Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation | F19AS00352

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00352

The Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00352) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding announcement under the Department of the Interior that supports on-the-ground habitat work tied directly to migratory bird conservation outcomes. Although the program title emphasizes migratory birds, this specific award is focused on improving and documenting island habitats within the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge (MCINWR) by pairing two closely linked activities: invasive plant control and detailed botanical inventories on refuge-owned or refuge-managed islands. The agency intended to make a single-source cooperative agreement award, meaning one recipient would be selected for this work and would carry it out in close coordination with the refuge.

At the core of the project is the creation of island botanical inventories, which are described as comprehensive, island-by-island lists of vascular plants that also capture the relative abundance and where each species occurs across the island. These inventories are not one-time checklists; they require multiple visits during the growing season so the surveyor can detect species that appear or are identifiable at different times, thoroughly search all habitat types, and document the full plant community as accurately as possible. The grant specifies consistent nomenclature standards (Haines and Vining 1998) to keep the plant records comparable across sites and years. Deliverables include producing an island-specific field guide and importing all collected data into a Microsoft Access database, which helps the refuge store, analyze, and apply the information for management decisions over time.

The invasive plant control component is framed as a necessary complement to the inventory work because non-native invasive plants can threaten rare native plants and habitats and can also degrade colonial seabird nesting areas. By identifying which invasive species are present, where they are spreading, and how abundant they are, the refuge can prioritize management actions, track results, and adjust strategies. The announcement emphasizes that combining existing plant community knowledge with the results of new surveys and management actions is meant to create more efficient and effective tools for enhancing nesting habitat for migratory birds.

The conservation rationale is strongly tied to the importance of the Maine coastal island system for breeding seabirds and migratory landbirds. MCINWR manages about 8,700 acres along the Maine coast, including around 70 marine islands that support nesting common eiders and more than 7,000 pairs of breeding seabirds. The refuge is also highlighted as nationally significant for several species, supporting roughly 97 percent of the Arctic terns breeding in the lower 48 states, about 93 percent of Atlantic puffins breeding in the United States, and about 85 percent of U.S. razorbill breeders. Beyond seabirds, coastal Maine is described as a major migratory landbird region, ranked second in importance only to the Adirondacks (citing Buler et al. 2012). In this context, the botanical inventory and invasive control work is positioned as a practical way to maintain or improve habitat quality for these bird populations while also documenting rare plant resources and detecting ecological change.

Legally, the opportunity is authorized under several federal wildlife conservation statutes, including the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (as amended), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The work is also connected to the broader U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service mission and refuge management goals, particularly maintaining and restoring the biological integrity, diversity, and environmental health of refuge lands, and continuing the long-standing conservation legacy associated with the refuge system.

Administratively, this was a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, categorized under Science and Technology and other Research and Development, with CFDA number 15.655. The expected number of awards was one, with an award ceiling of $60,000. The opportunity was created on August 26, 2019, with an original closing date of September 3, 2019. Eligible applicants were nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, reflecting a relatively specific eligibility category compared with many federal conservation grants.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Migratory Bird Monitoring, Assessment and Conservation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.655.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 03, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $60,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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