Water, Wildlife and Prairie Conservation Gaining Steam in Eastern New Mexico
Agencies and conservation groups working to conserve natural resources in eastern New Mexico will soon benefit from newly-forming local watershed groups funded through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant garnered by the Surface Water Quality Bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).
Agencies and non-profit organizations like the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Bureau of Land Management, State Land Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of New Mexico all have active conservation programs in eastern New Mexico, and in many cases work cooperatively on wetlands and wildlife projects. However, over the past few years, representatives from these groups led by staff at the NMDGF, TNC and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department started working on ways to increase coordination among organizations and local capacity to do conservation work in eastern New Mexico as well as the Texas Panhandle. The dual-state effort is known as the Sandhills Partnership.
"Species don't recognize state boundaries," said Dawn Davis, biologist with the NMDGF and one of the drivers of the Sandhills Partnership. "A lot of the conservation efforts in eastern New Mexico compliment what is being done in Texas, so it makes sense to work together. We also have some large landowners working with us on habitat conservation that have land in both New Mexico and Texas."
At the same time that the Sandhills Partnership was forming, the NMED's Surface Water Quality Bureau was also directing its attention east and applied for and received an EPA grant to form watershed groups and conduct wetland restoration projects in the playa lakes region of New Mexico. As with any conservation work in playa country, local stakeholder and private landowner buy-in are essential in eastern New Mexico. That is where the Sandhills Partnership and NMED are coming together. With this new EPA grant, the NMED has funding to host local stakeholder meetings in watersheds throughout eastern New Mexico, and it simply made sense to all parties that a coordinated, watershed-based outreach approach was best. Not only best for program efficiency, agency staff time and resources, but also for the environment.
"We don't want to lose sight of the watershed context. We need to have a holistic approach to land management and restoration to make any gain," said MaryAnn McGraw, Wetlands Program Coordinator for the NMED's Surface Water Quality Bureau. "If you don't look at whole picture you can't restore something in a sustainable manner."
Local stakeholder meetings will begin this fall in watersheds throughout eastern New Mexico. For more information, contact MaryAnn McGraw of the NMED or Tish McDaniel of TNC.
Groups Unite to Restore Canadian River
Representatives from 32 conservation groups and natural resource agencies recently converged on the small town of Canadian, Texas - all with one purpose in mind - to ramp up restoration of the Canadian River and its tributaries. Invasive species, like salt cedar and Russian olive, have all but choked the river to death, squeezing out native cottonwoods, willows, grasses and shrubs - which are prime habitat for wild turkeys, bald eagles and many types of waterfowl - and sucking up water that the threatened Arkansas River shiner desperately needs.
Despite the several thousand acres of riverside habitat that have already been restored by groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Texas Prairie Rivers Region, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, biologists estimate that tens of thousands of acres more are needed.
"When you are talking about 250 river miles and tens of thousands of acres with invasive species that have to be treated at a cost of $200 - $250 an acre, money is an issue," said Joel Pedersen, NWTF biologist. "We can't make a dent on it as the National Wild Turkey Federation alone. Bringing everyone together to share information and create this network of people working toward same goal will help secure more awareness which will bring more funding."
The NWTF along with the above-mentioned agencies and NGOs, organized the gathering where more than 60 people showed up representing an array of diverse interests such as the USDA Farm Service Agency, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Texas legislature and many private landowners.
"The thing that I am most excited about is that the response we got to the meeting," Pedersen said. "We got it together in short order, invited 90 people, hoped for 30 and ended up getting 60 representing 32 organizations, and there are a whole lot of other potential collaborators that sent their regrets."
The group is aiming to take a strategic, upriver to downriver restoration approach, from Lake Meredith in Texas to Oklahoma City, tackling invasive species first and then following up with riparian restoration - all the way working collaboratively with private landowners.
"We understand that the cooperation of private landowners will be critical to the success of this project", said Pedersen. "As the project progresses, partners will be soliciting input from landowners as part of their planning process."
For more information on the Canadian River Restoration Initiative, contact Joel Pedersen.
PLJV Radio: LISTEN NOW
> Sept. 4: Turning Wastewater into Wetlands: The town of Ulysses, Kansas, is turning a smelly situation into a golden opportunity for wildlife and people. Find out how they are using excess wastewater into restore wetlands with a little help from a NAWCA Small Grant.
