2022-15214. Multistate Conservation Grant Program; Priority Lists for Fiscal Years 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce receipt of the priority lists of wildlife and sport fish conservation projects from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (Association) for Federal fiscal years (FYs) 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The Association is required by law to annually submit a list of priority projects to the Service for funding consideration under the Service's Multistate Conservation Grant Program (MSCGP), which funds projects that address regional or national priorities of State fish and wildlife agencies. The Assistant Director for the Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program recommends projects on the list to the Service Director for approval. Once projects are awarded, we must publish each priority list in the Federal Register . The FY 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 projects have been awarded.

ADDRESSES:

Lori Bennett, Multistate Conservation Grants Program, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 5275 Leesburg Pike; MS: WSFR; Falls Church, VA 22041-3808.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lori Bennett, via phone at 703-358-2033, or via email at [e-mail]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Fish and Wildlife Programs Improvement and National Wildlife Refuge System Centennial Act of 2000 (Improvement Act; Pub. L. 106-408, Nov. 1, 2020) amended the Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et seq. ) and the Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 et seq. ) and established the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (now known as the Traditional MSCGP, or T-MSCGP). The Improvement Act authorizes us to award grants of up to $3 million annually from funds available under each of the Acts, for a total of up to $6 million annually. Projects are selected through a competitive process developed collaboratively by State fish and wildlife agency directors, conservation and sportsmen and sportswomen organizations, and industries that support or promote hunting, trapping, and recreational shooting. Projects can be funded under Wildlife Restoration, Sport Fish Restoration, or both, depending on the project activities. The projects to which we award grants must be on a list of priority projects recommended to us by the Association. The Service Director, exercising the authority of the Secretary of the Interior, need not fund all projects on the list, but all projects funded must be on the Association's recommended list. The Improvement Act provides that funding for MSCGP grants is available in the fiscal year it is appropriated and for the following fiscal year, with any funds remaining after two years apportioned among the States in the manner and for the uses specified under the Wildlife Restoration and Sport Fish Restoration Acts.

In addition to the Traditional MSCGP found in the Acts, the President signed the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow's Needs Act (Pub. L. 116-94) into law on December 20, 2019. This law, among other measures, created a new Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program, which makes available up to an additional $5 million for projects designed to support recruitment, retention, and reactivation (“R3”) activities. The Service will cite this as the “Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program” (R3-MSCGP).

The Association and the Service work cooperatively to manage the T-MSCGP and the R3-MSCGP. The Association sets project criteria, reviews grant applications, and provides project oversight, coordination, and guidance. Applicants must provide certification that no activities conducted under either a T-MSCGP or an R3-MSCGP award will promote or encourage opposition to regulated hunting or trapping of wildlife, or to regulated angling or taking of fish. Eligible project proposals are reviewed and ranked by the Association's committees, who consult with interested nongovernmental organizations that represent conservation organizations, sportsmen and sportswomen organizations, and industries that support or promote fishing, hunting, trapping, recreational shooting, bowhunting, or archery. Their selections become the priority list that is submitted to the Service.

The Association's National Grants Committee recommends the final list of priority projects for both programs to the directors of the State fish and wildlife agencies for their approval by majority vote. By statute, the Association then transmits the final approved list to the Service for funding under the Multistate Conservation Grant Program by October 1 of each FY. The Service then provides an additional review process in accordance with grant regulations within 2 CFR part 200 and awards and administers the financial assistance grants.

Funding Eligibility

Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program Funding Eligibility

Recipients awarded under the T-MSCGP may use funds for sport fish or wildlife management and research projects, boating access development, hunter safety and education, aquatic education, fish and wildlife habitat improvements, and other purposes consistent with the enabling legislation.

To be eligible for funding, a project must benefit fish and/or wildlife conservation for at least 26 States, for a majority of the States in any one Service Region, or for one of the regional associations of State fish and wildlife agencies. Grants are awarded to one or more States, a group of States, or one or more nongovernmental organizations. For the purpose of carrying out the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, we may award grants to the Service, if requested by the Association, or to a State or a group of States. The Association also requires that all project proposals address the Association's selected national strategic priorities for both MSCGPs, which are announced annually at the same time requests for proposals are sent out.

Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program Funding Eligibility

The Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program (R3-MSCGP) is a new program, which began awarding grants in FY 2020. The program specifically targets projects that address hunter recruitment and recreational shooter recruitment and that promote a national hunting and shooting sport recruitment program, including related communication and outreach activities.

Fiscal Year Tables

The following sections of this notice set forth the award funding and project priorities by fiscal year for the years FY 2019 through FY 2022. The list below provides abbreviations used in the tables:

Abbreviations Used in Tables

WR Funding Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds

SFR Funding Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration funds

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

ABC American Bird Conservancy

AFS American Fisheries Society

AFWA Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

ASA American Sportfishing Association

ATA Archery Trade Association

BCC Boone and Crockett Club

BCHA Back Country Hunters and Anglers

CAHSS Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports

CSU Colorado State University

CU Cornell University

CWA California Waterfowl Association

CWD Chronic Wasting Disease

DWF Delta Waterfowl Foundation

FAF Future Angler Foundation

GWF Georgia Wildlife Federation

IDNR Iowa Department of Natural Resources

IFC Instream Flow Council, Inc.

IHEA International Hunter Education Association—USA

MAFWA Midwest Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

MDNR Michigan Department of National Resources

MMWF Max McGraw Wildlife Federation

MSU Michigan State University

NAA National Archery Association of the United States

NCLEEF National Conservation Law Enforcement Education Foundation

NCSU North Carolina State University

NEAFWA Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

NMDGF New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

NMWF New Mexico Wildlife Federation

NORC National Opinion Research Center

NS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation

NSSF National Shooting Sports Foundation

NWF National Wildlife Federation

NWTF National Wild Turkey Federation

OSCF Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation, Inc.

PF Pheasants Forever

PSMFC Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission

RBFF Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

SAF Sportsmen's Alliance Foundation

SCIF Safari Club International Foundation

SCWDS Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study

SEAFWA Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

SSSF Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation

TRCP Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

TU Trout Unlimited

UDWR Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

UGA University of Georgia

USFWS United States Fish and Wildlife Service

UWM University of Wisconsin—Madison

WAFWA Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

WEI Wildlife Ecology Institute

WHISPers Wildlife Health Information Sharing Partnership

WMI Wildlife Management Institute

WVDNR West Virginia Department of Natural Resources

Fiscal Year 2019 Awards; Fund Availability and Priority List

The Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR) had a total of $6,406,590.66 for awards in FY19 from funds carried over from FY 2018, as well as funding that had previously been sequestered; the total request for projects was $5,817,835.55, leaving a balance of $588,755.11. The Association provided the Service with a priority list of 39 projects, which included the 3 approved components of the 2016-2021 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation project. The FY 2019 priority list is in table 1. The projects in this list have been awarded.

Table 1—FY 2019 Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program Priority List

