BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Wildlife Resource Management on Colorado's Public Lands | L20AS00043

Opportunity Information: Apply for L20AS00043

The BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Wildlife Resource Management on Colorado's Public Lands grant opportunity is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado State Office effort to fund cooperative, partner-driven work that conserves and restores wildlife habitat across BLM-managed public lands in Colorado. The overall intent is to improve habitat conditions and wildlife outcomes through a shared stewardship model, meaning BLM plans to work closely with State agencies, Tribes, other Federal agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and other partners so that projects are coordinated across boundaries and aligned with local and regional priorities. A major emphasis is on using modern geospatial tools and shared datasets to make wildlife and habitat planning more consistent, efficient, and transparent, both inside BLM and with external partners.

The opportunity is built around the idea that wildlife habitat work can deliver multiple benefits at the same time. Projects supported under this program may include vegetation and habitat restoration that improves conditions for big game, upland game, waterfowl, sage-grouse, and other watchable wildlife, while also increasing livestock forage, improving water quality, controlling invasive weeds, and reducing the risk of large, severe wildfires. BLM Colorado also frames this funding as a way to support broader Administration and Department of the Interior priorities, including expanding hunting access and wildlife viewing opportunities, supporting rural economies tied to wildlife recreation, and providing better data to streamline BLM decision-making tied to energy development, grazing permits, and land use planning.

The grant specifically seeks partner support for on-the-ground and programmatic actions that advance several Secretarial Orders and related priorities. These include: Secretarial Order 3347 (Conservation Stewardship and Outdoor Recreation), which focuses on conservation stewardship and expanding hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities; Secretarial Order 3353 (Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation and Cooperation with Western States), which prioritizes collaborative sage-grouse habitat conservation; Secretarial Order 3356 (Hunting, Fishing, Recreational Shooting, and Wildlife Conservation), which emphasizes analyzing how Federal actions affect wildlife habitat and hunting opportunity and coordinating closely with State wildlife agencies; Secretarial Order 3362 (Improving Habitat Quality in Western Big-Game Winter Range and Migration Corridors), which targets measurable habitat and population outcomes for big game, especially in winter range and migration corridors; and Secretarial Order 3366 (Increasing Recreational Opportunities), which includes inventorying and enhancing habitat for birds and other watchable wildlife to increase wildlife viewing and birding opportunities. In practice, this means proposals that improve landscape resiliency and connectivity, protect or restore seasonal habitats (like migration corridors and winter range), and directly support priority species and recreation goals are a strong fit.

BLM Colorado highlights a wide range of eligible project activities. Examples include coordinating and integrating financial and in-kind investments across partners (including cost-share approaches), conducting habitat and wildlife population assessments, implementing conservation and restoration actions, and developing or improving decision-support tools that help managers address species conservation issues across jurisdictional boundaries. The program also emphasizes science-based collaboration through workshops, meetings, and work groups, and it includes priorities around inventorying and monitoring species and habitats, tracking treatment success, and converting wildlife information into consistent regional geospatial datasets with shared methods (for example, consistent ways of mapping occupied habitat). Another stated priority is improving outcomes for Bureau Sensitive Species so that a higher percentage meet or exceed objectives in BLM Resource Management Plans or other conservation plans, including State Wildlife Action Plans. BLM also encourages wildlife-related environmental education efforts that help the public understand the agency's role in maintaining healthy wildlife populations and habitat.

This is a discretionary funding opportunity offered as a Cooperative Agreement, which generally indicates substantial involvement and collaboration between BLM and the recipient during the project. Eligible applicants are broad and include State, county, and city or township governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and State-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; Federally recognized Tribes; other tribal organizations; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status. The funding activity category is Natural Resources (CFDA 15.247). The posting lists an award ceiling of $150,000, with an expectation of about four awards. The opportunity was created March 5, 2020, with an original closing date of May 6, 2020. Application details and official forms are provided through Grants.gov under the opportunity number L20AS00043 (the notice also references searching Grants.gov using L20AS00038 for forms and instructions, so applicants would typically verify both identifiers on Grants.gov to ensure they are using the correct package associated with the announcement).

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Wildlife Resource Management on Colorado's Public Lands" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.247.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 05, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 06, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

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