Management of Undersirable Plants on Federal Lands, 7 U.S.C. 2814

The purpose of the cooperative agreement is to manage undesirable plants on Federal Lands. The goal is to facilitate interagency coordination between state and federal governments, which is the only way to affect undesirable plant control on a waters

To encourage interested State and local governments to collaborate with USACE to inventory, manage, restore, educate, reduce the spread of, and prevent the further invasion and establishment of undesirable plants. These entities will develop and implement Integrated Pest Management Plans (IMPs), using an integrated approach to weed management considering all treatment methods including education, preventative, physical or mechanical, biological, cultural and herbicides. Appropriate treatment methods to be employed will be determined through collaborative development of IMPs.

State department of agriculture or other state agency or political subdivision thereof, responsible for the administration or implementation of undesirable plants laws of a state.

Funds may be used for planning and implementation of approved projects that prioritize and target undesirable plant species or group of species to be controlled or contained within a specific geographic area including USACE and adjacent lands. The planning component describes the integrated pest management system to be used to control or contain the targeted undesirable invasive species or groups of species; and detail the means of implementing the integrated pest management system (prevention, mechanical, cultural, bio-control, chemical), define the duties of the Federal agency and the State agency in prosecuting that method, and establish a timeframe for the initiation and completion of the tasks specified in the integrated management system.

Assistance is available based on the period of performance. Funds are released from the Office of the Chief of Engineers on an annual basis shortly after the start of the fiscal year. The period of performance is defined in the statement of work, but is subject to some modification, depending on the availability of funds.

Recipients must be state entities or sub-divisions thereof responsible for invasive weed management.

a. The Grants Specialist will perform an initial review to determine that the applicant is (1) eligible in accordance with the announcement; (2) all information required by the announcement has been submitted; and (3) all mandatory requirements are satisfied. b. The Program Official is responsible for evaluation of applications against the merit criteria. c. The Grants Officer is responsible for making the final selection of the cooperative agreement awardee.

Recipients must be state entities or sub-divisions thereof responsible for invasive weed management and with jurisdiction in areas managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

If allowed by the cooperative agreement, at any time prior to the completion of a performance period, the parties may agree to bilaterally to exercise a one-year option period, extending the cooperative agreement performance period by one year, so long as funds remain available for continued performance. The parties have no obligation to continue and may elect to cease performance. Options will be exercised through a modification to the agreement.

Competition is restricted because recipients must be state entities or sub-divisions thereof responsible for invasive weed management with jurisdiction in areas managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.