National Wildlife Refuge Enhancements | F19AS00360

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00360

The National Wildlife Refuge Enhancements grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00360) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior) notice describing a single-source cooperative agreement intended for the Delmarva Resource Conservation and Development Council (DRCD) in Cambridge, Maryland. It is a discretionary financial assistance award and, as written, functions primarily as a public notification rather than an open, competitive solicitation. The assistance is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the agency expects to remain substantially involved in guiding or coordinating the work as it is carried out.

The purpose of the award is to support on-the-ground habitat management and key maintenance work at two national wildlife refuges on Maryland's Eastern Shore: Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge (near Cambridge) and Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge (near Rock Hall). The activities focus heavily on sustaining and improving waterfowl habitat by planting and maintaining more than 400 acres of crops used by migrating and overwintering birds. In addition to habitat plantings, the work includes upkeep of waterfowl impoundments and pumps that help manage wetland water levels, along with treatment of invasive plant species through spraying. These tasks are practical, seasonal, and labor-intensive, aimed at maintaining the quality and reliability of habitat conditions that waterfowl depend on during migration and winter.

Beyond habitat work, the agreement also supports public recreation and refuge operations, especially the managed hunt program. DRCD is expected to assist with maintenance activities that help sustain hunting access and management across more than 15,000 acres, along with broader facilities support. This includes improving and maintaining hunt roads and trails and addressing routine infrastructure needs such as buildings and gates. The announcement emphasizes that proactive infrastructure maintenance can reduce long-term costs by preventing larger repairs later, while also improving safety for visitors and staff.

The opportunity is tied to larger conservation priorities. The partnership is framed as supporting a Secretarial priority of conservation stewardship by combining habitat management for waterfowl with continued public access for recreation, including hunting. The Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex is highlighted as providing critical migratory and overwintering habitat for species such as Canada geese, American black ducks, and tundra swans, and it is identified as a priority wetland within the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. In practical terms, the funding is meant to keep habitat functioning at a high level while also keeping the refuges safe, accessible, and operational for the public uses they support.

Administratively, the opportunity lists CFDA number 15.654 and identifies eligible applicants as 501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education), though the text makes clear the intended recipient is DRCD via a single expected award. The award ceiling is $70,000, with one award anticipated. The notice was created on September 3, 2019, with an original closing date of September 13, 2019.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "National Wildlife Refuge Enhancements" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.654.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 03, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 13, 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 $70,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for F19AS00360

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