The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking grant proposals from individuals and groups to protect endangered species on private lands. Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Lynn Scarlett says private stewardship partners are needed because endangered species don’t live on just federal lands.

“This grant program is a way of extending a hand in partnership and saying ‘let’s work together, let’s inspire one another to protect these species.’ They of course respect no jurisdictional boundaries. All the problems don’t reside on federal lands nor state, nor local, but in fact there are many of these species that reside on private lands.

The Stewardship Grant Program is in its second full year. Scarlett says it’s a positive approach to promote citizen stewards

“You know we have the endangered species act, it has tended to focus more on the stick tools if you will and this is a way of saying ‘we need some carrots too’ we need to work with folks in partnership to help people to become these stewards.”

In May 2003, the Fish an Wildlife Service awarded113 grants totaling more than $9.3 million to individuals and groups to undertake conservation projects in 43 states. Ron Tull, Interior Department Radio News Service, Washington.