> Sept. 11: Creating Community through Playas: There's one thing that all High Plains residents care about and that's water. The Ogallala Commons knows this and uses water, namely playas, to draw communities together around conservation, education and sustainable agriculture.
> Sept. 18 & 25: Bird Flu Monitoring Update: Federal and state agencies have teamed up to test 100,000 wild birds for highly pathogenic avian flu across the country throughout 2006. As waterfowl season opens, hunters' harvests may be biologists' best sources for samples.
PLJV's radio show, Playa Country, airs on High Plains Public Radio Mondays at 10:30am and Saturdays at 11:15am, and on KPAN Radio in Hereford, TX at 11:55am (all times CST). If you don't get Playa Country in your neck of the prairie, you can listen online. Send story ideas to Debbie Slobe.
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Sept. 11 - 19: Kiowa, Rita Blanca, Black Kettle and McClellan Creek National Grasslands Plan Revision Public Meetings; various locations around PLJV region
> Sept. 14 - 18: Playa Exhibit at Oklahoma Bioblitz at Quartz Mountain Nature Park; Lone Wolf, OK
> Sept 17 - 18: Partners in Flight National Implementation Committee meeting in conjunction with AFWA annual meeting; Aspen, CO
> Sept. 17 - 22: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual (AFWA) Meeting, Aspen, CO
> Sept 19 - Nov. 30: Playa Exhibit at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge; Indiahoma, OK
> Sept 21 - 24: Western Field Ornithologist Annual Conference; Boulder, CO
> Sept 23 - 24: Colorado Association for Environmental Education First Annual Environmental Film Festival; Golden, CO
> Sept. 27: NRCS State Technical Committee Meeting, Golden, CO; contact Linda Neel
> Sept. 29: Nebraska Partnership for All Bird Conservation Steering Committee Meeting; Denton, NE; contact Kelly Rezac
> Sept. 29 - Oct. 1: Texas Association for Environmental Educators Fall Conference; Navasota, TX
> Oct. 3 - 4: Tamarisk Research Conference; Ft Collins, CO
> Oct. 6: Apishapa Canyon Ranch Tour and Workshop hosted by RMBO; Whiterock, CO; contact Seth Gallagher
> Oct. 7: Western Nebraska Schoolyard Prairie Habitat Training; Scotts Bluff, NE; contact Roger Lawson
> Oct. 11: Ogallala Commons Fall Conference; Chadron, NE; contact Darryl Birkenfeld
> Oct. 11: Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance meeting; contact Trapper Heglin
Agencies and conservation groups working to conserve natural resources in eastern New Mexico will soon benefit from newly-forming local watershed groups funded through an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant garnered by the Surface Water Quality Bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).
Agencies and non-profit organizations like the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish (NMDGF), Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Bureau of Land Management, State Land Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of New Mexico all have active conservation programs in eastern New Mexico, and in many cases work cooperatively on wetlands and wildlife projects. However, over the past few years, representatives from these groups led by staff at the NMDGF, TNC and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department started working on ways to increase coordination among organizations and local capacity to do conservation work in eastern New Mexico as well as the Texas Panhandle. The dual-state effort is known as the Sandhills Partnership.
"Species don't recognize state boundaries," said Dawn Davis, biologist with the NMDGF and one of the drivers of the Sandhills Partnership. "A lot of the conservation efforts in eastern New Mexico compliment what is being done in Texas, so it makes sense to work together. We also have some large landowners working with us on habitat conservation that have land in both New Mexico and Texas."
At the same time that the Sandhills Partnership was forming, the NMED's Surface Water Quality Bureau was also directing its attention east and applied for and received an EPA grant to form watershed groups and conduct wetland restoration projects in the playa lakes region of New Mexico. As with any conservation work in playa country, local stakeholder and private landowner buy-in are essential in eastern New Mexico. That is where the Sandhills Partnership and NMED are coming together. With this new EPA grant, the NMED has funding to host local stakeholder meetings in watersheds throughout eastern New Mexico, and it simply made sense to all parties that a coordinated, watershed-based outreach approach was best. Not only best for program efficiency, agency staff time and resources, but also for the environment.
