Kansas Agencies and PLJV Team Up to Deliver CP23a
The Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams (KAWS), Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Kansas offices of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and PLJV are launching a coordinated effort to promote and enroll acres into the Wetlands Restoration Non-Floodplain Initiative, or CP23a, in western Kansas. The CP23a initiative was launched last summer under the Farm Bill's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and pays farmers to retire playas and establish grass buffers around them. Representatives from each organization met last month in Garden City and Goodland to identify their capabilities and resources for delivering the program.
"These meetings were important for all involved to realize how each organization can play a role in delivering CP23a," said PLJV staff member Christopher Rustay. "Folks learned how we can all make each other's jobs easier, from promoting the program to targeting playas with the greatest wildlife value."
Counties being targeted in this effort include Finney, Gray, Meade, Seward, Cheyenne, Sherman, Thomas and Wallace, which are currently below the CRP acreage cap and are home to hundreds of playas. The FSA, which administers CP23a, will be assisted in program promotion by KAWS and KDWP staffers, who are hosting community leader meetings and launching a marketing campaign. The PLJV and FSA are working together to make playa location data from PLJV's GIS available to USDA field offices so their staff can target the program to appropriate landowners. The KDWP is also providing a special incentive to landowners with the new Playa Lake Signup Incentive Program, which pays farmers a bonus of $15 for every acre enrolled in CP23a.
Kansas' continued efforts to promote CP23a are beginning to pay off. Earlier this year, KAWS and KDWP hosted several landowner workshops on CP23a, and organizers are reporting that since the workshops, at least six CP23a contracts have been signed or are in the works in northwest Kansas alone.
Get Your Feet Wet on NAWCA through Small Grants
PLJV partners working on small-scale wetlands projects are encouraged to apply for a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grant. NAWCA Small Grants of up to $50,000 are offered by North American Wetlands Conservation Council (NAWCC) and are an easy way to gain some exposure to the NAWCA Standard Grant program which awards matching grants of up to $1 million. To be considered for a NAWCA Small Grant, projects must promote long-term conservation of North American wetland ecosystems, and the waterfowl and other migratory birds, fish and wildlife that depend upon such habitat. Principal conservation actions supported by NAWCA are acquisition, establishment, enhancement and restoration of wetlands and wetland-associated uplands. Generally, if a project has good wetland conservation value and the applicant is new to the NAWCA process, the project will rank well.
The PLJV has developed a NAWCA Small Grant Checklist to assist partners in organizing and preparing proposals. Anyone in the PLJV region planning on applying for the program MUST submit their proposal to the PLJV for review prior to submitting it to the NAWCC. Applications are due to the NAWCC by December 2, 2005. For more upcoming funding opportunities, check out the Follow the Money section on the right.
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Nov. 1: Playa exhibit debuts at Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, KS; contact Kathy Sexson.
> Nov 2: Partners in Flight Western Working Group Meeting, Lockeford, CA; contact Carol Beardmore.
> Nov. 5: Panhandle Water Forum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, TX; contact Amy David.
> Nov. 9-10: Bird Conservation Alliance meeting, Arlington, VA; contact Alicia Craig.
> Nov 12: Ogallala Commons Fall Migration Playa Tour, Nazareth, TX; contact Darryl Birkenfeld.
> Nov. 13-16: Colorado Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting Denver, CO.
> Nov. 15-16: Interior Least Tern Monitoring meeting Tulsa, OK; contact Casey Lott.
Playa Post ©2003, 2004, 2005 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.
The Kansas Alliance for Wetlands and Streams (KAWS), Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), Kansas offices of the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and PLJV are launching a coordinated effort to promote and enroll acres into the Wetlands Restoration Non-Floodplain Initiative, or CP23a, in western Kansas. The CP23a initiative was launched last summer under the Farm Bill's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and pays farmers to retire playas and establish grass buffers around them. Representatives from each organization met last month in Garden City and Goodland to identify their capabilities and resources for delivering the program.
"These meetings were important for all involved to realize how each organization can play a role in delivering CP23a," said PLJV staff member Christopher Rustay. "Folks learned how we can all make each other's jobs easier, from promoting the program to targeting playas with the greatest wildlife value."
Counties being targeted in this effort include Finney, Gray, Meade, Seward, Cheyenne, Sherman, Thomas and Wallace, which are currently below the CRP acreage cap and are home to hundreds of playas. The FSA, which administers CP23a, will be assisted in program promotion by KAWS and KDWP staffers, who are hosting community leader meetings and launching a marketing campaign. The PLJV and FSA are working together to make playa location data from PLJV's GIS available to USDA field offices so their staff can target the program to appropriate landowners. The KDWP is also providing a special incentive to landowners with the new Playa Lake Signup Incentive Program, which pays farmers a bonus of $15 for every acre enrolled in CP23a.
Kansas' continued efforts to promote CP23a are beginning to pay off. Earlier this year, KAWS and KDWP hosted several landowner workshops on CP23a, and organizers are reporting that since the workshops, at least six CP23a contracts have been signed or are in the works in northwest Kansas alone.
