devices used in human health), and
culminating with a chronology of the
ensuing management process,
participants acquire a thorough and
balanced foundation in the issues, while
gaining insight into the process used in
developing this innovative program and
curriculum.
In the five years since the project was
launched, demand for the Green Eggs &
Sand workshops and curriculum has
increased exponentially, from one
workshop offered in Delaware the first
year to full-with-a-waiting-list workshops
to be held in six different Atlantic coast
states in 2005. Over the previous years,
more than 400 educators, scientists,
resource users, and managers from 13
states and 3 foreign countries have taken
part in GE&S workshops. This explosion
of interest demonstrates the interest and
need that is out there among educators for
bringing natural resource phenomena and
issues into the classroom curriculum. The
program also serves as a model for
agencies to use in designing education
programs around other natural resource
management challenges.
34 March 2005
Michael Oates, Anew, Inc.
Local waterman Frank “Thumper” Eicherly and USGS biologist Dave Smith explain
how scientists estimate horseshoe crab populations and how watermen use them in the
conch fishery.
Delaware
March 2005 35
Connections to Nature in the Nation’s
Capital
How do you connect kids to nature in the
middle of the hustle and bustle of the
Nation’s capital? The District of
Columbia’s Fisheries and Wildlife staff do
so through their comprehensive aquatic
resource education program, funded with
Sport Fish Restoration dollars.
In their school program, the DC education
staff provide classroom presentations on
such topics as aquatic ecology, fish biology,
wetlands, and the Chesapeake Bay to
elementary, middle and high school
students in all eight wards of the District.
They typically reach over 3,500 students a
year, helping them understand the
importance of clean water to wildlife and
their place in the local watersheds. The
program also offers teacher workshops to
increase educators’ scientific knowledge
and comfort level with aquatic ecology and
fisheries. The summer angler education
program gets youth outdoors on the banks
of the Potomac or Anacostia River, where
kids discover that their rivers are indeed
habitat, learn the skills and ethics of
responsible fishing, and enjoy the thrill
of landing their first sunfish all by
themselves. DC staff also manage a tackle
loaner program and offer clinics at big
special outdoor/fishing events held each
year on the mall.
One of the highlights of the DC program
is the Aquatic Resource Education Center,
located next to the Anacostia River. The
District refurbished an existing building
and has just finished an extensive
addition. The ARE Center has
interpretive exhibits and aquaria
exploring the aquatic ecology of the local
rivers, creeks and wetlands and helps
visitors see their connection to the distant
Chesapeake Bay. District schools are
invited to visit the Center for programs
and–-with new classrooms, offices,
aquaculture and lab space for the
Fisheries staff––the Center will provide
new opportunities and support for the
ARE program. One last, critical service
the Fisheries and Wildlife staff provide is
to give presentations at school career
days, serving as enthusiastic role models
for future conservation professionals.
District of Columbia
District of Columbia Division of Fisheries & Wildlife
First catch!
Girls and boys from a YMCA summer camp take part in an educational program at
DC’s Aquatic Resource Education Center before heading out for a hands-on fishing
experience at the Anacostia River.
Maine Canada Lynx Study:
Maximizing the Impact of Grant
Programs
Little was known about the Canada lynx
in the northeast U.S. when a group
comprised of State, Federal, and
provincial wildlife biologists, university
researchers, conservation organizations,
and timber industry representatives met
in Bethel, Maine in 1997. In fact, there
was no certainty that a population existed
below the Canadian border. A proposal to
list lynx under the Federal Endangered
Species Act originating in the western
U.S. generated interest in whether this
species was present, what was known
about its ecological requirements in the
east versus the west, and what impacts
listing would have on State management
programs. The consensus was that
presence or absence needed to be verified,
and Maine would be the place to begin.
The Maine Department of Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife and the Service’s
Division of Federal Assistance
collaborated to develop a multi-year
proposal to gather status information on
this species.
Field research was initiated in 1999 using
Wildlife Restoration funds, over a year
before Canada lynx was listed as
Threatened. Survey efforts located lynx
sign in northwest Maine, and subsequent
capture efforts verified that lynx indeed
were present in Maine. Subsequent
monitoring led to the discovery that lynx
were not just transient migrants from
adjacent Canada, but were in fact resident
animals breeding and reproducing in
Maine. To date, well over 100 lynx have
been marked, including 84 kittens and 43
adults with radio collars. Important
information on habitat use, survival,
dispersal, and efficacy of monitoring
techniques have been generated.