"We don't want to lose sight of the watershed context. We need to have a holistic approach to land management and restoration to make any gain," said MaryAnn McGraw, Wetlands Program Coordinator for the NMED's Surface Water Quality Bureau. "If you don't look at whole picture you can't restore something in a sustainable manner."
Local stakeholder meetings will begin this fall in watersheds throughout eastern New Mexico. For more information, contact MaryAnn McGraw of the NMED or Tish McDaniel of TNC.
Groups Unite to Restore Canadian River
Representatives from 32 conservation groups and natural resource agencies recently converged on the small town of Canadian, Texas - all with one purpose in mind - to ramp up restoration of the Canadian River and its tributaries. Invasive species, like salt cedar and Russian olive, have all but choked the river to death, squeezing out native cottonwoods, willows, grasses and shrubs - which are prime habitat for wild turkeys, bald eagles and many types of waterfowl - and sucking up water that the threatened Arkansas River shiner desperately needs.
Despite the several thousand acres of riverside habitat that have already been restored by groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), Texas Prairie Rivers Region, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, biologists estimate that tens of thousands of acres more are needed.
"When you are talking about 250 river miles and tens of thousands of acres with invasive species that have to be treated at a cost of $200 - $250 an acre, money is an issue," said Joel Pedersen, NWTF biologist. "We can't make a dent on it as the National Wild Turkey Federation alone. Bringing everyone together to share information and create this network of people working toward same goal will help secure more awareness which will bring more funding."
The NWTF along with the above-mentioned agencies and NGOs, organized the gathering where more than 60 people showed up representing an array of diverse interests such as the USDA Farm Service Agency, Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Texas legislature and many private landowners.
"The thing that I am most excited about is that the response we got to the meeting," Pedersen said. "We got it together in short order, invited 90 people, hoped for 30 and ended up getting 60 representing 32 organizations, and there are a whole lot of other potential collaborators that sent their regrets."
The group is aiming to take a strategic, upriver to downriver restoration approach, from Lake Meredith in Texas to Oklahoma City, tackling invasive species first and then following up with riparian restoration - all the way working collaboratively with private landowners.
"We understand that the cooperation of private landowners will be critical to the success of this project", said Pedersen. "As the project progresses, partners will be soliciting input from landowners as part of their planning process."
For more information on the Canadian River Restoration Initiative, contact Joel Pedersen.
PLJV Radio: LISTEN NOW
> Sept. 4: Turning Wastewater into Wetlands: The town of Ulysses, Kansas, is turning a smelly situation into a golden opportunity for wildlife and people. Find out how they are using excess wastewater into restore wetlands with a little help from a NAWCA Small Grant.
> Sept. 11: Creating Community through Playas: There's one thing that all High Plains residents care about and that's water. The Ogallala Commons knows this and uses water, namely playas, to draw communities together around conservation, education and sustainable agriculture.
> Sept. 18 & 25: Bird Flu Monitoring Update: Federal and state agencies have teamed up to test 100,000 wild birds for highly pathogenic avian flu across the country throughout 2006. As waterfowl season opens, hunters' harvests may be biologists' best sources for samples.
PLJV's radio show, Playa Country, airs on High Plains Public Radio Mondays at 10:30am and Saturdays at 11:15am, and on KPAN Radio in Hereford, TX at 11:55am (all times CST). If you don't get Playa Country in your neck of the prairie, you can listen online. Send story ideas to Debbie Slobe.
