The mule deer foundation (MDF) proposes to address these risks by implementing science based fuels reduction and vegetation management strategies exclusively on BLM-administered lands in arizona

The Mule Deer Foundation received a $100,000 cooperative agreement award from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under the Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program (CFDA 15.228), effective September 18, 2025 through September 17, 2030. Under this agreement, the Foundation will implement science-based fuels reduction and vegetation management strategies exclusively on BLM-administered lands in Arizona. Specific deliverables include mechanical thinning of woody vegetation, invasive species removal, and re-establishment of native plant communities designed to support diverse wildlife while reducing hazardous fuels and protecting communities from wildfire.

The Foundation's collaborative approach leverages partnerships with BLM, local communities, state wildlife agencies, and other non-governmental organizations to enhance habitat quality, improve watershed conditions, and accelerate federal land management objectives. By providing strategic implementation support that addresses capacity constraints within federal agencies, the project delivers long-term public and environmental benefits while generating positive economic impacts in rural Arizona communities through expenditures on lodging, food, fuel, and other services associated with habitat restoration work. The Foundation's model demonstrates scalability potential across other BLM regions in the West facing similar wildlife habitat challenges.

These activities will enhance habitat quality, improve landscapes and watershed conditions, and protect communities from wildfire. Work will include thinning of woody vegetation, removal of invasive species, and RE-establishment of native plant communities to support diverse wildlife while reducing hazardous fuels. Through its partnership with BLM, MDF delivers strategic and cost-effective implementation support that accelerates federal land management objectives. These focused efforts improve the ecological integrity of BLM priority landscapes, provide long-term public and environmental benefits, help streamline government processes, assist federal employees with overcoming capacity constraints, and accelerate project timelines and delivery. MDF seeks to address these issues through strong, strategic partnerships. Working with local communities, federal agencies, and other non-government organizations (ngos) allows MDF to increase the social and economic benefits to the community and have a greater impact in the restoration of degraded ecosystems. These partnerships result in an increase in funding and organizational capacity to accomplish work that neither party could do alone. Multi-party contributions, technical assistance, and volunteer efforts all contribute to the partnership. MDF s collaborative approach in arizona could serve as a model that can be scaled to other BLM regions across the west, addressing similar wildlife habitat challenges. The project also has a positive impact related to wildlife on the local rural economies where the project is completed due to increased spending on lodging, food meals, fuel, and other expenditures by MDF and habitat contracting crews. Project work will take weeks and during that time everyone associated with the project will be spending money at local merchants. Local jobs can also result from efforts as workers in the project area can be part of the efforts. These projects provide broad public benefits by improving ecological function, reducing wildfire threats to nearby communities, and supporting wildlife habitat. BLM program priorities addressed include: fuels management and hazardous vegetation reductionrestoration and maintenance of fire-adapted ecosystemsprotection of recreation and wildlife use areasall projects completed through this agreement would be developed in partnership with, or lead by, arizona BLM field offices. The BLM will play a key role in identifying and prioritizing work, creating design elements and planning work. This ensures that all project work completed on BLM land is in line with the BLM s goals, resource management plans (rmps), national environmental policy act (nepa) and other federal guidance. MDF will require approval from the appropriate BLM parties before initiating invoicing to ensure that BLM standards have been met.