Partnerships and Grants
Welcome to the Partnerships and Grants page of the USFWS Invasive Species Web Portal. The invasive species issue is such a large one that no one can address it on their own. The goal of this section is to provide the user with quick access, via USFWS content and links, to information regarding the various Partnerships that the Service is involved with as well as links to various programs, both Service and other governmental agencies, that can provide financial assistance to assist with invasive species issues.
Partnerships and Collaborative Efforts
- Aquatic invasive species are becoming a problem all across the nation. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force is an interagency group with both Federal and ex-officio members that seeks to prevent the introduction and spread of ANS. The Service acts as the administrative staff for and works closely with the ANSTF.
- The Service works on invasive plant issues, both aquatic and terrestrial, through its interaction with the Federal Interagency Committee for the Management of Noxious Exotic Weeds. FICMNEW represents many federal agencies whose members interact on important national and regional invasive plant issues and share information with various public and private organizations participating with the federal sector to address invasive plant issues.
- The Service interacts with other Department of Interior agencies and many other partners through its interaction with the National Invasive Species Council. NISC is an inter-Departmental council, housed within the Department of the Interior, which helps to coordinate and ensure complementary, cost-efficient and effective Federal activities regarding invasive species. The Council was established February 3, 1999 by Executive Order 13112.
- The National Wildlife Refuge System uses a large network of volunteers with respect to invasive plants. Volunteers help map invasive plants with GPS units, enter data into computers, manually pull invasive plants, release biocontrol insects, educate the public, and even help restore native habitats. More information can be found at the Refuges’ Web site: Volunteers and Invasive Plants – Learning and Lending a Hand.
- The Service also participates in the Federal Interagency Committee on Invasive Terrestrial Animals and Pathogens (ITAP). This committee strives to ensure networking and sharing of technical data needed for effective, coordinated campaigns against invasive species. Keys to success include providing informational and technical input to resource managers and elected officials and keeping commercial interests, nongovernmental organizations, and the public informed.
Grants and Financial Assistance From USFWS
- The Partners for Wildlife Program provides financial and technical assistance to restore degraded fish and wildlife habitat, including habitats degraded by invasive species.
- The Coastal Program provides financial and technical assistance to restore degraded coastal habitats, including those that have been degraded by invasive species.
- The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program provides matching grants to States for acquisition, restoration, management or enhancement of coastal wetlands. Projects funded can include an invasive species component.
- After habitat loss, invasive species is the second most common reason for species endangerment. The Endangered Species Program has numerous Tools for State and Private Landowners to help them protect endangered species on their property.
- The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants Program supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean that promote the long-term conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats. Conservation projects can include habitat restoration projects which could include an invasive species component.
- The North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989 provides matching grants to organizations and individuals who have developed partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the benefit of wetlands-associated migratory birds and other wildlife. Conservation projects can include habitat restoration projects which could include an invasive species component.
- The Landowner Incentive Program establishes or supplements State landowner incentive programs that protect and restore habitats on private lands, to benefit species identified in the State’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy or classified as Special Concern by the State, or Federally listed, proposed, or candidate species or other species determined to be at-risk, and provide technical and financial assistance to private landowners for habitat protection and restoration.
- The Wildlife Restoration Act provides funding to states for the selection, restoration, rehabilitation, and improvement of wildlife habitat and other projects including those for controlling invasive plants.
Other Grant Programs
- Each year the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) coordinates the Pulling Together Initiative, in partnership with the Service, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the USDA Forest Service (FS), the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). Through this program grants are provided to non-profit organizations and government agencies interested in managing invasive and noxious plant species. For more information, visit http://www.nfwf.org/pti.
- For information on Farm Bill Conservation Programs that can provide financial technical assistance to private landowners, visit the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's NRCS Conservation Program’s Web site.