November 18, 2002

U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE GRANTS FUND WETLAND CONSERVATION PROJECTS IN 15 STATES

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will award more than $15.7 million in grants to 15 states to conserve, restore and protect coastal wetlands. States awarded grants for fiscal year 2003 under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program are Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington State.  The grants, which will help fund 21 projects, will be awarded through the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant program and will be supplemented by $33 million from state and private partners. The Service makes yearly matching grants to coastal states and U.S. territories for projects involving the acquisition, restoration or enhancement of coastal wetlands. Projects are administered for long-term conservation benefits to wildlife and habitat.  Our state and private partners are key to protecting this nation=s natural heritage for future generations to enjoy, said Service Director Steve Williams. AThrough cooperative projects such as those funded by Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants, we can help provide habitat for hundreds of species, and in many cases, public use opportunities as well.

Partners in this year=s Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants projects include state natural resources agencies, land trusts, universities, several timber companies, private landowners, and conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited and The Nature Conservancy.  To date, the Service has awarded more than $120 million in grants to 25 states and one U.S. territory under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program. When the 2003 grants projects are complete, they will have protected and/or restored more than 17,000 acres; nearly 150,000 acres will have been protected or restored since the wetlands grant program began in 1990.  National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants are awarded through a competitive process. The program is one of three conservation efforts funded by the 1990 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act. Funding for the program is generated from excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat and small engine fuels. These taxes are deposited into the Sport Fish Restoration Account of the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund (commonly called Wallop-Breaux after its Congressional sponsors).

For more information about the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants program contact the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 840, Arlington, VA 22203 or Division of Federal Aid, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 140, Arlington, VA 22203; or check the program=s Internet home page at http://www.fws.gov/cep/cwgcover.html.

Descriptions of the 2003 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant projects follow.

Alabama

Mobile-Tensaw Delta Wetlands. Alabama=s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, with assistance from several other state agencies, including the State Lands Division and the Department of Environmental Management, will acquire 3,160 acres in Mobile County. This acquisition will preserve a variety of coastal habitats including maritime forest, salt marsh, shrub scrub, bay forests and wet pine savanna.

Partners: Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, The Coastal Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy of Alabama, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, Auburn University and Forever Wild Land Trust.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

State share: $ 2,549,000

Partner share: $ 17,000

Total cost: $ 3,566,000

Afognak Coastal Protection. Alaska=s Department of Natural Resources will acquire 5,000 acres on the north coast of Afognak Island in Perenoa Bay, linking protected lands to form a 100-mile stretch of publicly owned coastal habitat.

Partners: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Paul Allen Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, American Land Conservancy and Kodiak Brown Bear Trust.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

State share: $ 10,000

Partner share: $ 6,200,000

Total cost: $ 7,210,000

Gustavus Land Legacy: Phase One. Alaska=s Department of Fish and Game will acquire 1,072 acres on the Gustavus Flats near the Dude Creek Habitat Area and Glacier Bay National Park, permanently protecting spawning and rearing habitat for coho, chum and pink salmon and providing for continued hunting, fishing and recreational use.

Partners: The Nature Conservancy, Gustavus Land Legacy and Ducks Unlimited.

Coastal grant: $ 957,600

Partner share: $ 319,200

Total cost: $ 1,276,800

Herbert River Wetlands Protection Project. Alaska=s Department of Natural Resources will purchase 148 acres of land adjacent to the Herbert River, 30 miles north of Juneau. Protection of this coastal wetland complex will benefit numerous fish species, migratory and coastal birds, and the threatened Steller sea lion.

Partners: City and borough of Juneau, Southeast Land Trust, Discovery Southeast and Juneau Audubon.

Coastal grant: $ 553,000

State share: $ 20,000

Partner share: $ 277,000

Total cost: $ 850,000

Palmer Hay Flats/Cope-Benson Acquisition. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game will acquire 240 acres for the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge. Acquisition of these in-holdings will protect sensitive coastal wetlands and fish streams, as well as facilitating public access to these lands.

Partners: The Great Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited.

