Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Practices on Wetland Reserve Program Easements in Montana

The summary for the Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Practices on Wetland Reserve Program Easements in Montana grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Montana State Office, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Technical Assistance to Develop and Implement Conservation Practices on Wetland Reserve Program Easements in Montana: The objective of Wetland Reserve Program is to provide technical and financial assistance to landowners in planning, designing and implementing wetland and associated upland restoration plans that maximize wildlife habitat in wetland systems, as well as provide water quality improvements, reduced soil erosion, reduced impacts of flooding and provide wildlife habitat opportunities for threatened and endangered species. Applicants will be responsible for assisting producers by providing technical assistance necessary to develop and implement WRP restoration plans, while at the same time improving and protecting wetland habitat for environmental benefits. The applicant must be certified as a technical service provider meeting the NRCS national criteria established for certification in the category(ies) listed in the solicitation to be released on or about April 13, 2004. The certification criteria is located in TechReg, an NRCS web based certification application program found at http://techreg.usda.gov. All technical services provided must meet USDA standards and specifications as set forth in Departmental manuals, handbooks, guides, and other references for soils mapping and natural resources information, conservation planning, conservation practice application, and other areas of technical assistance. The NRCS anticipates being substantially involved in carrying out the work covered by the resulting cooperative agreement(s). Evaluation Criteria and Ranking: The following evaluation criteria are listed in descending order of importance with item 1 being most important followed by Items 2 and 3 which are equal in importance followed by items 4 and 5 which are last and equal in importance. 1. Organizational capabilities. The adequacy of organizational resources and experience to successfully design and install wetland restoration projects. Share in a common mission that supports the natural resource conservation efforts with private landowners. 2. Project personnel. The reasonableness and feasibility of the applicant?s approach and expertise for successfully achieving the objectives of the project within the required time frame. 3. Understanding the intent of WRP. The applicant?s recognition of the value and need of the project and the full understanding of the intent of WRP. 4. Ability to demonstrate successful past history and credibility of working with private landowners. 5. Experience working on wetland restoration in the State of Montana or similar ecosystems. One or more cooperative agreements may be awarded for a one-year project period for assistance with technical services to increase NRCS?s capacity to provide assistance under the Wetland Reserve Program. Cooperative agreements have been determined to be the appropriate funding instrument because of the substantial involvement of NRCS in providing program and technical oversight, coordination and time frames of projects. It is anticipated that approximately $150,000 will be available for this program in the base year with an estimated total program funding over 5 years of $800,000. The available funding for subsequent years is not fixed and may vary considerably from the current funding level. Amendments to agreement(s) may be developed upon availability of funding in follow-on years (approximately a five-year period).