Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Grants to Support Great Lakes State Aquatic Invasive Nuisance Species

Under FY14 appropriations to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) anticipates providing grants to support implementation of Great Lakes State Aquatic Invasive Nuisance Species Management Plans (State Plans), and support for the creation of an Interstate Aquatic Invasive Species Management Plan (Interstate Plan). State Plans have been transmitted by state governors and then approved by the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force. The Interstate Plan will not be submitted to the Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force for review and approval. All state grants will be awarded based on a competitive process for which only Great Lakes states are eligible. To be eligible for FY14 funding to implement State Plans, FY10 and FY11 grant funds must be completely expended, at the time a proposal is submitted. Also, allocation of funding will require, within 1 year of the grant agreement becoming fully executed, completion of either one rapid response training session or one rapid response action. Also, state agencies must have either completed updates to their State ANS Management Plan to include rapid response capabilities, or be on track to complete that update by September 30, 2014. Please include either the completed state rapid response plan, or a schedule for finalization of that rapid response plan (required completion by September 30, 2014) as an attachment in your grant application. Two year grant awards will be used by states (including for developing the Interstate Plan) for activities that directly relate to the protection and restoration of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes Basin. Priorities for funding will include: Implementing risk management approaches for species and pathways as described in GLMRIS reports Developing and implementing an Asian carp prevention and management plan for the Great Lakes Addressing climate change in risk assessment and management activities. For a full description of what to include in a proposal and the evaluation process please see the Notice of Funding Available (NOFA) associated with this grant.