$70M available for conservation
Hawaii state agencies are eligible for grants to protect rare species
More than $70 million in federal funds will be available next year to assist states and territories with endangered-species conservation.
Applications for a share of the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund will be accepted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through March 20 in three categories: Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants, HCP Land Acquisition Grants and Recovery Land Acquisition Grants.
"Our ability to successfully conserve threatened and endangered species ultimately depends on working cooperatively with our partners," Interior Secretary Gale Norton said. "These grants will provide the means for states to work with private landowners, communities and tribes to protect vital endangered-species habitat."
Past Hawaii grant recipients include:
» A $1.6 million grant to help buy 3,714 acres of Moanalua Valley conservation lands from the Damon Estate. Located on the leeward side of the central Koolau Range, Moanalua Valley provides habitat for several endangered and rare forest bird species and was the site of the last observations of the Oahu creeper and iiwi. At least 11 endangered plant species, three rare plant species and two endangered Oahu tree snail species are found in the area, and it was the last known sighting of the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat on Oahu.
» A $875,000 grant to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to buy a 1,336-acre parcel on the windward side of Mauna Loa owned by the Carlsmith Trust. This native wet forest is relatively pristine and probably supports the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat, Hawaiian hawk (io) and several rare Hawaiian forest birds. The parcel will be added to the existing Waiakea Forest Reserve.
» A $78,750 grant to buy a 1-acre parcel located near the center of the Manuka Natural Area Reserve on the Big Island.
The reserve was established in 1983 to protect 25,550 acres of land from near sea level to more than 5,000 feet in elevation. It is the largest reserve in the state and includes 18 different natural communities. The new parcel was the only privately owned land in the entire ahupuaa and provides habitat for the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat and three endangered plant species.
Grant recipients must contribute 25 percent of estimated project costs. The grants are expected to be awarded next 2006.
For more information, see www.fws.gov/endangered/grants or write the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Consultation, Habitat Conservation Planning, Recovery and State Grants, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 420, Arlington, VA 22203; or call 808-792 9535.