ID	Title	Recipient	WR* funding	SFR funding	Total FY 2019 grant
1	Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination	AFWA	$57,900	$57,900	$115,800
2	Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States	AFWA	82,872	55,248	138,120
3	Coordination of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies' Authority to Manage Resources in Concert with Federal Actions Required by CITES	AFWA	40,800	40,800	81,600
4	State Fish & Wildlife Agency Technical Workgroup for the 2021 National Survey	AFWA	52,285.80	52,285.80	104,571.60
5	Coordinating and Planning National-Scale Conservation Initiatives through Communications	AFWA	20,000	20,000	40,000
6	Implementation and Evaluation of the National Conservation Outreach Strategy	AFWA	61,500	61,500	123,000
7	State Fish & Wildlife Agency Director Travel	AFWA	50,000	50,000	100,000
8	Susceptibility of Common North American Game Birds to West Nile Virus	SCWDS	81,902	0	81,902
9	Management Assistance Team and National Conservation Leadership Institute	AFWA	299,326.20	299,326.20	598,652.40
10	Conserving Fish Habitat Collaboratively in the United States Through the National Fish Habitat Partnership	AFWA	0	250,680	250,680
11	Supporting Undergraduate and Legal Education and Occupational Experience in Natural Resource Administration	AFWA	28,500	28,500	57,000
12	Development and Testing of an Improved System for Gathering Harvest Information Data	WMI	149,500	0	149,500
13	Evaluating the Promise of Potential Impacts of R3 Efforts Targeting College Students (Year 2)	NCSU	78,563	29,058	107,621
14	Continued Delivery of Trapping Matters Workshops and Updating a Survey of Conservation Professionals	MMWF	97,500	0	97,500
15	Coordination of the Industry, Federal and State Agency Coalition	AFWA	47,784	47,784	95,568
16	Ensuring State Management Authority of Furbearers through a Multi-Agency, Multi-Organization Approach	WEI	98,395	0	98,395
17	Increasing Awareness and Understanding of State Fish and Wildlife Management: Implementing AFWA Strategic Plan Goal 2	AFWA	50,000	50,000	100,000
18	Assessing Trends in Americans' Attitudes Toward Hunting, Sport Shooting, Fishing and Trapping	NSSF	20,025.18	20,025.18	40,050.36
19	Update and Further Development of Standard Sampling Protocols for Inland Fisheries	AFS	0	77,602	77,602
20	Survey and Gap Analysis of North American Grassland Habitat Conservation Efforts	ABC	130,272	0	130,272
21	National Fish Habitat Partnership Tracking Database (Maintenance, Support, and Enhancement)	PSMFC	0	20,000	20,000
22	Accelerating Development of Effective Leaders in State Fish and Wildlife Agencies	WMI	63,250	63,250	126,500
23	America's Conservation and Hunting Heritage, A National Education Initiative	SCIF	180,000	0	180,000
24	Quantify and Communicate the Benefits from WSFR Excise Tax Payments to Strengthen State-Federal-Industry Relations	NSSF	86,687.50	86,687.50	173,375
25	Creating Millennial-Conservationists: Informing and Engaging the Next Generation	WMI	74,539.50	74,539.50	149,079
26	The Missing Link in R3: Making Mentorship Work	WMI	162,388	0	162,388
27	Ensuring the Viability of the American System of Conservation Funding: Improving the Understanding of Excise-Tax-Based Funding for Conservation	WMI	74,500	74,500	149,000
28	Planning for the Future of Conservation Law Enforcement in the United States	NCLEEF	228,297.79	228,297.79	456,595.58
29	Developing Angler Personas to Improve R3 Marketing	ASA	0	99,800	99,800
30	Facilitation and Updating of the National Hunting and Shooting Sports Action Plan	CAHSS	170,100	18,900	189,000
31	An Internal Look at Outdoor Recreation: Agency, Industry, and Nongovernmental Organization Attitudes Toward Fishing, Hunting, Sport Shooting, and Boating	ASA	74,865.60	74,865.60	149,731.20
32	Locavore R3 Workshops, Teaching States How to Attract and Train Locavores to Become Anglers and Hunters	UDWR	12,000	12,000	24,000
33	Recruiting and Retaining Youth Shooting Sports Participants Through Targeted Marketing, Education, and Peer Networking of Volunteer Coaches	SSSF	147,673.41	0	147,673.41
34	Gettin' Families Fishin': A National Education Initiative	FAF	0	240,000	240,000
35	Improve National Coordination and Conservation Partnerships Through the Development of a Fisheries Gray Literature Database	AFS	0	63,667	63,667
36	Engaging Landowners and Partners in Implementing Farm Bill Programs that Benefit Fish and Wildlife in Riparian Areas	TU	0	30,000	30,000
37-NS	Method to Deriving State-Level Estimates from the 2016 NS	U.S Census	174,333.50	174,333.50	348,667
38-NS	2016 Fifty-State Survey Reports	Rockville Institute	133,786	133,786	267,572
39-NS	2021 Coordination of the 2021 NS	USFWS	126,476.50	126,476.50	252,953
Totals			3,156,022.98	2,661,812.57	5,817,835.55
* Acronyms and initialisms for all tables are spelled out in the Abbreviations Used in Tables section.

Fiscal Year 2020 Awards; Fund Availability and Priority Lists

Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program Fund Availability and Priority List

The Service's WSFR program had $6,939,510.06 available for T-MSCGP awards in FY 2020, after adjusting for sequestered, recovery, and carryover amounts from FY 2019. The total request for projects was $6,928,632.57, leaving a balance of $10,877.49. The Association provided the Service with a priority list of 40 projects, which included the 2 approved components of the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation project. Please note that the Association's Management Assistance Team proposal requesting $598,799.12 of Multistate funds (Project #25) was provided an additional $150,000 in Federal funds from the Service's National Conservation Training Center. This funding addition was the result of a signed memorandum of agreement between the Service and the Association. The list is in table 2. The projects in this list have been awarded.