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Sept. 11 - 19: Kiowa, Rita Blanca, Black Kettle and McClellan Creek National Grasslands Plan Revision Public Meetings; various locations around PLJV region
> Sept. 14 - 18: Playa Exhibit at Oklahoma Bioblitz at Quartz Mountain Nature Park; Lone Wolf, OK
> Sept 17 - 18: Partners in Flight National Implementation Committee meeting in conjunction with AFWA annual meeting; Aspen, CO
> Sept. 17 - 22: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Annual (AFWA) Meeting, Aspen, CO
> Sept 19 - Nov. 30: Playa Exhibit at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge; Indiahoma, OK
> Sept 21 - 24: Western Field Ornithologist Annual Conference; Boulder, CO
> Sept 23 - 24: Colorado Association for Environmental Education First Annual Environmental Film Festival; Golden, CO
> Sept. 27: NRCS State Technical Committee Meeting, Golden, CO; contact Linda Neel
> Sept. 29: Nebraska Partnership for All Bird Conservation Steering Committee Meeting; Denton, NE; contact Kelly Rezac
> Sept. 29 - Oct. 1: Texas Association for Environmental Educators Fall Conference; Navasota, TX
> Oct. 3 - 4: Tamarisk Research Conference; Ft Collins, CO
> Oct. 6: Apishapa Canyon Ranch Tour and Workshop hosted by RMBO; Whiterock, CO; contact Seth Gallagher
> Oct. 7: Western Nebraska Schoolyard Prairie Habitat Training; Scotts Bluff, NE; contact Roger Lawson
> Oct. 11: Ogallala Commons Fall Conference; Chadron, NE; contact Darryl Birkenfeld
> Oct. 11: Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance meeting; contact Trapper Heglin
Playa Post ©2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Playa Lakes Joint Venture. Submission deadlines are the 15th of each month for publication the following month. Send press releases, comments and subscription inquiries to Debbie F. Slobe.
Outreach Activities Abound in Eastern New Mexico
Eastern New Mexico was doused this summer with a storm of outreach events targeting landowners, educators and resource managers, covering everything from playa conservation to nature-based tourism.
In July, the Curry County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD) in Clovis hosted the "Playa Lakes Forum" which invited landowners, resource managers and educators from the area to learn more about playas, related conservation programs and playa teaching tools for the classroom. More than 50 people attended, including some city officials - on whom the forum left quite an impact.
"Inviting city officials was something that was added onto the program that we hadn't necessarily planned for," said forum organizer Cindy Wall of the CCSWCD. "But by the time the meeting was over, the city commissioner said the way the city cared for their playas would be changing from that point."
Immediately following the forum, City Commissioner Randy Crowder contacted the local Clovis paper to do a story on playas which was picked up by the Associated Press and transmitted through several newspapers throughout New Mexico.
During the forum, landowners heard from fellow rancher John Wood about how he is conserving his playa through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and also from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and playa expert Dave Haukos about the environmental and economic benefits of conserving playas. Four eastern New Mexico counties - Curry, Roosevelt, Quay and Lea - have EQIP funding available to conserve playas in ranchland, and forum organizers used the event to promote enrollment in the program.
Further north in Bueyeros, New Mexico, the Ute Creek Cattle Company hosted the "Discovering New Ranch Dollars through Nature Tourism" field day in August. The event brought together landowners from Harding and surrounding counties and resource managers to explore how to bring more habitat conservation and nature-based tourism to the area. Remelle Farrar, executive director of Texas Prairie Rivers Region, was brought in as the keynoter to tell the rags-to-riches story of Canadian, Texas and surrounding area that has revived its economy and environment through nature tourism. The field day was a big hit, attracting twice as many people as organizers had expected.
"I was bowled over by the response to the event," said Tuda Libby Crews, who owns Ute Creek Cattle Company with her husband Jack. "The goal was to get 50 people, and we had 115 show up. We had people here from Fort Stockton, Mora, Springer, Cimarron and Clayton. We had such a diverse audience it was amazing. Everyone is interested in rural economic health."
Participants heard from representatives from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Playa Lakes Joint Venture an Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance about best land management practices and conservation program opportunities, and saw first hand how some landowners are diversifying their operations through cowboy-style catering, restorting riparian habitat and creating bird sanctuaries.
Bill West, who operates Wings West birding tours in Santa Fe, talked about his birding business and how landowners, by allowing access to their properties, are earning a slice of the profits. By the end of the day, four landowners invited West to bring birders to their properties.
"This event really opened peoples' minds to the concept of nature tourism. That the land benefits, the birds benefit - it's a win-win situation for everyone," Crews said.
Both the Playa Lakes Forum and Discovering New Ranch Dollars workshops were funded in part through a PLJV/ConocoPhillips grant. The PLJV will soon be accepting proposals for the 2006-2007 funding cycle. See "Follow the Money" below for more information.
Kansas FSA Shows off CRP Sites at 20th Celebration
The Kansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been hosting tours of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites throughout the state recently to mark the 20th anniversary of the program. On August 29, the FSA led a tour of sites in Thomas County which included a stop at Sheila and Ken Frahm's farm where they've enrolled a six-acre playa into the CRP's Farmable Wetlands Program.
