Washington D.C. (September 25, 2017)- At the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) Annual Meeting in Snowbird, Utah members recommended approval of 18 projects to be funded through the Multistate Conservation Grants Program (MSCG).

Grants approved this year include $92,000 to the Wyoming Game and Fish and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to help manage chronic wasting disease in the West; $210,000 to the National Fish Habitat Partnership to improve fish habitat for the benefit of anglers across the United States; and $150,000 to the National Shooting Sports Foundation to improve the recruitment of new hunters.

The total cost of the 18 projects recommended is $2,763,556. Funding for the MSCGP comes from a portion of the 10-11% federal excise tax paid by manufacturers and importers of fishing, hunting and shooting-sports equipment.

The projects recommended are as follows:
1. Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
2. State Fish and Wildlife Agency Technical Workgroup and Independent Evaluation Team for the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation (National Survey). (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
3. Enabling Coordination and Planning of National Level Conservation Initiatives (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
4. Coordinating and Planning National Scale Conservation Initiatives through Communications (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
5. Track Participation Trends & R3 Effectiveness via License Sales Dashboards (American Sportfishing Association)
6. Coordination of the Industry, Federal and State Agency Coalition (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
7. Developing Data-Based Strategies to Increase Bowhunting (Archery Trade Association)
8. Determining Actionable Strategies for Angler R3 (Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation)
9. Improving Recruitment of New Hunters and Recreational Shooters (National Shooting Sports Foundation)
10. Improving Local Angler Recruitment Events (American Sportfishing Association)
11. Developing Strategies to Train Professionals How to Communicate About Hunting (Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation)
12. Evaluating the Promise and Potential Impacts of R3 Efforts Targeting College Students (North Carolina State University)
13. 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 & Wildlife Agencies)
14. Increasing Awareness and Knowledge of State Fish and Wildlife Management: Implementing AFWA Strategic Plan Goal 2 (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
15. Management Assistance Team (MAT) and National Conservation Leadership Institute (NCLI) (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
16. Multistate Conservation Grant Program Management (Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies)
17. Conservation Collaboration across the U.S. through the National Fish Habitat Partnership (National Fish Habitat Program)
18. Chronic Wasting Disease Management in the West (Wyoming Game & Fish and Colorado Parks & Wildlife)

The list of recommended grants will be submitted to Secretary of the Interior Department for final approval.

The Multi-State Conservation Grant Program is administered by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies. Created through the Fish and Wildlife Administration Improvement Act of 2000, $6,000,000 from the Pittman-Robertson and Dingell-Johnson funds is made available annually for conservation projects impacting a majority of 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. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will announce the grant awards in December and grant funding will be available January 1, 2018.