The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced nearly $5 million in Tribal Wildlife Grants to Native American and Alaska Native tribes in 16 states. The awards will support 29 fish and wildlife conservation projects that benefit a wide range of wildlife and habitat, including species of Native American cultural or traditional importance and species that are not hunted or fished.

“Tribal lands protect some of North America’s most important remaining blocks of wildlife habitat, encompassing more than 100 million acres of land home to hundreds of native species,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “The Tribal Wildlife Grants Program helps us work in partnership with federally-recognized tribes, state wildlife agencies and other federal government agencies to restore and sustain important habitat to benefit all Americans for generations to come.”

Since its inception in 2003, the competitive Tribal Wildlife Grants program has awarded more than $72 million to Native American and Alaska Native tribes, providing support for more than 420 conservation projects. The funds have also provided technical and financial assistance for development and implementation of projects that benefit fish and wildlife and their habitats, including non-game species.

The grants have enabled tribes to develop increased management capacity, improve and enhance relationships with conservation partners, address cultural and environmental priorities and help train the next generation of conservationists by engaging tribal students interested in fisheries, wildlife and related fields of study. Some grants have been awarded to support recovery efforts for federally listed threatened and endangered species.

For example, Tribal Wildlife Grants funding has gone to help the Red Lake and White Earth Bands of Chippewa Indians reestablish the once abundant and culturally important lake sturgeon to the Red River of the North Watershed in Minnesota for the first time in nearly 60 years. Grant awards in 2006, 2009 and 2012 helped the tribes develop a sturgeon management plan and to stock thousands of sturgeon in Red Lake. The reintroduction program, implemented in partnership with the Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, has been a tremendous success, with lake sturgeon now being caught throughout the lake basin.

In Alaska, grant awards in 2014 and 2015 helped the Native Village of Tyonek develop a watershed action plan and replace a culvert on Old Tyoneck Creek that opened up more than 10 miles of stream habitat for salmon.

And in the Southwest, Tribal Wildlife Grants have helped multiple tribes conserve bald and golden eagles, while maintaining their traditional religious practices. The Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma was the first Tribal Wildlife Grant recipient and today houses 45 bald and golden non-releasable eagles. The tribe has also rehabilitated 17 eagles and released them back into the wild. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation of Oklahoma also received grant funding to build an aviary, which currently houses 14 non-releasable eagles.

Finally, the Navajo Nation used grant funding to build an aviary, which is scheduled to open this summer. The aviaries allow the Tribes to care for eagles and rehabilitate those that can be released into the wild, while collecting naturally molted feathers for religious and cultural use.

The grants are provided exclusively to federally recognized Indian tribal governments, and are made possible under the Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002 through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. Proposals for the 2017 grant cycle will open May 2, 2016 and are due September 2, 2016.

A complete list of the 2016 Tribal Wildlife Grant awards can be found here.

For additional information about Native American conservation projects and the Tribal Wildlife Grants application process, visit http://www.fws.gov/nativeamerican/grants.html orhttp://www.grants.gov/.

EAGLE SUMMIT IV: Archived Information Online

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society hosted Eagle Summit IV in the Denver, Colorado area at Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, on March 18. The Summit was followed by a Regional Tribal Roundtable. All of these activities are to grow relationships between Service employees and Native Americans by sharing information, building collaborative partnerships, and improving communications. These gatherings help identify areas of mutual conservation concern.  All of the presentations and information from the Summit are posted online and available at: http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/ea/tribalSummit.php

CLIMATE CHANGE WEBINAR:  Climate Adaptation: American Indians and Alaska Natives  - September 14,10:15-11:45 (MT)

Offered by US Dept. of Interior's Office of Policy Analysis. The effects of climate change are already impacting communities across the U.S. and are projected to create increasing challenges. Preparing for climate resilience in Native American communities is particularly critical, as climate change impacts threaten the health and safety of tribal communities, subsistence practices, and land, water, and other natural resources communities depend on. Impacts communities are already facing include reduced water quality and quantity in the West, declining sea ice in Alaska, health hazards from increasing temperatures and thawing permafrost, and severe erosion and sea level change in coastal locations. Tribes and the federal government are working together to plan for and address these challenges.  Please join the Office of Policy Analysis on September 14 for a panel discussion on current efforts and partnerships between tribes and the federal government to plan and prepare for and enable climate preparedness and resilience.  To Livestream this event, login to www.doi.gov/eve​nts  Please join 5-10 minutes early to avoid technical difficulties.  The recorded event will be posted to the Office of Policy Analysis website.

CLIMATE CHANGE COURSE:  Tribal Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment - October 26th- 29th   - Santa Fe, New Mexico

This course is designed to guide conservation and resource management practitioners in two essential elements in the design of climate adaptation plans: (1) identifying which species or habitats are likely to be most strongly affected by projected changes; and (2) understanding why these resources are likely to be vulnerable. Vulnerability Assessments are a critical tool in undertaking any climate change planning or implementation. We will use regionally specific examples tailored to participants. Who Should Attend: The target audience includes conservation staff from tribal environmental programs or native students who work on natural and cultural resource issues and need to determine which resources are most vulnerable when setting priorities for conservation action. To Register:  Register via email to April Taylor April.Taylor@chickasaw.net  at the South Central Climate Science Center. In the message please include your name, job title, tribal affiliation, email, phone number, mailing address, and the workshop location you will be attending.  View the details  online.  