Follow the Money:
> New Mexico Land and Wildlife Conservation Grants: The New Mexico Legislature has appropriated $5 million to fund wildlife and land conservation projects statewide. Acceptable projects include land purchases, easements, and land improvements to improve wildlife protection and habitat, to protect open space and to reduce wildfire risk, and conservation easements to benefit species listed or proposed to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Applications are available on the New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish web site. The deadline for proposals is Sept. 15.
> Environmental Protection Agency Targeted Watersheds Implementation and Capacity Building Grants: The Targeted Watersheds Program (TWG) promotes successful community-based approaches and management techniques to protect and restore the nation's waters. The program is an integral part of the EPA's watershed approach to clean water by providing assistance to watershed groups and service provider organizations working to protect and restore watersheds valued for fishing, swimming, drinking and other important uses. As part of this program, the EPA administers the TWG Implementation Grant Program (deadline Nov. 15) which awards grants for watershed restoration and/or protection efforts, and the TWG Capacity Building Grant Program (deadline Oct. 16) which supports the development and dissemination of tools, training, and technical assistance to strengthen the effectiveness of community-based partnerships working across the country to achieve clean water goals. Proposals covering activities in the Great Plains and arid west, which includes Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, are encouraged.
> PLJV/ConocoPhillips Grants: The Playa Lakes Joint Venture administers an annual grant program funded by ConocoPhillips that awards up to $25,000 per project for habitat conservation, research and outreach/ education projects within the PLJV's six-state region. Proposals for the 2007 grant cycle are due Nov. 15, and funds will be awarded during the winter PLJV board meeting in January. The 2007 proposal guidelines will be made available on the PLJV web site on Sept. 15. In the meantime, check out last year's Request for Proposals (this link will update Sept. 15).
> North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grants: This year, the NAWCA Small Grant Program has increased the maximum award amount from $50,000 to $75,000. The program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. Deadline for applications is Dec. 1. Before applying, read the PLJV's NAWCA Small Grant Checklist.
> Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grants: The NMBCA establishes a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean that promote the long-term conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats. Project proposals need to address one or more of the following: protection and management of Neotropical migratory bird populations; maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of habitats of these birds; research and monitoring; law enforcement; and community outreach and education. Application deadline is Dec. 4.
Eastern New Mexico was doused this summer with a storm of outreach events targeting landowners, educators and resource managers, covering everything from playa conservation to nature-based tourism.
In July, the Curry County Soil and Water Conservation District (CCSWCD) in Clovis hosted the "Playa Lakes Forum" which invited landowners, resource managers and educators from the area to learn more about playas, related conservation programs and playa teaching tools for the classroom. More than 50 people attended, including some city officials - on whom the forum left quite an impact.
"Inviting city officials was something that was added onto the program that we hadn't necessarily planned for," said forum organizer Cindy Wall of the CCSWCD. "But by the time the meeting was over, the city commissioner said the way the city cared for their playas would be changing from that point."
Immediately following the forum, City Commissioner Randy Crowder contacted the local Clovis paper to do a story on playas which was picked up by the Associated Press and transmitted through several newspapers throughout New Mexico.
During the forum, landowners heard from fellow rancher John Wood about how he is conserving his playa through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and also from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist and playa expert Dave Haukos about the environmental and economic benefits of conserving playas. Four eastern New Mexico counties - Curry, Roosevelt, Quay and Lea - have EQIP funding available to conserve playas in ranchland, and forum organizers used the event to promote enrollment in the program.
Further north in Bueyeros, New Mexico, the Ute Creek Cattle Company hosted the "Discovering New Ranch Dollars through Nature Tourism" field day in August. The event brought together landowners from Harding and surrounding counties and resource managers to explore how to bring more habitat conservation and nature-based tourism to the area. Remelle Farrar, executive director of Texas Prairie Rivers Region, was brought in as the keynoter to tell the rags-to-riches story of Canadian, Texas and surrounding area that has revived its economy and environment through nature tourism. The field day was a big hit, attracting twice as many people as organizers had expected.
