Wildlife Habitat Enhancement | USDA FS R13 2024 24 22 WLF 02

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 22 WLF 02

The USDA Forest Service "Wildlife Habitat Enhancement" opportunity is set up as an Outreach of Interest (OOI), meaning it is not a standard grant application for an immediate, guaranteed award. Instead, it is a way for the Forest Service to find, connect with, and build relationships with potential partners who have ideas for wildlife habitat improvement projects that could later move forward under partnership agreements that fit the agency's legal authorities. Submitting a response is essentially a signal that your organization has concepts, capabilities, or on-the-ground capacity the Forest Service may want to explore and potentially develop into future collaborative projects.

The focus is on increasing the Forest Service's capacity to enhance habitat for wildlife, fish, and other natural resources on National Forest System lands and, where appropriate, adjacent lands. The opportunity emphasizes practical habitat enhancement actions, including the use of certain artificial habitat structures when natural habitat has been lost or degraded. Examples named in the notice include nest boxes, brush piles, and supplemental water sources, along with work that mitigates erosion or restores vegetation, especially plants that are important for wildlife. The agency is clear that these actions are not meant to replace natural habitat, but they can help offset habitat loss and support wildlife abundance or productivity, particularly as landscapes are increasingly affected by wildfire, drought, disease, development, and other human-driven pressures.

A major theme is co-stewardship and community partnership. The Forest Service is explicitly looking to broaden representation, including participation from diverse and underserved communities, and to form new partnerships that better reflect the public the agency serves. The intent is not only ecological improvement but also shared ownership of outcomes, where community members are actively engaged in project planning and implementation and have a vested interest in long-term success. In addition to habitat outcomes, the Forest Service highlights potential community benefits such as job training, personal development, conservation service opportunities, and building appreciation for natural resources, with an emphasis on cultivating the next generation of natural resource stewards.

The types of species and habitats that could be addressed are broad. Projects may focus on terrestrial or aquatic species, including both game and nongame wildlife, and species that are socially or culturally important to the Forest Service, its partners, Tribes, and local communities. The work is also positioned as supporting larger agency priorities, including the Wildfire Crisis strategy, reforestation efforts, and climate adaptation strategies. The agency notes that habitat enhancement can also provide added public benefits by increasing recreation opportunities such as birding, hunting, and general nature viewing.

Eligibility is wide and includes for-profit entities, nonprofits, colleges and universities, and government entities at the federal, state, local, and Tribal levels. It also includes special purpose districts such as public utility districts, fire districts, conservation districts, school districts, and ports. The listing identifies the agency as the Forest Service and provides the opportunity number USDA FS R13 2024 24 22 WLF 02, with CFDA/Assistance Listing 10.699 and an original closing date of 2025-02-07. The award ceiling is shown as 0 and expected awards are not specified, which fits the idea that this is an outreach and relationship-building step rather than a typical competitive grant with a defined pot of funding.

To respond, applicants are directed to follow the instructions in the attached "Outreach of Interest Template Instructions" document. In practical terms, a strong response would describe your organization, the community or landscapes you work in, the wildlife or habitat needs you want to address, the types of enhancement activities you could carry out (including any experience with structures, revegetation, erosion control, or similar restoration work), how you would involve local communities and underserved groups, and what a partnership with the Forest Service could look like in terms of roles, capacity, and long-term stewardship.

• The Forest Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Wildlife Habitat Enhancement" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.699.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-10-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for USDA FS R13 2024 24 22 WLF 02

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