Coastal grant: $ 75,000

State share: $ 15,000

Partner share: $ 60,000

Total cost: $ 150,000

Stornetta Brothers Coastal Ranch. The California State Coastal Conservancy, working with the Wildlife Conservation Board and the California Department of Fish and Game, will protect about 1,800 acres near Point Arena in Mendocino County through a combination of acquisitions and conservation easements. The protected area will include 2 2 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline, a seven-acre offshore island, a two-mile stretch of the Garcia River, a seabird rookery and several rare coastal habitats.

Partners: The City of Point Arena, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Redwood Coast Land Conservancy, Audubon Society, Cal Trout, Trout Unlimited and State Parks Foundation.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

State share: $ 6,400,000

Partners share: $ 499,500

Total cost: $ 7,899,500

Lynde Point Marsh Restoration. The Department of Environmental Protection will restore 10 acres of tidal wetlands on a coastal barrier in the lower Connecticut River, which is designated under the Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance. Restoration will include removal of invasive plants.

Partners: Lynde Point Land Trust, Borough of Fenwich and the Fish and Wildlife Service=s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program.

Coastal grant: $ 80,000

State share: $ 60,606

Partner share: $ 80,394

Total cost: $ 221,000

McIlvane Marsh Acquisition. Florida=s Department of Environmental Protection, in cooperation with the Florida Division of State Lands, will purchase 1,000 acres around McIlvane Marsh in Collier County to be included in the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Reserve. The project will benefit a variety of wading birds, important recreational fisheries, and several federally listed species, including the largest population of the American crocodile.

Partners: The Forever Florida Program, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the Friends of Rookery Bay.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

State share: $ 450,000

Total cost: $ 1,450,000

Waihe'e Coastal Dunes and Wetlands Preserve Acquisition. Hawaii=s Department of Natural Resources will acquire 249 acres in Maui County, protecting coastal and spring-fed wetlands, dunes, riparian habitat, and 1 2 miles of marine shoreline. In recent years at least 6 endangered speciesBthe Hawaiian stilt, the Hawaiian coot, two endangered plants and two endangered insectsBhave been reported on-site.

Partners: Maui County, the Maui Coastal Land Trust and the Service=s Endangered Species Section 6 Recovery Land Acquisition Grant Program.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

Partner share: $ 3,630,500

Total cost: $ 4,630,500

Maryland

Nanticoke River and Marshyhope Creek Wetlands. Maryland=s Department of Natural Resources will acquire a perpetual conservation easement on 1,351 acres at the confluence of the Nanticoke River and Marshyhope Creek in Dorchester County. This easement will protect 3 2 miles of river shoreline, several active bald eagle nests and spawning areas for a number of fish species.

Partners: The Nature Conservancy.

Coastal grant: $ 660,000

State share: $ 154,000

Partner share: $ 155,000

Total cost: $ 969,000

Storey Property, Acquisition of Conservation Easements. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management will purchase a conservation easement on a 126-acre parcel in Essex County. These lands provide valuable habitat for 33 species identified by the Fish and Wildlife Service=s Gulf of Maine Coastal Program as declining nationally or regionally.

Partners: Essex County Greenbelt.

Coastal grant: $ 250,000

State share: $ 400,000

Partner share: $ 3,000

Total cost: $ 653,000

Cape May Peninsula. The State of New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will purchase 112 acres in the lower Cape May peninsula, one of the most important migratory bird stopover areas in the world. Geese, herons and egrets are among the dozens of species that use the area during migration.

Partners: The Service=s Coastal Program and Ducks Unlimited.

Coastal grant: $ 292,750

State share: $ 878,250

Partner share: $ 10,000

Total cost: $ 1,181,000

Peconic Estuary Critical Wetlands AcquisitionBPipes Cove. New York State=s Department of Environmental Conservation will acquire approximately 40 acres in the Pipes Cove Focus Area in Suffolk County. This acquisition will protect maritime forest and habitat for a variety of fish, neotropical migratory songbirds and endangered or threatened species, including the piping plover. It is part of a larger landscape protection effort for the Peconic Estuary. The Town of Southold will also acquire 100 acres as part of this protection effort.

Partners: The Nature Conservancy, the Town of Southold and the Town of Southhampton.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

Partner share: $ 5,508,500

Total cost: $ 6,508,500

Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area Wetland Acquisition and Restoration. Ohio=s Department of Natural Resources will acquire and restore approximately 280 acres of Lake Erie=s coastal wetlands in Sandusky County. This is an important area for migrating songbirds and the most important staging area for black ducks in North America.

