Summary:

The purpose of this program is to help conserve and recover over 330 federally listed and over 2,700 BLM sensitive animal and plant species and their habitat on public lands in collaboration with other BLM programs and partners. Funding will support projects that are state or regional in scope or projects that provide a programmatic approach for improving BLM effectiveness or efficiency, as well as projects that will result in or facilitate national implementation or outreach of tangible on-the-ground actions that will improve species populations or reduce population-level threats.

The strategic goals of this program include:

• Conserving and recovering federally listed and BLM sensitive species
• Implementing conservation and recovery actions that result in a direct on-the-ground population or conservation benefit
• Providing complete, current, and accurate information on the distribution and abundance of BLM special status species and their habitats to increase professional and public knowledge and understanding of these resources
• Collecting data and other information to assess threats and species/habitat responses to proactive conservation and recovery efforts or best management practices/design features for BLM special status species
• Increasing public knowledge of BLM special status species and their habitats
• Increasing public awareness and understanding of BLM special status species and their habitats on public and private lands
• Engaging youth, citizen-scientists, and students in monitoring and directed research of various BLM special status species and their habitats

This program focuses on implementing the funding agency's priorities by emphasizing actions that protect biodiversity; increase resilience to climate change and help leverage natural climate solutions; contribute to conserving at least 30 percent of the nation's lands and waters by the year 2030; support state agencies to meet state wildlife population objectives; engage communities of color, low-income families, and rural and Indigenous communities to enhance economic opportunities related to wildlife; and use the best science and data available to make decisions. This program has an opportunity to work with partner organizations to assist with:

• Contributing to the above-described program strategic goals
• On-the-ground actions that conserve and recover federally listed, BLM sensitive, and rare wildlife and plants
• Targeted inventory and monitoring to determine species status and conservation opportunities
• Gaining knowledge about federally listed, BLM sensitive, and rare species and their habitats, including propagation, genetics, ecology, and threats
• Providing for protection or management of federally listed, BLM sensitive, and rare species and their habitats
• Augmenting federally listed, BLM sensitive, and rare species through translocations, seed collections, and/or propagation
• Increasing program efficiencies and effectiveness in Endangered Species Act Section 7a2 consultations and Section 7a1 conservation programs
• Increasing public knowledge of federally listed, BLM sensitive, and rare wildlife and plants on BLM-managed lands, including with a targeted focus on communities of color, low-income families, and rural and Indigenous communities
• Communications including program outreach, education, and program website updates

Projects must assist BLM in meeting one or more of the funding agency's priorities, which can be found online at www.doi.gov/ourpriorities, as well as one of the priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration listed on pages 4-5 of the NOFA file. Projects must also state a benefit to the public and must address national effects across the BLM crossing state boundaries.

Eligibility is limited to projects that take place in BLM Restoration Landscape areas, which include select areas in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. Refer to page 2 of the FactSheet file for a map of BLM Restoration Landscape areas.