State wildlife agencies now have access to $56 million in State Wildlife Grant (SWG) funding to develop programs to save and conserve endangered wildlife and their habitats, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) announced recently.
The grants are to be directed for use on conservation issues in State Wildlife Action Plans, the FWS states in the April 22 announcement. Priority is given to programs that focus on preserving species considered to be especially vulnerable, or "species of greatest conservation need," the FWS states in the announcement.
Paul Rauch, FWS assistant director for Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration, said announcing the grants on Earth Day was in celebration of conservation work done by state wildlife agencies, according to the announcement.
"Through the SWG program," Rauch said, "states and the Service leverage their resources to enhance wildlife habitat and improve biodiversity to keep species from reaching the point where they are in danger of extinction or too far gone to save.”
The SWG program is administered by the FWS's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. The SWG provides matching grants to states at a maximum federal share of 75% for planning grants and 65% share for implementation grants, the FWS reports. Amounts distributed to states are determined by a congressionally mandated formula based on geographic area and population size. The program has distributed more than $1 billion since 2000, according to the FWS.
Rauch wrote in a letter to states that apportionment includes $55,084,080 for the SWG Program authorized by the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act; $1,043,383 in reverted FY 2008 and later SWG funds; and $50,858 in unobligated balances from FY 2007 and prior-year grant closures. The total funding amount available to states and territories is $56,178,321 in FY 2022, increase of $670,152 from FY 2021, according to the FWS.
“With climate change and habitat loss pushing more and more species to the brink," Rauch said in the announcement, "now is the time to be even proactive, collaborative and innovative in our efforts to save America’s wildlife and plant species."
