Great Lakes Restoration Initiative - Joint Venture Habitat Restoration & Protection

The goal of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is to target the most significant environmental problems in the Great Lakes ecosystem by funding and implementing federal projects that address these problems. As part of this initiative, the two bird habitat joint ventures that are in the Great Lakes watershed ¿ the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture and the Atlantic Coast Joint Venture ¿ will be working with the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration programs in the Midwest and Northeast Regions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to competitively fund state and other partner projects for long-term habitat restoration, enhancement or protection, for conservation of native Great Lakes fish and wildlife populations, particularly migratory birds. Preference will be given to activities that help meet the habitat goals of the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes Region Joint Venture Implementation Plan or the Lower Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Plain (BCR 13) Bird Conservation Region Plan, other relevant bird conservation plans, and State Wildlife Action Plans. Special Note: GLRI Joint Venture funds will be targeted towards improving fish and wildlife habitat and their populations within watersheds of ¿Areas of Concern¿ (AOC; (http://www.epa.gov/greatlakes/aoc/) wherever possible, as a coordinated effort between the Service's Coastal, Joint Venture, and Partners for Fish and Wildlife Programs. In addition, projects that occur within known migratory bird migration stopover sites should be highlighted. The Great Lakes Migratory Bird Portal will be useful in identifying these sites: http://glmigratorybirds.org/index.html. Though proposals within AOCs and/or those that occur in stopover habitats are encouraged, it is not a requirement for funding.