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January 31, 2014 Joyce Swartzendruber, State Conservationist Tim Griffiths, Sage-Grouse Initiative National Coordinator USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock Street Federal Building, Room 443 Bozeman, MT 59715 Joyce & Tim: On behalf of the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) Management Board and staff, I extend our sincere appreciation to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for partnering with the IWJV on the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) Strategic Watershed Action Team (SWAT). Please find attached the SGI SWAT NRCS Quarterly Report for October - December 2013. The report also contains the following appendices and attachments: Objectives and Evolution of the SGI SWAT; SGI SWAT Field Capacity Accomplishment Report; and SGI SWAT Agreements. Please give me a call at (406) 549-0287 if you have any questions. We look forward to reporting on future SGI SWAT successes! Sincerely, Dave Smith Intermountain West Joint Venture Coordinator

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Page 1: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock … · 2017-02-07 · USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock Street Federal Building, Room 443

January 31, 2014 Joyce Swartzendruber, State Conservationist Tim Griffiths, Sage-Grouse Initiative National Coordinator USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock Street Federal Building, Room 443 Bozeman, MT 59715 Joyce & Tim: On behalf of the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV) Management Board and staff, I extend our sincere appreciation to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for partnering with the IWJV on the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) Strategic Watershed Action Team (SWAT). Please find attached the SGI SWAT NRCS Quarterly Report for October - December 2013. The report also contains the following appendices and attachments: Objectives and Evolution of the SGI SWAT; SGI SWAT Field Capacity Accomplishment Report; and SGI SWAT Agreements. Please give me a call at (406) 549-0287 if you have any questions. We look forward to reporting on future SGI SWAT successes! Sincerely,

Dave Smith Intermountain West Joint Venture Coordinator

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Sage Grouse Initiative Strategic Watershed Action Team Quarterly Report: October 1 – December 31, 2013

Intermountain West Joint Venture January 31, 2014

The Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) Strategic Watershed Action Team (SWAT) continued to make significant gains this past quarter in each of its four focus areas: field delivery, science, communications, and partner development. The following reports on these accomplishments from October – December 2013. FIELD DELIVERY CAPACITY The SWAT field team continued to expand and accelerate SGI conservation delivery this quarter with support from local and state USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff, funding partners, and the Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV). The team’s 24 dedicated and enthusiastic range conservationists, wildlife biologists, and natural resource specialists not only help get conservation on the ground but also spread the shared vision of achieving wildlife conservation through sustainable ranching throughout the West. Below are some of the incredible highlights from the SWAT field team and the IWJV’s efforts to support SGI delivery this reporting period. Conservation Implementation The IWJV maintains a detailed tracking system to document SWAT team progress on a quarterly basis. These contributions are rolled-up with other NRCS actions and reported to the (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) during the annual sage grouse status review process to ensure landowner and partner efforts are considered in Endangered Species Act listing decision reviews. Partner Positions Accelerate Conservation—Additional field capacity support provided by SWAT partner positions across the West has essentially enabled NRCS to double the amount SGI conservation. Partner staffs have helped plan or implement:

! 936,483 acres of rangeland improvement to increase sage grouse hiding cover during nesting

season. Additional grass cover is expected to increase sage grouse populations by 8-10%. ! 174,504 acres of conifer removal in key nesting, brood-rearing, and wintering habitats.

Removing encroaching conifers from sagebrush rangelands eliminates tall structures in otherwise suitable habitat. As birds re-colonize former habitats, increased bird abundance is anticipated.

! 115 miles of “high risk” fence near leks to be marked or removed. Marking fences is expected to reduce sage-grouse fence collisions by 83%.

Leveraging Farm Bill funds for Wildlife—More boots on the ground means more Farm Bill conservation funding put to work for wildlife. Every $1 partners invest results in $69 put into habitat improvement!