"I was bowled over by the response to the event," said Tuda Libby Crews, who owns Ute Creek Cattle Company with her husband Jack. "The goal was to get 50 people, and we had 115 show up. We had people here from Fort Stockton, Mora, Springer, Cimarron and Clayton. We had such a diverse audience it was amazing. Everyone is interested in rural economic health."
Participants heard from representatives from the National Wild Turkey Federation, Playa Lakes Joint Venture an Oklahoma Wildlife and Prairie Heritage Alliance about best land management practices and conservation program opportunities, and saw first hand how some landowners are diversifying their operations through cowboy-style catering, restorting riparian habitat and creating bird sanctuaries.
Bill West, who operates Wings West birding tours in Santa Fe, talked about his birding business and how landowners, by allowing access to their properties, are earning a slice of the profits. By the end of the day, four landowners invited West to bring birders to their properties.
"This event really opened peoples' minds to the concept of nature tourism. That the land benefits, the birds benefit - it's a win-win situation for everyone," Crews said.
Both the Playa Lakes Forum and Discovering New Ranch Dollars workshops were funded in part through a PLJV/ConocoPhillips grant. The PLJV will soon be accepting proposals for the 2006-2007 funding cycle. See "Follow the Money" below for more information.
Kansas FSA Shows off CRP Sites at 20th Celebration
The Kansas Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been hosting tours of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sites throughout the state recently to mark the 20th anniversary of the program. On August 29, the FSA led a tour of sites in Thomas County which included a stop at Sheila and Ken Frahm's farm where they've enrolled a six-acre playa into the CRP's Farmable Wetlands Program.
Several PLJV partner organizations were represented at the event, including Pheasants Forever, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams, and JV Coordinator Mike Carter gave a short presentation on playas. CRP is a highly popular program in Kansas, where more than 3 million acres are enrolled in the program. In Thomas County alone, more than 24,000 acres are enrolled.
Follow the Money:
> New Mexico Land and Wildlife Conservation Grants: The New Mexico Legislature has appropriated $5 million to fund wildlife and land conservation projects statewide. Acceptable projects include land purchases, easements, and land improvements to improve wildlife protection and habitat, to protect open space and to reduce wildfire risk, and conservation easements to benefit species listed or proposed to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. Applications are available on the New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish web site. The deadline for proposals is Sept. 15.
> Environmental Protection Agency Targeted Watersheds Implementation and Capacity Building Grants: The Targeted Watersheds Program (TWG) promotes successful community-based approaches and management techniques to protect and restore the nation's waters. The program is an integral part of the EPA's watershed approach to clean water by providing assistance to watershed groups and service provider organizations working to protect and restore watersheds valued for fishing, swimming, drinking and other important uses. As part of this program, the EPA administers the TWG Implementation Grant Program (deadline Nov. 15) which awards grants for watershed restoration and/or protection efforts, and the TWG Capacity Building Grant Program (deadline Oct. 16) which supports the development and dissemination of tools, training, and technical assistance to strengthen the effectiveness of community-based partnerships working across the country to achieve clean water goals. Proposals covering activities in the Great Plains and arid west, which includes Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, are encouraged.
> PLJV/ConocoPhillips Grants: The Playa Lakes Joint Venture administers an annual grant program funded by ConocoPhillips that awards up to $25,000 per project for habitat conservation, research and outreach/ education projects within the PLJV's six-state region. Proposals for the 2007 grant cycle are due Nov. 15, and funds will be awarded during the winter PLJV board meeting in January. The 2007 proposal guidelines will be made available on the PLJV web site on Sept. 15. In the meantime, check out last year's Request for Proposals (this link will update Sept. 15).
> North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grants: This year, the NAWCA Small Grant Program has increased the maximum award amount from $50,000 to $75,000. The program is a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects that involve long-term protection, restoration, and/or enhancement of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds. Deadline for applications is Dec. 1. Before applying, read the PLJV's NAWCA Small Grant Checklist.
> Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grants: The NMBCA establishes a competitive, matching grants program that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects in the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean that promote the long-term conservation of Neotropical migratory birds and their habitats. Project proposals need to address one or more of the following: protection and management of Neotropical migratory bird populations; maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of habitats of these birds; research and monitoring; law enforcement; and community outreach and education. Application deadline is Dec. 4.