APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR PRIVATE LANDOWNER PROGRAM

State Wildlife Grant Private Land Program provides technical and financial assistance to enhance wildlife habitat on private land; deadline June 30
PRATT — The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has announced that applications for participation in the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Private Land Program are now being accepted. SWG grants are funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior (program CFDA # 15.634), and administered in Kansas by KDWP.

KDWP will distribute as much as $400,000 of SWG funds and an additional $200,000 in non-federal funds to private landowners interested in implementing habitat projects. Those landowners receiving funding will be required to 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 June 30, 2010. Additional applications may be submitted after June 30 if funds remain available.

To be eligible, applications must address issues and strategies identified in the Kansas Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan. Applications will be scored based on established criteria to ensure all applicants are considered fairly and that the best projects are selected. Higher priority consideration will be given to proposals that specifically address restoration and enhancement activities that contribute to 1) development or maintenance of large grassland blocks capable of supporting area-sensitive wildlife species, 2) restoration or maintenance of areas supporting high densities of playa lakes surrounded by grasslands, and 3) restoration or enhancement of streams and associated riparian buffers.

Interested landowners should contact any KDWP regional office or private lands biologist for application materials or to schedule a consultation concerning a proposed project. For information regarding program administration, write Roger Wolfe, KDWP Region 2 Office, 300 SW Wanamaker Road, Topeka, Kansas 66606 or phone 785-273-6740. Persons with special communication needs may phone the Kansas Relay Center, 1-800-766-3777.
-30-