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BLM nominates Idaho SGI Partner Project for Prestigious Award Calling it a “model for sage-grouse partnerships in the West,” BLM-Idaho has nominated the Burley Landscape Sage-Grouse Habitat Restoration Project for the Interior Secretary’s Partners in Conservation Award. The Burley project is an innovative collaboration between the BLM-Idaho Burley Field Office, (NRCS), Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG), Pheasants Forever (PF), and permittee allotment holders that seeks to restore sage-grouse habitat by removing juniper to allow healthy sagebrush communities to thrive in southern Idaho. Partners have already treated close to 10,000 acres and plan to treat another 22,000 acres in the next 3-5 years. The project’s overall goal is to treat 38,000 acres of BLM land by 2017 in addition to treating state and private lands. Lek counts and other field observations provide early evidence

that sage grouse are returning to areas once overgrown with juniper and recent SGI science suggests these types of treatments play a crucial role in maintaining bird distribution and abundance. In this community-based solution, partners have found a way to combine resources to get sage-grouse conservation on-the-ground at landscape scales. NRCS is key in coordinating conservation plans with local permit-holding ranchers on public lands and provides SGI Farm Bill funds to enable restoration treatments. Pheasants Forever’s local SWAT employee Scott Scroggie, plays a pivotal role in

facilitating treatments across land ownerships. The Burley SWAT position is made possible with the support of Pheasants Forever, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, NRCS, ConocoPhillips Company, and the IWJV. PF hires contractors for project implementation using funding from multiple partners, administers contracts, and jointly conducts project inspection on contractor work with BLM project representatives. In addition, the IDFG and the BLM provide technical expertise to project development and implementation. The Burley Landscape Project—and the people who make it possible—showcase SGI’s proven model for what’s possible when individuals and organizations rally behind a shared vision. Furthermore, it provides a template for how SGI can help accelerate conservation implementation across private and public lands throughout the West. The Interior Department will formally announce those selected to receive an award in January. See more on BLM’s website.

Vegetation ‘masticators’ mulch encroaching junipers. Photo by: BLM

Days after restoration, sage-grouse take advantage of habitat recently reclaimed from dense juniper

invasion. SGI-SWAT staff and partners are instrumental to the project’s success. Photo by: BLM

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SWAT Position Updates SWAT field team talent does not go unrecognized by other employers. As position vacancies arise, the IWJV works with hiring entities and funding partners re-assess position locations to ensure technical assistance is focused where it’s needed most and then to quickly refill positions and minimize disruption to conservation delivery. Here are changes that occurred this quarter:

• William Wolston accepted a position with the Colorado State Land Board and Blaise Allen has been selected to backfill his position in Powell/Meeteetse, WY.

• Pheasants Forever brought on the following individuals to help carry conservation forward in their communities: Rachelle Peppers (Elko, NV), Michael Brown (Ephrata, WA), Lara Fondow (Rexburg, ID), and Eduardo Contreras (Mountain Home, ID).

• Tammy Koldyke (MDF-Ogden, UT) has moved on. The vacancy is in the process of being re-filled.

Monthly Coordination Conference Calls The IWJV continues to host monthly conference calls in which SWAT team members receive SGI updates, share accomplishments and experiences, ask questions, and receive continuous technology transfer and training. SWAT Field Team Support To help ensure SWAT team success, IWJV provides two support staff that work one-on-one with team members. Jeremy Maestas, NRCS-IWJV SGI Technical Lead, specializes in conservation delivery assistance by providing direct technical support to team members and NRCS staff. He also fosters regular team coordination and helps maintain funding partner relations. Tina Dennison, IWJV Project Coordinator, provides assistance to the team with accomplishment tracking and reporting, as well as, administrative support for team meetings.

SCIENCE CAPACITY The efforts of SGI science are in full swing with numerous research projects underway and at various phases, including:

• A range-wide brood habitat mapping project investigates the significance of wetlands on private lands to nesting and rearing areas for sage grouse.

