F26AS00018 F26AS00018 - NAWCA 2026 Canada Grants

The objectives for the use of cooperative agriculture in the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) are: production or modification of specific cover types or growing methods that meet the life history requirements of species for which we have established objectives (e.g., waterfowl production); production of foods for wildlife species for which we have established objectives; and/or maintenance, rehabilitation, or reestablishment of natural habitat. Cooperative agriculture is when a person or entity conducts agricultural practices on NWRS lands in support of the Service’s conservation and resource management objectives and there is substantial involvement between the Service and that person or entity. The NWRS uses cooperative agreements, known as Cooperative Agriculture Agreements (CAAs), as the legal instruments to formalize the agreement between the Service and the program participant. The cost-sharing of a person or entity in cooperative agricultural on NWRS lands can vary depending on the needs and objectives of the particular NWRS land. For example, the Service may provide the cooperator with the right to perform agricultural practices on NWRS land and a percentage of any resulting crop yield, as well as the ability to use Service water, equipment, and/or refuge staff. In exchange, the cooperator may provide the Service with labor, equipment, and materials; a percentage of any resulting crop yield; and/or maintenance, rehabilitation, or reestablishment of specific habitat conditions on NWRS lands. In addition to or instead of cost-sharing, the Service may accept bids for payment for the person or entity’s agriculture use (e.g. haying or grazing) on NWRS lands in compliance with the Refuge Revenue Sharing Act. This is a nonfinancial assistance program. No Federal funds are obligated or awarded to program participants. Because a CAA is not a financial assistance award, it is not subject to the regulations at 2 CFR 200 or policy in parts 515 and 516 of the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.

Using appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) anticipates providing grants to support development and/or implementation of Great Lakes Tribal Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plans (Tribal AIS Plans). Therefore, a Tribal AIS Plan must be in place that supports the proposed work, or development of such a plan must be a part of the proposed work. All tribal grants will be awarded based on a competitive process for which only Great Lakes tribes or their designee are eligible.

The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing projects that address these problems. As part of this initiative, the two bird habitat joint ventures that operate in the Great Lakes watershed – the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture – will work with the Office of Conservation Investment program in the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to competitively fund partner projects for long-term habitat protection, restoration, or enhancement, to conserve habitats that support native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly migratory birds. Proposed activities must align with the operating principles of GLRI Action Plan IV and meet the objectives of GLRI Action Plan IV Focus Area 4 (https://www.glri.us/action-plan-iv/habitats-and-species). Proposed actions should address the habitat goals of the Upper Mississippi / Great Lakes Joint Venture Implementation Plan (https://umgljv.org/planning/joint-venture-plans/) or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (BCR 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan (https://acjv.org/planning/bird-conservation-regions/bcr-13/), and/or other relevant bird conservation plans including tribal plans and/or State Wildlife Action Plans (https://www.fishwildlife.org/afwa-informs/state-wildlife-action-plans and https://www.mlimidwest.org/midwest-regional-species-of-greatest-conservation-need/) and should clearly describe how proposed activities will benefit bird species identified in the above plan(s).Proposed projects must address declining or at-risk habitat types including wetlands, grasslands, and forests, and projects must fall within the Great Lakes coastal zone, as defined by NOAA (https://coast.noaa.gov/czm/act/sections/#304). Projects that lie adjacent to or in close proximity (within 15 miles) of Great Lakes coastal waters will be viewed favorably. Additionally, proposed projects should describe how activities or outcomes will use existing science and decision support tools to inform proposed activities and how proposed activities will benefit habitats and identified species in the future.Eligible applicants are any organization, except for-profit entities or businesses, who can demonstrate the importance of their project for wildlife habitat and Great Lakes conservation and be able to justify that the GLRI investment property will be managed properly for wildlife habitat into the future.