While this study was initiated with
Wildlife Restoration funds, the
establishment of Wildlife Restoration and
Conservation Program and State Wildlife
Grants funding has led to these sources
taking over the bulwark of federal
support, augmented by Section 6
endangered species funding. These funds
have been used to leverage private
funding from conservation organizations
and timber companies alike. Information
from this study is generating greater
knowledge of northern forest carnivore
conservation needs, and leading to on-the-ground
management guidelines. This
effort is truly an example of a
conservation partnership that is bringing
together stakeholders from all parts of the
conservation spectrum. The glue that
holds this together is the support from
several funding sources administered by
the Division of Federal Assistance.
36 March 2005
Maine
Credit: John Organ/USFWS
Lynx kittens at a den site. Lynx kittens are weighed and measured.
March 2005 37
Maine’s Landowner Incentive
Program
In Fiscal Year 2004, the Maine
Department of Inland Fisheries and
Wildlife (MDIF&W) and the Maine
Natural Areas Program (MNAP) were
awarded $1.12 million under Tier 2 of the
Landowner Incentive Program (LIP).
MDIF&W and MNAP have combined
their skills and expertise to develop a
first-rate program focusing conservation
efforts for at-risk species on private lands.
The objectives for Maine LIP are:
n to protect nesting sites for the
endangered bald eagle;
n to protect habitat for the endangered
piping plover and least tern;
n to protect and restore habitat for the
endangered Furbish lousewort;
n to restore habitat for seabird
populations on Stratton Island; and
n to purchase conservation easements to
permanently protect habitat in fifteen
species-at-risk focus areas on private
lands in Maine.
MNAP and MDIF&W are receiving
significant assistance in developing and
implementing LIP from a Steering
Committee made up of representative
from non-governmental organizations and
Federal, State and local agencies. Projects
are underway to protect bald eagles,
piping plovers, least terns, seabird
populations on Stratton Island, and
Furbish lousewort habitat. After an initial
call for projects, the State of Maine
received requests for more than $1.45
million. Six conservation easement
projects were awarded a total of $553,300
in federal funds, with more than $3.1
million provided in private matching
funds. Given this level of demand for the
LIP funds, MDIF&W and MNAP plan to
apply for additional Tier 2 funds in the
next funding cycle (FY2005).
Maine
Staff and volunteers of the National Audubon Society staff remove Asiatic bittersweet,
an invasive plant species, to improve habitat for nesting seabirds on Stratton Island in
Maine.
Stephen W. Kress
Centrally located within a 2,500 acre roadless area in mid-coast Maine, two properties
totaling nearly 350 acres and covering 2.5 miles of frontage on the Sheepscot River will
be conserved with LIP funds. The Sheepscot River Focus Area is home to the federally
listed Atlantic salmon and Bald eagle and several other globally rare species.
Maine Natural Areas Program
Maryland Striped Bass Research
Contributes to Atlantic Coast Stock
Recovery
Chesapeake Bay has historically been a
major spawning area for the migratory
population of striped bass from Maine to
North Carolina. Atlantic Coast striped
bass stocks declined dramatically after
harvests reached record levels in the mid-
1970’s. Maryland initiated intensive
studies of adult striped bass population
characteristics in 1981, using Sport Fish
Restoration (SFR) funding since 1987.
Pound net and gill net surveys of pre-migratory
and spawning populations
provide measures of relative adult stock
abundance, age structure, and estimates
of relative spawning stock biomass.
Maryland has also conducted a beach
seine survey to monitor striped bass
juvenile abundance since 1954 (with SFR
funding in many of the 50 years since) that
allows predictions of future adult
population size.
These surveys, conducted with the
support of the Maryland SFR grant, help
ensure that thousands of Atlantic Coast
anglers enjoy a quality fishery that is also
effectively managed to ensure its long
term conservation. The stock assessments
resulting from the combined studies
support an adaptive management
framework for Maryland and other
Atlantic Coast states. This grant was
recently recognized by the Fisheries
Administrators Section of the American
Fisheries Society as the top SFR grant in
the research and survey category for
2004. The striped bass fishery has evolved
from a total moratorium in Maryland in
1985, to reopening a conservative
coastwide fishery in 1990, to a declaration
of recovered status of the Atlantic coast
stock in 1995. With this recovery,
estimated angler expenditures on Atlantic
Coast striped bass fishing trips increased
from $85 million in 1981 to $560 million in
1996. Striped bass has been the top
marine species by weight harvested
recreationally along the entire Atlantic
Coast every year since 1996.
Development of Captive Broodstock
for Atlantic Sturgeon in Maryland
Atlantic sturgeon are considered to be
below minimum viable population size in
Chesapeake Bay. Maryland has been
rearing a captive population of Atlantic
sturgeon of Hudson River origin since
1992 and the largest of these fish will be
available for spawning in 2-3 years. There
is a need to refine early life history
culture, marking and feeding techniques
so that everything is in place when captive
bro