F24AS00005_Fiscal Year 2024 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program

The Final Rule establishing the requirements for participation in the NCWCG Program was published in the Federal Register on July 30, 2002 (67 Federal Register (FR) 49264). The Program regulations are in Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 84. Additional information about the NCWCG Program is available here. The NCWCG Program provides eligible State agencies with grants for projects that protect and restore valuable coastal wetland resources. Projects can include: Acquisition of a real property interest (e.g., conservation easement or fee title) in coastal lands or waters (coastal wetlands ecosystems) from willing sellers or partners for long‐term conservation; Restoration, enhancement, or management of coastal wetlands ecosystems; or A combination of acquisition, restoration, enhancement, and management. All projects must ensure long‐term conservation (at least 20 years) of coastal wetland resources. We score and rank applications based on criteria published in 50 CFR 84.32. See Section E. Application Review Information of this announcement for a summary of the ranking criteria. Projects to create wetlands where wetlands did not previously exist are ineligible for NCWCG Program funding (50 CFR 84.20(b)(3)). For each project site, we require evidence verifying the current or historic presence of a wetland. This may include information from the Service’s National Wetlands Inventory, earlier Geographic Information System data, or historic information. Projects to acquire and/or restore upper portions of watersheds where benefits to the coastal wetlands ecosystem are not significant and direct are also ineligible for NCWCG Program funding (50 CFR 84.20(b)(8)). A proposal must include sufficient information demonstrating that targeted lands or waters meet the definition of a coastal wetland ecosystem (50 CFR 84.11). Wildlife TRACS (Tracking and Reporting Actions for the Conservation of Species) is the tracking and reporting system used by WSFR to capture information about conservation and related actions funded by its grant programs. TRACS serves as the electronic repository system for all performance, accomplishment, and real property reporting related to those Federal awards. TRACS highlights program accountability by documenting program accomplishments and results. As outlined in this announcement, grant and project statement information and performance reporting data must be entered into TRACS as authorized under 2 CFR 200.102(c), 200.202, 200.301, and 200.329.