Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced the availability of Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment grants.

2013 grants will focus on long term conservation of the state’s wild salmon strongholds, which represent some of Oregon’s most productive and intact aquatic ecosystems and sustain the state’s largest and most diverse runs of salmon and other native aquatic species.

Oregon’s seven recognized strongholds include: the Tillamook/Nehalem, Illinois, North Umpqua, Sandy/Clackamas, Lower Deschutes, North Fork John Day, and Lower Grand Ronde (Joseph Creek, Minam River, and Wenaha River) watersheds. Salmon populations found in these systems support a variety of recreational, commercial, and Tribal fisheries.

Grant proposals requesting up to $75,000 in grant funds are being invited to support two types of projects in and across the state’s seven salmon strongholds:

1) on-the-ground habitat improvements in strongholds;

2) programmatic activities that seek to prevent the continued loss and degradation of habitats.

All projects must address the key limiting factors or threats that have been identified in existing watershed plans or assessments as bottlenecks to salmonid abundance. Approximately $300,000 in grant funds is anticipated to be awarded through this grant round.

Pre-proposals should be submitted by November 28, 2012 through NFWF’s online application system, Easygrants. Pre-proposals will be evaluated and ranked, and the strongest projects will be invited to submit full proposals due on January 31, 2013.
Full proposal applicants will be notified of grant awards by April 2013, with funds available for projects shortly thereafter. Approved projects should be completed within two years.

Eligible applicants include non-profit conservation organizations, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, tribes, schools, local, state and federal government agencies, and other special districts.

Applicants should log onto NFWF’s Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment program webpage at www.nfwf.org/orgovfund to review proposal criteria and requirements and to submit a pre-proposal.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service