COLORADO REPORT: Colorado American Indian and Alaska Native Economic Impact

The data from this study revealed that American Indians and Alaskan Natives of Colorado contribute more than $1.5 billion annually to the Colorado Economy. Additionally, Colorado boasts more than 485 American Indian businesses, representing over 40 industry divisions. While American Indians account for 1.58% of the Colorado Population, American Indian per capita impact is $18,300.  Several economic indicators were used to create a picture of the direct and indirect impacts of American Indians’ economic momentum that can be used in several beneficial ways, including developing a plan for economic development efforts and increasing the potential for investment in Colorado’s economy. Read the full report below to learn more!

The Colorado American Indian and Alaska Native Economic Impact Report   

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: Administrative Support Assistant National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository

Are you interested in working at the National Eagle and Wildlife Property Repository, located in the Denver area of Colorado! They are hiring a permanent, full-time Administrative Support Assistant for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 9, Office of Law Enforcement. The work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is meaningful and varied.  View the details online at:https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/412651400

GRANTS: Apply Now for the Tribal Wildlife Grant Funding – Accepting Proposals Until October 30th 2015

The Tribal Wildlife Grants (TWG) Program falls under the wildlife conservation grants under provisions of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, for the development and implementation of programs for the benefit of wildlife and their habitat, species of Tribal cultural or traditional importance.  TWG originates from the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Pub. L. 107-63), when Congress first specified that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) use a portion of the funds under the State Wildlife Grants Program to establish a competitive grant program available to federally recognized Tribes. This language allowed the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, through the Director of the Service, to establish a separate competitive Tribal grant program, known as TWG, which would not be subject to the provisions of the formula-based State Wildlife Grants Program, or other requirements of the State Wildlife Grants Program portion. Apply Online Now at: http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=277974

NPR STORY: Napalm to Nature - How the Bald Eagle Helped Turn a Weapons Factory into a Wildlife Refuge 

Right after Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government began construction of a weapons factory on a site just outside of Denver, Colorado. Years later, the plant was converted into a pesticide factory. Now, the site is one of the nation's largest wildlife refuges — and, in part, it's thanks to that majestic American symbol, the bald eagle. “One of the bitter ironies of the site is that the persistent organo-chlorine pesticides that were produced there put the bald eagle on the endangered species list,” says David Lucas, the Project Leader for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge in Commerce City, Colorado. But when the bald eagle population began to recover, they were found again at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began working with the U.S. Army to manage them. After a 20-year cleanup, the area is now 16,000 acres of prairie wildlife. The full story and radio interview available at: http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-20/napalm-nature-how-bald-eagle-helped-turn

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is in the early stages of considering the Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing status of the Yellowstone grizzly bear. While we recently reached out to tribes near the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), we did not initially appreciate the breadth of historical, cultural, and spiritual connection some tribes outside that area have with the grizzly bear and the GYE. As a result, we at the Service are redoubling our efforts to engage our valued tribal partners who may be interested in government-to-government consultation on this matter. See a copy of the letter here.

FWS NOTICE: Service Proposes Revised ESA Petition Regulations

The Service, in conjunction with the National Marine Fisheries Service, recently proposed revisions to the regulations pertaining to petitions under the Endangered Species Act (at USC 50 CFR 424.14).  We proposed these changes to: provide greater clarity to the public on the petition submission process, which will assist petitioners in providing complete petitions; improve the quality of petitions through expanded content requirements and guidelines; and maximize the Services' efficiency in processing petitions. Some of the changes we have proposed include: limiting a petition to a single species; requiring petitioners to seek and incorporate information from the State fish and wildlife agencies prior to submitting a petition to us; and affirming it is the petitioner's responsibility to provide a complete petition, including providing copies of all sources cited, and certifying that all relevant information has been included, not just that which supports the petition's claims. Please refer to our news release at the following address for more information on this and other initiatives to increase stakeholder involvement and regulatory predictability at: http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=7CA2994B-D4A6-1658-411D5635AAB69560. Also, please see this link for the notice extending the public comment period on the proposed rule until September 18, 2015: http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=9CB70784-5056-AF00-5B3D6EFED8CF71C1.

FWS NOTICE: Service Seeking Input on Proposed Native American Policy Update

The Service, federally recognized Tribes, and Native Alaskans have spent more than two years working on revising the policy trying to outline steps needed to meet the challenges in conserving the nation’s wildlife, its habitat, and natural resources. “We at the Service want to work closely with and support our Tribes, who manage fish and wildlife resources on more than 100 million acres of land," says Mountain-Prairie Regional Director Noreen Walsh, in Lakewood, Colorado.  "We believe it is important to work together with our Tribal partners, who have a deep connection with the land."  The tribal policy was published in 1994 and has not been updated until now. A copy of the revised policy is available online at www.fws.gov/policy/draft510fw1.pdf. Please send your written comments to:  Scott Aikin, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Native American Programs Coordinator, 911 NE 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon  97232; scott_aikin@fws.gov. Comments are requested bySeptember 2, 2015.