New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Tuesday announced that DEC is accepting applications for projects aimed at securing New York's wildlife populations and their key habitats, thereby preventing future listings of species as threatened or endangered. These projects will be funded through the State Wildlife Grant Program.

Approximately $2.94 million in funding is available for projects that implement the recommendations outlined in the New York State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation strategy. Funding for these projects is provided by the SWG Program, administered through the U.S. Department of Interior.

Under the SWG Program, New York State agencies, municipalities, and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for grants to fund projects which address one or more of the recommendations in the CWCS and correspond to one of the following categories:

• Inventory and Research: Eligible projects are those that investigate the status, natural history, and distribution of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and their critical habitats as those needs have been identified in the CWCS. Projects in this category require a minimum of 25% non-federal matching funds.
• Planning and Administration: Eligible projects are planning, analysis, and coordination of programs, analysis of data and development of plans to conserve, protect and restore SGCN and their critical habitats as those needs have been identified in the CWCS. Projects in this category require a minimum of 25% non-federal matching funds.
• Management and Restoration: Eligible projects are those that physically conserve, protect and restore SGCN and their critical habitats as those needs have been identified in the CWCS. Projects in this category require a minimum of 50% non-federal matching funds.
• Performance Monitoring: Eligible projects are those that evaluate the effectiveness of prior State Wildlife Grants funded Management and Restoration projects. Funds may also be used to evaluate other projects completed between 2001 and the present that are consistent with the management and restoration recommendation in the CWCS, regardless of the original project's funding source. Goals of this project category are to document the progress in the improvement of the status of SGCN and their critical habitats, document the long-term success of specific management and restoration techniques, and improve the efficiency and success of recovery of SGCN and their critical habitats. Projects in this category require a minimum of 50 percent non-federal matching funds.