Conservation News

The Association Commends the Launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge

The Association was excited by last week’s announcement of a $1 billion America the Beautiful Challenge  from the Biden-Harris Administration. This grant program will provide support for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.

“This Challenge will provide much needed funding for on-the-ground conservation work, in partnership with our state, Tribal, NGO and private working land partners,” said Tony Wasley, Director of the Nevada Department of Wildlife and President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.  “This new grant program, which brings a variety of partners to the table, is the definition of true collaboration to protect, restore, and enhance our precious natural resources.”

The America the Beautiful Challenge is a new public-private grant program, administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, that will fund conservation projects that focus on at least one of the following core areas of need: (1) Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds, (2) Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks, (3) Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes, (4) Improving ecosystem and community resilience to coastal flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats, and (5) Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities.

A request for proposals is currently open, with full proposals due by July 21, 2022 and the first round of awards expected in November 2022. This new program is intended to streamline and centralize the grant application process making it easier for states, tribes, territories, local governments, non-governmental conservation organizations, and others to use one application to potentially access multiple funding sources.

Helpful links:

For more information, visit the America the Beautiful Challenge website:  https://www.nfwf.org/programs/america-beautiful-challenge

The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies—the organization that represents North America’s fish and wildlife agencies—promotes sound resource management and conservation, and speaks on important fish and wildlife issues. Found on the web at www.fishwildlife.org, on Facebook /AssociationofFishandWildlifeAgencies and on Twitter @fishwildlife.

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