• A mule deer study in Wyoming researches habitat overlap with sage grouse. • A major genetics and connectivity study involving multiple agencies and universities

continues to make progress. • Two Montana sod-busting studies under one umbrella project will assist in focusing on the

highest risk core areas for tillage, and the bird response to tillage. • A range-wide conifer study scales up the work completed in Oregon to help focus efforts

on the most important sage grouse areas for conifer removal. • A long term study of sage grouse use in areas of Oregon’s Warner Mountains will enter its

4th field season in 2014. • Two mapping projects in Utah are focusing on riparian and upland restoration projects for

sage grouse to analyze effectiveness. • Rest-rotation grazing studies in Montana have several field seasons of data investigating

benefits to nesting sage grouse, as well as to songbirds and insects.

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In addition to the projects listed above supported with NRCS SWAT funding, the IWJV catalyzed and is helping fund two important projects that strengthen the SGI science foundation and evaluate SGI outcomes for migratory birds:

• A study of songbirds and their use of sagebrush areas before and following conifer removal in Oregon’s Warner Mountains looks at how other sagebrush-dependent species respond. This project is a partnership between BLM, the IWJV, and Northwest Wildlife Sciences LLC. It is being carried out by a team of researchers led by Dr. Aaron Holmes.

• Songbirds are also the focus of study in a range-wide evaluation of how their use overlaps with SGI core areas. The study relies on Breeding Bird Surveys for these sagebrush-dependent species: sage thrasher, sage sparrow and Brewer’s sparrow. This project was funded by the FWS and is being implemented by the IWJV’s Science Coordinator and Spatial Ecologist.

COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY

Communications are at the core of successful SGI implementation. Our efforts in this arena are continually helping connect agricultural producers with the SGI field delivery capacity in NRCS Field Offices and extending the reach of SGI successes through numerous mediums.

Sage Grouse Initiative Website Highlights

The new website, launched in September, is an effective tool for communications, and a visually attractive and well-received “go to” portal for all things sage grouse, especially for showcasing success stories and partners.

The Partners list on the website continues to grow with 59 groups listed, all recently contacted and updated with the latest information. The list is now sortable by organization type and has an easy print version for sharing. Each month an SGI partner is featured on the home page tile. The website started with Pheasants Forever, which was followed by Eastern Sierra Land Trust (California/Nevada) in November, and COR Enterprises in Montana.

Success stories are a key part of the website shows what success looks like on the ground. For this quarter:

Sage Grouse and Wetland Habitat Preserved on Colorado’s Coyte Ranch December 18, 2013 Sage grouse and wetland habitats are conserved together along with the future of a working ranch in Northwest Colorado. The closing of the Coyte Ranch conservation easement this week is a landmark achievement. It is a story of vision, tragedy, persistence, and optimism for the future of the great places of the Intermountain West.

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Ray Owens: Innovative Ranch Manager Teams Up With Sage Grouse Initiative in NW Colorado December 16, 2013 Ray Owens is a ranch manager of the Bord Gulch Ranch, north of Craig, Colorado, in Moffat County. He may also be one of the most vigilant observers of sagebrush land, and an innovator who constantly searches for ways to improve the ranch for wildlife and livestock.

Montana Launches First “Fence-marking Partnership Project” in Ekalaka December 5, 2013 The state’s first fence-marking partnership project to prevent sage grouse collisions started not in Ekalaka, but another hour and a half drive from there into a vast sea of sage.

Eastern Sierra Land Trust Works to Conserve Sage Grouse Habitat and Rural Heritage November 11, 2013 “It is important to preserve and maintain the history of the area and the legacy of the cattle. The only way to protect the land is to not put houses on it.” – Mark Lacey, rancher (from ESLT website)

Sage Grouse Initiative Field Team Chalks up a Million Acres Worth of Success November 4, 2013 Conservation enhancements directly linked to the SGI field staff working one-on-one with landowners have crossed the million acre mark.

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Meet me at the Border: Sage Grouse Initiative Projects Converge on Utah-Colorado Boundary October 31, 2013 Ranchers Scott and Alan Chew know what it’s like to work across borders. The Utah and Colorado boundary literally crosses through their property that’s part of vast sagebrush steppe known as Blue Mountain, found east of Vernal, Utah, and including part of Dinosaur National Monument.

