The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today issued a request for
proposals from federally recognized Tribes to conserve and recover
endangered, threatened and at-risk species and other wildlife on Tribal
lands under the Tribal Landowner Incentive (TLIP) and Tribal Wildlife Grant
(TWG) programs.

      "There are over 160 Federally recognized Tribes in the Pacific Region
and much of this tribal land is relatively undisturbed, providing a
significant amount of rare and important fish and wildlife habitat." says
Regional Director Dave Allen. "The Tribal Wildlife Grant Program provides
an opportunity for us to strengthen our relationships with the Tribes while
supporting the Tribe's efforts to conserve habitat for imperiled and often
culturally significant species on tribal land."

      In the two years since their inception, almost $6 million have been
awarded to Tribes in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada.
These previously awarded grants support projects such as comprehensive
surveys of plant and vertebrate fish and wildlife on reservation lands, the
establishment of data bases and baseline data, habitat and fish restoration
projects, fish passage projects and dam removals and development of new
resource management techniques.  Some of the species benefitting from these
projects include sage grouse, elk, lamprey, pygmy rabbits, and bighorn
sheep. Some of these projects include: The Old Woman Mountain Preserve
Program awarded to the Twenty Nine Palms Tribe of California; the Shrub
Steppe Rehabilitation and Management Project awarded to the Yakama Tribe of
Washington; and the Railroad Valley Springfish Critical Habitat Restoration
Project awarded to the Duckwater Tribe of Nevada.

      Grants in the two programs are awarded through a competitive process.
TWG, in fiscal year 2005, has $ 5,917,000 available for grants that will
benefit wildlife and its habitat, including species that are not hunted or
fished. Although matching funds will be considered as an indicator of
Tribal commitment to a project, they are not required for these grants. The
maximum award under this program is $250,000.

      In fiscal year 2005, TLIP has $ 2,126,000 available for federally
recognized Indian Tribes to address protection, restoration and management
of habitat to benefit species at risk, including federally listed
endangered or threatened species, as well as proposed or candidate species.
Up to 75 percent of the costs associated with each project funded under
this program may be covered by Federal funds.  The maximum award under this
program is $150,000.

The request for proposals was published in the February 3, 2005  Federal
Register.  All TWG and TLIP Grant Applications must be postmarked by April
4, 2005.   Grant application kits may be obtained by visiting the Pacific
Region's website at http://pacific.fws.gov/ea/tribal/ or by contacting the
Service's Regional Native American Liaison, Scott Aikin, at (503) 231-6123.

Additional information about all FWS grant programs is available on the
Internet. The CFDA number for Tribal Landowner Incentive grants is 15.638
and 15.639 for Tribal Wildlife grants.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency
responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and
plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American
people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge
System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small
wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national
fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resources offices and 81 ecological services
field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the
Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores
nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat
such as wetlands, and helps foreign and Native American tribal governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance
program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes
on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.