09/29/2022
During the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies’ 112 th Annual Meeting, held September 18-21, the members recommended the approval of 55 projects to be funded through the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP).
All proposals responded to the Association’s strategic conservation priorities and were reviewed by subject matter experts from the Association’s Committees. Grants approved this year include:
- $207,093 to the South Dakota State University to Maximizing the impact of women’s groups on hunting and fishing retention ;
- $274,723 to Cornell University for Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Infrastructure for North America; and
- $314,859 to American Bird Conservancy for Southern Wings Full-life Cycle Migratory Bird Guide for State Fish and Wildlife Agency Strategic Investment.
The total funding for the 55 projects is $12,658,880.72. Funding for the MSCGP comes from the 10-11 % federal excise tax paid by manufacturers and importers of fishing, hunting, and shooting sports equipment.
The projects recommended are as follows:
- MS Coop F&W Res Unit Mississippi State University - Vulnerabilities of reservoir fish habitats to climate change
- Cornell University - Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Infrastructure for North America
- Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study - Assessment of lymphoproliferative disease virus transmission, infection, and disease development in wild turkeys toward a better understanding of natural infection dynamics
- University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. - Mange in American black bears: Improved surveillance protocol and applied and human dimensions research to inform management
- American Fisheries Society - Creating a Digital Repository of Calcified Structures from Known-Age Fishes
- Florida Institute of Technology, Inc. - Modeling population linkages and habitat shifts of migratory fishes in the southeastern USA using a novel integrative approach
- Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission - West Coast Nearshore Data Tools and Training
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Human Dimensions 101: An Introductory Course for Agency Staff, Commissioners, and Elected Officials
- Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation - Increasing Public Relevancy – Current Hunting & Target Shooting State & National Economic Impacts
- American Sportfishing Association - Increasing Public Relevancy – Current Sportfishing State and National Economic Impacts
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Ensuring the viability of the American System of Conservation Funding: Improving the understanding of excise-tax-based funding for conservation
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University - Implementing Recommendations from the Wildlife Viewer Survey: Enhancing Relevancy and Engaging Support from a Broader Constituency
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Harvest Information Program Communication Plan Implementation
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Developing Competencies to Implement the Relevancy Roadmap
- Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - The Public’s Perceived Importance and View of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Social Listening for Relevancy 2 –Expanded Queries
- Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Conservation Academy, Coffee Talk, and Fellowship Grant
- National Fish Habitat Partnership/AFWA - Communicating Conservation Success of the National Fish Habitat Partnership in fulfillment of America’s Conservation Enhancement Act
- American Bird Conservancy - Southern Wings Full-life Cycle Migratory Bird Guide for State Fish and Wildlife Agency Strategic Investment
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - AFWA Knowledge Hub
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States
- The National Wild Turkey Federation - Supporting Undergraduate/Graduate/Law Students’ & Post-Graduates’ Education & Professional Experience in Conservation Law & Policy
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Promoting Awareness of State Wildlife Management Authority and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Understanding the Management, Funding, and Staffing of Human-Wildlife Conflicts by State Fish and Wildlife Agencies
- Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc. - Connecting with Conservation
- National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®) - Increase Industry and Agency Relations and Communications by expanding Partner with a Payer® Initiative – Phase 2
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Increasing Conservation Management Capacity Through Skill, Leadership, and Knowledge Development
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - 2023 Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Coordination of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Authority to Manage Wildlife Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by International Treaties, Conventions, Partnerships, and Initiatives.
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Coordination of National Scale Conservation Efforts by State Fish & Wildlife Agencies: Travel, Industry Agency, and Communications.
- Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - National Survey Technical Workgroup – Coordination of 2022 National Survey
- Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports - Expanding and Improving the Real-time License Data Dashboard
- Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc. - Three R3 Research Insights- Attitudes, Reactivation, Participation
- National Archery Association DBA USA Archery - Archery is for Everyone National Awareness Marketing Campaign
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Making R3 More Effective: Message Testing for New Adult Hunters
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Where are America’s Non-Resident Hunters?
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Organizational Decision Making for R3: A Process for Leadership
- Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc. - R3 Marketing Communication Task Force
- Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Update the “Stages/Phases” of Hunters and Target Shooters
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Engaging New Adult Hunters with YouTube Advertising
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - Continued R3 Through Marketing with the Pilot States
- Wildlife Management Institute, Incorporated - State & Industry R3 Photo Collection & Digital Asset Manager
- South Dakota State University - Maximizing the impact of women’s groups on hunting and fishing retention
- International Hunter Education Association – USA - Hunting Mentor Communication Strategy – 8 Pilot State Implementation
- Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc. - Native Americans Fishing Participation and Perceptions
- Pheasants Forever, Inc. One but Not Done: Providing the Next Steps to Female Hunters, Shooters, and Archers
- Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies - Enhancing Support for WSFR Among Recreational Shooters Through Targeted Research and Communications
- Backcountry Hunters & Anglers - Harnessing the Explosion in 35–44-Year-Old Participation
- Midwest Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies - Recruiting Females and Ethnically Diverse Youth Participants into Shooting Sports
- Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc. - Nontypical Recruitment from within Agencies and Industry
- The National Shooting Sports Foundation - Meet Demand by Building/Enhancing Shooting Ranges with Excise Taxes
- Archery Trade Association - Creating Efficient Archery and Bowhunting Pathways
- The Archery Trade Association - Providing Access by Expanding and Improving Archery Ranges
- Ducks Unlimited Inc. - Helping Shooting Sports Survive and Thrive
- IHEA-USA - When to Leave the Nest - Retention Without Support After Mentoring
Multi-Year Funding (previous years) approved grants:
- US Fish and Wildlife Service - "Coordination Component for the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
- NORC - National Survey
- Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports - 2022-2024 Facilitation of National R3 Strategies
The list of recommended grants will be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior Department for final approval.
The Multistate Conservation Grant Program is administered by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Created through the Fish and Wildlife Administration Improvement Act of 2000, $6,000,000 from the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funds are available annually for conservation projects impacting most states. In addition to funding competitive conservation projects, the program also funds the National Survey on Hunting, Fishing and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, the nation’s most important wildlife participation, and related economic impact database. Additionally, the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act makes available to the Secretary of the Interior not more than $5 million annually to be used exclusively for making hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment (R3) grants that promote a national hunting and shooting sports recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities. The funds come from the authority at 26 U.S.C. 4161(b) of the IRS code of 1986 (Bows and arrows, etc.).
Learn more about the Multistate Conservation Grant Program.