Coastal grant: $ 1,000,000

State share: $ 660,000

Total cost: $ 1,660,000

Circle Creek Wetlands Acquisition. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board will acquire 350 acres on Circle Creek along the Necanium River in Clatsop County. This acquisition will expand the existing block of protected habitats to include key portions of the lower river floodplain, creating a linked network of conservation lands. It will also protect one of the largest remaining coastal spruce swamps on the Oregon coast, and provide improved habitat for coho and other at-risk salmon species, as well as red-legged frogs and numerous migratory and at-risk bird species.

Partners: The City of Seaside, the North Coast Land Conservancy and a private landowner.

Coastal grant: $ 750,000

State share: $ 175,000

Partner share: $ 175,000

Total cost: $ 1,100,000

Yaquina Bay Estuarine Marsh Acquisition. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board will acquire and protect 624 acres of estuarine marsh in Yaquina Bay in Lincoln County. These acquisitions will provide important habitat for endangered and threatened species such as coho salmon, brown pelicans, bald eagles and marbled murrelets, and for candidate species, sea-run cutthroat and steelhead trout. They will also provide habitat for state-designated sensitive species such as chum salmon and pacific lamprey. The marshes in Yaquina Bay support abundant waterfowl populations.

Partners: MidCoast Watershed Council, Central Coast Land Conservancy, the Wetlands Conservancy, Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District, FishAmerica Foundation, the Timber Company and the Simpson Timber Company.

Coastal grant: $ 952,214

State share: $ 317,404

Partner share: $ 134,250

Total cost: $ 1,403,868

Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area. Texas Parks and Wildlife will acquire 1,000 acres of coastal marsh and prairie habitat adjacent to the Guadalupe Delta Wildlife Management Area in Refugio County. The acquisition will benefit the existing wildlife area and provide public use opportunities, as well.

Partners: The Service=s Coastal Program.

Coastal grant: $ 288,000

State share: $ 192,000

Partner share: $ 35,000

Total cost: $ 480,000

Protection of Mutton Hunk Fen Conservation Site. Virginia=s Department of Conservation and Recreation will purchase 377 acres and obtain conservation easements on 352 acres along Mutton Hunk Branch, Whites Creek and Gargathy Bay on Virginia=s eastern shore in Accomack County. A globally rare plant community, a sea level fen, will be protected.

Partners: The Nature Conservancy and several private landowners.

Coastal grant: $ 953,444

State share: $ 887,500

Partner share: $ 700,000

Total cost: $ 2,540,944

Dungeness-Meadowbrook Coastal Wetlands and Estuary Habitat. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, will protect--through a combination of acquisitions and easementsB140 acres in the Dungeness and Meadowbrook Creek Estuary. A variety of salmon species will benefit from this project.

Partners: Audubon/Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation, the Jamestown S=Klallam Tribe, the North Olympic Land Trust and the North Olympic Salmon Coalition.

Coastal grant: $ 977,243

State share: $ 344,090

Partner share: $ 83,300

Total cost: $ 1,424,633

English Boom-Leaque Island Acquisition and Restoration. The Department of Fish and Wildlife, in cooperation with Washington State=s Salmon Recovery Fund, will purchase and restore the tidal habitat on about 150 acres of diked tidal slough, salt marsh and freshwater wetlands. The project would be in the Stillaguamish River Estuary and Skagit Bay in Island County, an area that supports large concentrations of migratory and wintering raptors, waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds.

Partners: Stillaguamish Tribe, Island County, Camano Island Salmon Work Group, Friends of Camano Island State Park, Island County Beach Watcher Program and the Stilli-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force.

Coastal grant: $ 977,000

State share: $ 444,500

Partner share $ 15,400

Total cost: $ 1,436,900

Leadbetter Point Conservation Project. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will acquire and restore 137 acres in Pacific County, linking a network of more than 300 acres of conservation lands in Willapa Bay and providing enhanced habitat for threatened and endangered species.

Partners: Columbia Land Trust, the Trumpeter Swan Society, the Washington Native Plants Society and the Service=s North American Wetlands Conservation Act Grant Program.

Coastal grant: $ 994,000

State share: $ 775,860

Partner share: $ 133,500

Total cost: $ 1,903,360

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
Copyright  © 2002  USFWS News Release All rights reserved.

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