Get Your Feet Wet on NAWCA through Small Grants
PLJV partners working on small-scale wetlands projects are encouraged to apply for a North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) Small Grant. NAWCA Small Grants of up to $50,000 are offered by North American Wetlands Conservation Council (NAWCC) and are an easy way to gain some exposure to the NAWCA Standard Grant program which awards matching grants of up to $1 million. To be considered for a NAWCA Small Grant, projects must promote long-term conservation of North American wetland ecosystems, and the waterfowl and other migratory birds, fish and wildlife that depend upon such habitat. Principal conservation actions supported by NAWCA are acquisition, establishment, enhancement and restoration of wetlands and wetland-associated uplands. Generally, if a project has good wetland conservation value and the applicant is new to the NAWCA process, the project will rank well.
The PLJV has developed a NAWCA Small Grant Checklist to assist partners in organizing and preparing proposals. Anyone in the PLJV region planning on applying for the program MUST submit their proposal to the PLJV for review prior to submitting it to the NAWCC. Applications are due to the NAWCC by December 2, 2005. For more upcoming funding opportunities, check out the Follow the Money section on the right.
Happenings Around the PLJV:
> Nov. 1: Playa exhibit debuts at Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, KS; contact Kathy Sexson.
> Nov 2: Partners in Flight Western Working Group Meeting, Lockeford, CA; contact Carol Beardmore.
> Nov. 5: Panhandle Water Forum, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Canyon, TX; contact Amy David.
> Nov. 9-10: Bird Conservation Alliance meeting, Arlington, VA; contact Alicia Craig.
> Nov 12: Ogallala Commons Fall Migration Playa Tour, Nazareth, TX; contact Darryl Birkenfeld.
> Nov. 13-16: Colorado Association of Conservation Districts annual meeting Denver, CO.
> Nov. 15-16: Interior Least Tern Monitoring meeting Tulsa, OK; contact Casey Lott.
Playa Post ©2003, 2004, 2005 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.
Updated PIF Bird Assessment Database Now Available
The Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO) recently announced the availability of the 2005 update of the Partners in Flight (PIF) Species Assessment Database and the accompanying PIF Handbook on Species Assessment. The database contains updated biological assessment scores and related data for all landbirds in the continental United States and Canada, at both the global scale and for Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). These scores and supporting information are maintained in a single location so that biological vulnerability and conservation concern can be compared across a large array of species at one time.
The revised PIF Handbook on Species Assessment details the scientific process behind each score and explains how PIF uses species assessment in conservation planning at both global and regional scales. The PIF Species Assessment Process and database have been eagerly sought and used for a huge variety of assessment and planning purposes for many years now. The database and handbook are both available through the RMBO website.
Follow the Money:
> Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grants:
The Colorado Division of Wildlife has set aside $200,000 for a competitive grants program to support projects to conserve, restore or enhance Colorado's threatened, endangered or declining wildlife resources. The Colorado Wildlife Conservation Grant Program is funded through the federal State Wildlife Grant Program. Proposal guidelines for 2006 are expected to be available on the CDOW website in early November.
> Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act Grants:
The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grant program awards matching grants for projects that address the concerns of neotropical migratory birds in the U.S., Caribbean and Latin America. Projects can involve protection, management, research and monitoring of bird populations, and community outreach and education. Applications are due December 1, 2005.
> EPA Environmental Education Grants:
Applications are due Nov. 23, 2005 for the Environmental Protect Agency Environmental Education Grant program. The program awards grants of up to $50,000 at the regional level (but most awards are between $10,000 and $15,000) and up to $150,000 at the national level (but most awards average $80,000) to non-federal organizations to conduct environmental education projects that improve environmental behavior through non-regulatory means, raise the public's awareness of actions it can take to prevent pollution, and promote environmental stewardship.
> PLJV/ConocoPhillips Grant Program:
The PLJV, in conjunction with ConocoPhillips, administers an annual grant program 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 2006 grant cycle are due Nov. 15, and funds will be awarded during the winter PLJV board meeting in January.
> Tourism Cares for Tomorrow:
Tourism Cares for Tomorrow is a non-profit organization of the tourism industry that distributes charitable grants to worthy nonprofit organizations worldwide for conservation or preservation. Grants typically range from $5,000 to $20,000 and will be considered for either capital improvements or appropriate programs. Letters of inquiry are due by Dec. 1, 2005.
> EPA Region 8 Regional Priorities Grant Program:
The EPA Region 8, which serves Colorado, is accepting proposals for the Regional Priorities Grant Program which is a competitive process that solicits projects that address the following priority areas: energy, agriculture, and enhancing capacity to provide public health and environmental protection in Region 8 states and tribal lands. The funding programs included in this announcement are: Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs), Tribal Source Water Protection, Wetlands Program Development Grants, Source Reduction Assistance (Pollution Prevention), Strategic Agriculture Initiative, Regional Geographic Initiative and the Environmental Priorities Program. Proposals are due by December 20, 2005.