Joe Painter: South Dakota Rancher Voluntarily Improves Prime Sage Grouse Habitat October 1, 2013 Joe Painter credits his grandfather for his appreciation of the sage grouse, sharptails, pheasants, ducks, wild turkeys and Hungarian partridge that share his windswept cattle ranch outside of the tiny town of Buffalo, in the far northwest corner of South Dakota.

SGI Joins Twitter In December, SGI joined Twitter and now sends out tweets almost daily. In the first two weeks, @sagegrouseinit attracted 300 followers and the list grows. Twitter is connected to our Facebook and website. We believe it will help to reach journalists, partners, publications, and attract new audiences. SGI Facebook The Facebook page serves a growing and engaged audience – approximately 300 more “Likes” added since last quarter to put the page over 1600 “Likes.” Google Ad Grant to Boost Visibility Sage Grouse Initiative applied for and was awarded a Google ad grant for nonprofits, via our partner Pheasants Forever. The grant will give a substantial free boost, with ads on Google to direct people to the SGI website via strategic use of keywords. SGI Communications Strategy 2014-2016 The new SGI Communications Strategy is complete and circulating among partners. NRCS Public Affairs Specialists in 11 western states received and discussed the strategy and how to best succeed in delivering the SGI message via NRCS and SGI partners. A newly compiled spreadsheet of media representatives for all partners and available publications for SGI articles will help meet this objective, and further coordination with all media partners. Part of the strategy focuses on a clear articulation of our message. The website “About” section now features a two-page fact sheet and a clarifying of the SGI “brand”.

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Bi-monthly SGI E-News Subscriber list grows The SGI E-News is delivered to the inboxes of more than 2000 subscribers twice a month. The topics have ranged from covering the on-the-ground successes of the SGI-SWAT partnership to introducing stimulating ideas for discussion, like grass banking as a promising match for SGI. SGI YouTube Channel We are filling the content on the YouTube Channel with all 5 SGI videos, more than 30 recommended videos, and 2 webinars. SGI in the News As a direct result of Dave Naugle, SGI National Science Advisor, and Deborah Richie, SGI Communications Director, meeting with media at the Western Outdoor Media Summit (prior quarter), several prominent articles emerged featuring SGI, including:

Sports Afield: Conserving Western Hunting Grounds, One Sage Grouse at a Time (Oct. 17) http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/sports-afield-conserving-western-hunting-grouse-one-sage-grouse-time/ Agri-Pulse: Sage Grouse Offers Win-Win Conservation Partnership (Oct. 17) http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/agri-pulse-sage-grouse-offers-win-win-conservation-partnership/ Montana Outdoors, Last Stand of the Sage Grouse (Nov. 7): http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/montana-outdoors-last-stand-sage-grouse/

Field and Stream Magazine Awards Sage Grouse Initiative Volunteer as “Hero of Conservation” (Dec. 4) http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/field-stream-magazine-awards-sage-grouse-initiative-volunteer-hero-conservation/

Other stories resulting from SGI Communications contact with media include:

Wildlife Management Institute: Early Removal of Invasive Conifers Essential to Habitat Restoration for Sage Grouse http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/wildlife-management-institute-early-removal-invasive-conifers-essential-habitat-restoration-sage-grouse/

Ultimate Upland: Quest for the Sage Grouse http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/ultimate-upland-quest-sage-grouse/

Missoula Independent: “Bird in a Bind” http://www.sagegrouseinitiative.com/bird-bind-shows-sage-grouse-initiative-success-field/

Billings Gazette Fencemarking Partnership story http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/vinyl-siding-helping-to-protect-sage-grouse/article_21d43258-5323-5416-be56-2f76f44bd6cf.html!!!

