September 29, 2011
Program provides technical assistance and financial incentives to enhance wildlife habitat on private land in Kansas; application deadline Dec. 15
PRATT — The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has announced that it has received $186,000 in State Wildlife Grant (SWG) funds to award to private landowners who apply for habitat management project grants on their land. Part of the Private Landowner Program, these projects include removing invasive woody plants from native mixed-grass prairie, constructing alternate watering facilities to help with native short-grass prairie management, conversion of cool-season grass to native grass and forbs, and construction of perimeter fencing on expiring CRP fields to help maintain those fields in native grass. The projects will improve habitat for Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Kansas.

KDWPT originally received $400,000 of SWG funds from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to aid in the protection and management of priority habitats for SGCN species in Kansas. These new funds will continue this private landowner habitat conservation work. The application deadline is Dec. 15.

To be eligible, applications must address issues and strategies identified in the Kansas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan, which may be found on the KDWPT website, kdwp.state.ks.us/news/Services/Kansas-CWCP/Kansas-CWCP. Applications will be scored based on established criteria to ensure all applicants are considered fairly and that the highest ranking projects are selected. Higher priority consideration will be given to proposals that specifically address the following restoration and enhancement activities:

• development or maintenance of large grassland blocks capable of supporting area-sensitive wildlife species;
• restoration or maintenance of areas supporting high densities of playa lakes surrounded by grasslands; and
• restoration or enhancement of streams and associated riparian buffers.

Applications will be accepted immediately. Those landowners who receive funding must match a minimum of 25 percent of total project costs. This match can either be a cash contribution from a non-federal source or contributions of labor, materials, and equipment use. Applications will be accepted until available funds have been committed.

Interested landowners should contact any KDWPT regional office or private lands biologist for application materials or to schedule a consultation concerning a proposed project. Questions regarding program administration should be addressed to Roger Wolfe, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, Region 2 Office, 300 SW Wanamaker Road, Topeka, KS 66606, phone 785-273-6740. Persons with special communication needs may use the Kansas Relay Center, 1-800-766-3777.
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