OpportunityTitle: Proactive Species Conservation Program
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible applicants are U.S. state, territorial, tribal, or local governments that have regulatory or management authority over one or more SOC or activities that affect one or more SOC.  A current list of SOC can be found at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/concern/#list or obtained from the Office of Protected Resources (see section G, Agency Contacts).               Applicants are not eligible to submit a proposal under this program if they are a federal employee; however, federal employees may serve as Cooperators.  In addition, Federal  employees are not allowed to actively engage in the preparation of proposals or write letters of support for any application.  However, if applicable, NMFS employees can write a letter verifying that they are collaborating with a particular project.  NMFS contacts (see section G) are available to provide information regarding programmatic goals and objectives associated with the PSCP, other ongoing ESA programs, regional funding priorities, and, along with other Federal Program Officers, can provide information on application procedures and completion of required forms.
Description: The NMFS is seeking to provide federal assistance, in the form of grants or cooperative agreements, to support conservation efforts for the current list of federally identified Species of Concern (SOC) under the Proactive Species Conservation Program. The program supports voluntary conservation efforts designed to conserve marine and anadromous species before they reach the point at which listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) becomes necessary. Such proactive conservation efforts can serve as an efficient, non-regulatory, and cost-effective means of managing potentially at-risk species. To raise awareness of potentially at-risk species and to foster their proactive conservation, the NMFS created a &apos;species of concern&apos; list in April 2004 (69 FR 19975). &apos;Species of concern&apos; are species that are potentially at risk of becoming threatened or endangered or may potentially require protections under the ESA, yet for which sufficient data are lacking. The SOC status carries no procedural or regulatory protections under the ESA. The list of SOC and descriptions of each species are available at http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/concern/#list. Under this solicitation, any state, territorial, tribal, or local entity that has authority to manage or regulate these species or activities that affect these species is eligible to apply to this grant program. This document describes how to submit proposals for funding in fiscal year (FY) 2011 and how the NMFS will determine which proposals will be funded. This document should be read in its entirety, as some information has changed from the previous year.
GrantorContactEmailDescription: For application download issues
GrantorContactText: Steve Drescher &lt;br/&gt;Policy Advisor &lt;br/&gt;