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PARTNER DEVELOPMENT The IWJV continues to strengthen the partnership for SGI implementation through extensive coordination and collaboration among state and federal agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, and corporations – all facilitated by the leadership of its Management Board. The Partner Development element of the SGI has played a critical role in maintaining strong support for SGI across a diverse group of conservation partners. In cooperation with Pheasants Forever (PF), a key partner of the SGI, the IWJV has now executed 52 field capacity, science, communications, and management agreements. Together, the IWJV and PF closely manage these agreements to ensure successful implementation and achievement of SGI objectives. These projects encumber a total of $5,325,625.58 in SWAT funds. In the next quarter, we anticipate finalizing a new agreement with University of Montana for continued grazing research in 2014. Also under the SGI science banner, we are expanding our agreement and partnership with The Nature Conservancy to further strategize conservation investments. Several communications agreements are in development as well including ranching and SGI success stories, a new SGI video, and implementation of our Google Adwords campaign. Most importantly, we will focus on amending all field capacity agreements to keep boots on the ground through 2015. The IWJV devotes significant staff time and resources to maintaining existing partnerships as well as to the development of new partnerships. Frequent communications with the NRCS SGI Coordinator, NRCS SGI Science Advisor, and SGI Technical Liaison ensures that the implementation of the SGI is precisely aligned with NRCS objectives and has built a solid foundation for regular communication and coordination that will yield substantial benefits over the life of the SGI SWAT. We held our eighth SGI SWAT Coordination Meeting in December 2013, involving NRCS, SGI, IWJV, and PF staff. The focus of this meeting was the overall SGI budget. Managing the budget to ensure primary objectives are met while allowing flexibility to capitalize on new opportunities and address emerging needs presents many challenges. We are happy to report that we have been successful in finding this balance thus far. More importantly, it appears we will not only meet but exceed the match requirements set forth in the USFWS-NRCS IA – a true testament to the power of this landscape effort! Our next SGI SWAT Coordination Meeting is scheduled for March 2014. These coordination meetings have proven valuable for maintaining partnerships, identifying needs and opportunities, and setting a long-term direction for SGI SWAT. The IWJV continues to seek expansion of partnerships that catalyze non-federal investments in SGI SWAT activities. During the last quarter, we received an important $20,000 contribution from Rocky Mountain Power to the IWJV (through Pheasants Forever) for implementation of the SGI SWAT in 2014. This generous donation supports the IWJV’s work in implementing the SGI as described in our 2014 Annual Operational Plan and the SGI SWAT Quarterly Reports. These non-federal funds provide key flexibility in implementing all aspects of SGI SWAT and will serve as match for securing future funding from federal sources. A special thanks to Sherry Liguori, IWJV Management Board Member, and her counterparts at Rocky Mountain Power!

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NRCS SGI SWAT AGREEMENT PERFORMANCE METRICS

a) Efforts for outreach to, and participation of, beginning farmers or ranchers, and Native American Tribes within the project area. The SWAT field capacity workforce worked directly with 4 Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, or Beginning Producers this quarter and no new Indian Tribal members.

b) Assistance provided to program participants to help meet local, state, and/or federal

regulatory requirements. The intent of SGI is to proactively conserve sage grouse habitat to negate the need for additional regulations. Participating producers are highly committed to sage grouse conservation, and the SGI provides an excellent vehicle for addressing threats to sage grouse populations at very large scales.

c) Numbers of NRCS program participants assisted and/or cooperating in the project effort.

The 24 SWAT partner positions made 1,409 contacts (field visits, etc.) with 641 different agricultural producers as of December 31, 2012. The reporting system was revised in 2013 and we now track Technical Assistance days. Since January 1, 2013, the SWAT provided 2,670.5 Technical Assistance days. This level of technical assistance provision is indicative of how the SWAT will ratchet up SGI implementation over the next few years.

d) Number of Full-time Equivalents (FTE) being employed through the SWAT agreement.

