FY17 FWS Urban Waters - Urban Refuge Partnership

The purpose of this new award is to provide $200,000 in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) funds to continue support of the Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, managed by NFWF. This funding will be used by NFWF to support an Urban Refuge focal area in the competitive Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Program. Funding from FWS will be leveraged by funds already committed by U.S. Forest Service (USFS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and numerous non-federal corporate partners. Through this program, NFWF will solicit projects from state and local governments, non-profit organizations, Tribes, and academic institutions that engage communities in conservation on easily-accessible lands that the Service does not own. Projects shall involve residents in place-based outdoor experiences that foster connections with fish, wildlife and their habitats and must meet at least one of the eight Standards of Excellence for Urban Wildlife Refuges and Partnerships: 1. Know and relate to the community; 2. Connect urban people with nature via stepping stones of engagement; 3. Build partnerships; 4. Be a community asset; 5. Ensure adequate long-term resources; 6. Provide equitable access; 7. Ensure visitors feel safe and welcome; and 8. Model sustainability. The Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, a unique public-private partnership, invests in urban community-based conservation efforts that result in measurable conservation outcomes, engage the public and provide a better understanding of how fish and wildlife conservation contributes to community well-being. Through the administration of the grant program, NFWF, FWS, FS, EPA, and corporate entities will leverage public and private funding to target resources for priority urban watersheds. All projects selected for FWS Urban Refuge funding will be in proximity of FWS lands or offices or in locations where there are existing FWS urban partnerships. This award is made through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service)'s CFDA (15.654) under the authority of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act of 1934 (16 U.S.C. 2901-2911); Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742(a)-754); Refuge Recreation Act of 1962 (16 U.S.C. 460k-460k(4)); National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668dd); Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1972 (16 U.S.C. 1701-1706); Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979 (16 U.S.C. 470aa-47011); The National Wildlife Refuge System Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-57); National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and Community Partnership Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-327); Federal Aid for Highways, HR 4348 (23 U.S.C. 201-204 and 206, Public Law 112-141).