Interior Secretary Announces Grants

More than $57.9 million in grants have been awarded to 23 states and one territory in an effort to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants, according to a news release.

The release said the grants, awarded through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund, will benefit numerous species.

“These grants build long-term partnerships with landowners who help toconserve our nation’s imperiled species,” said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. “They are important tools that empower landowners and communities to safeguard habitat and foster conservation stewardship efforts for future generations.”

The grants help states work with private landowners, conservation groups and other agencies to initiate conservation planning efforts and acquire and protect habitat to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species.

This year, the cooperative endangered species fund provides $8.6 million through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program, $35.3 million through the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Program and $14 million through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program, which includes approximately $1.5 million of funds carried over from previous years or recovered from previous projects.

Individual States Grants

• Arkansas $225,500
• California $17,945,231
• Florida $1,134,605
• Georgia $2,717,772
• Hawaii $2,101,196
• Idaho $1,471,500
• Michigan $689,305
• Montana $6,515,319
• Nebraska $385,911
• Ohio $1,835,000
• Oklahoma $186,000
• Oregon $306,000
• Puerto Rico $1,500,000
• Tennessee $1,763,450
  Texas $6,324,500
• Utah $458,080
• Virginia $704,000
• Washington $8,435,081
• Wisconsin $88,355

Multi-state grants

• Tennessee and Kentucky $129,150
• Ind., Kent., Louis., N.H., N.J., Ohio, Tenn., andVa. $3,007,270

For a complete list of the 2008 grant awards for these programs, see the Service’s Endangered Species Grants home page.