Thirty-four (34) FTEs (24.0 Field Delivery Capacity Partner Position FTEs, 1.0 SGI Technical Lead FTE, 1.0 SGI Communications Specialist FTE, 1.0 Communications Support FTE, 3.0 IWJV FTEs, and 4.0 Science Support FTEs) were employed during the reporting period.

e) Acres of project area addressed in NRCS program contracts and/or extents of conservation

activities implemented in the project area. The SGI SWAT, to date, resulted in the following accomplishments (see Appendix B1: SGI SWAT Field Capacity Accomplishment Report – Practice Totals and Appendix B2: SGI SWAT Field Capacity Accomplishment Report – Activity Totals): conservation planning for 936,483 acres of grazing systems; 174,504 acres of conifer removal; 607,728 feet (115 miles) of fence marking or removal; 8,492 acres of wetland restoration; and 8,772 acres of rangeland seeding; and 22,213 acres of conservation easements.

f) NRCS program dollars obligated in agreements in the projects area by program. A total of

$503,356 in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funds were obligated during the reporting period. This brings the total amount contracted by the SWAT, to date, to an impressive $40,806,958.

g) Other partner or resource contributions from other agencies or organizations, which help

implement provisions of the agreements. We have secured $4.96 million in partner funding toward all aspects of the SWAT through the first three years and project an additional $2.03 million in partner funding leveraged in Years 4 and 5. We are in the process of securing commitments from partners for continuation of their SWAT field delivery capacity matching contributions for the out-years.

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Appendix A. Objectives & Evolution of the Sage Grouse Initiative Strategic Watershed Action Team Launched in 2010, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s (NRCS) Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) is a highly targeted and science-based landscape approach to delivering enough of the right conservation practices in the right places, in order to elicit a positive sage grouse population response to management. SGI uses dedicated Farm Bill conservation program funds at appropriately large scales to alleviate threats that otherwise fragment habitats, the primary reason for the species “candidate” designation under the federal Endangered Species Act. SGI targets Farm Bill resources to high sage grouse abundance centers, or “core areas”, to maintain large and intact habitats rather than providing palliative care to small and declining populations. The SGI Strategic Watershed Action Team (SWAT) was established to strengthen NRCS’ capacity to implement SGI. The SWAT builds field capacity and strengthens the science guiding SGI, as well as bolsters communications capacity – all through partnerships that leverage the NRCS SGI funding with significant contributions from other sources. The Intermountain West Joint Venture (IWJV), in close collaboration with NRCS at multiple levels, continued to make significant progress toward the following objectives in launching the SGI SWAT during the reporting period:

• Increase field-level capacity by placing specialized human skill sets at critical geographic “pinch points” to increase SGI benefits.

• Increase science capacity to better focus SGI implementation, assess biological outcomes, and continually improve program delivery.

• Improve and enhance outreach and communication strategies to increase partner buy-in and SGI participation from landowners.

• Expand SGI partnership to further leverage NRCS contributions resulting in increased outcomes and participation.

This work is facilitated by execution of an Interagency Agreement (IA) between NRCS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and subsequent modifications to the IA. The $4 million in SWAT funds were obligated in an NRCS-FWS IA, signed June 24, 2011. NRCS provided an additional $3 million to the SGI SWAT NRCS-FWS IA late in FY 2011, from another funding source, to bring the total NRCS commitment to $7 million. The “Phase 2” $3 million was obligated in a modification to the IA, executed on September 13, 2011. NRCS provided an additional $2.3 million to extend the agreement through December 1, 2016, through a “Phase 3” modification to the IA on September 28, 2012. As with all SWAT projects, the IWJV leveraged NRCS’ investment by raising 25% of the funds needed to implement the SGI SWAT from an array of conservation partners, including the FWS, state wildlife and agricultural agencies, conservation districts, non-governmental conservation organizations, and corporations. The IWJV, through the FWS, subsequently entered into a Cooperative Agreement with Pheasants Forever (PF) to facilitate fiscal administration and partnership-based implementation of SGI SWAT, effective August 9, 2011. PF works closely with the IWJV staff on SWAT implementation and is also playing a key role in building field capacity for SGI, specifically by supervising seven of the 24 positions through agreements they have negotiated with state fish and wildlife agencies and other partners. For the purpose of this and future reports, we consider the overall $14.7 million effort as the SGI SWAT, even though only $4 million arose from NRCS’ FY 2011 SWAT appropriation.

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Page 15: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock … · 2017-02-07 · USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 10 East Babcock Street Federal Building, Room 443

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