Table 2—FY 2020 Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program Priority List

ID	Title	Recipient	WR* funding	SFR funding	Total FY 2020 grant
1	Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States	AFWA	$82,872	$55,248	$138,120
2	Coordinating and Planning National-Scale Conservation Initiatives by State Fish and Wildlife Agencies	AFWA	60,000	60,000	120,000
3	The North American Conservation Education Strategy—update and align toolkit to work for today's conservation educators who offer fish and wildlife-based programs	AFWA	27,500	27,500	55,000
4	Introductory Implementation and Evaluation of the National Conservation Outreach Strategy—Part 2	AFWA	69,000	69,000	138,000
5	Advancing K-12 conservation education through improved tools for educators exploring the public trust doctrine, North American Model, and related examples of wildlife management	MMWF	31,680	7,920	39,600
6	Words Matter: Determining How to Engage the American Public Through the Language of Conservation	WMI	61,551.69	61,551.69	123,103.38
7	Coordinating and Planning National-Scale Conservation Initiatives Through Effective Communications	AFWA	20,000	20,000	40,000
8	Updating the AFS Blue Book: Standard Methods for Aquatic Pathogen Identification and Fish Health Management	AFS	0	83,406	83,406
9	Characterizing and Mapping Chronic Wasting Disease Prion Strains Across the United States	CSU	60,138	0	60,138
10	Pilot of the WHISPers wildlife mortality event data system	IDNR	15,240	0	15,240
11	Exploring the potential for in utero transmission of CWD prions in white-tailed deer	SCWDS	99,741	0	99,741
12	National Coordination and Technical Assistance for the Prevention, Surveillance, and Management of CWD	WMI	99,225	0	99,225
13	A Novel Genetic Resource To Inform Management of CWD	MDNR	138,696.59	0	138,696.59
14	Coordination of the Industry, Federal and State Agency Coalition	AFWA	41,727	41,727	83,454
15	Angler R3 Program Funding Needs Assessment	RBFF	0	100,929.60	100,929.60
16	Tracking Participation Through Expanded Regional & National License Sales Dashboards	ASA	109,830	109,830	219,660
17	Digital Marketing Techniques to Increase Angler Participation	RBFF	0	340,000	340,000
18	Ensuring the Viability of the American System of Conservation Funding: Improving the Understanding of Excise-tax-based Funding for Conservation	WMI	64,579.50	64,579.50	129,159
19	Increasing Participation and License Sales from Hunter Education Graduates	SAF	141,350	0	141,350
20	Fishing in Schools: A Grassroots Approach to Increasing Angler Participation	ASA	0	266,500	266,500
21	Expansion of R3 and Engagement of the National R3 Implementation Workgroup	CAHSS	189,600	47,400	237,000
22	Sportfishing's 2019 State-Level, Congressional District and Species-Level Economic Impacts	ASA	0	88,400	88,400
23	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	AFWA	47,700	47,700	95,400
24	Combating Trafficking and Illegal Commercialization by Strengthening Communication and Coordination among State and National Conservation Agencies' Law Enforcement Investigations and Intelligence Sections	NCLEEF	125,000	125,000	250,000
25	Management Assistance Team and National Conservation Leadership Institute	AFWA	299,399.56	299,399.56	598,799.12
26	Increasing Awareness and Understanding of State Fish and Wildlife Management: Implementing AFWA Strategic Plan Goal 2	AFWA	50,000	50,000	100,000
27	Supporting Law, Graduate, and Undergraduate Students' Study of Legal Principles and Professional Experience in Conservation Law and Policy Through a Center of Conservation Excellence	NWTF	70,500	70,500	141,000
28	A Collaborative Network-Based Tool for Improved CWD Management in North America	MDNR	99,000	0	99,000
29	Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination	AFWA	60,900	60,900	121,800
30	Examining Societal Acceptance of Hunting and Other Consumptive Uses of Wildlife, in Order to Create and Test Agency Communication Strategies That Promote Public Acceptance and Advance Conservation	MMWF	105,730.65	18,658.35	124,389
31	State Fish and Wildlife Agency Technical Workgroup for the 2021 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (National Survey)	AFWA	40,250	40,250	80,500
32	Capacity Building, Training, and Pilot Testing of the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap	WMI	87,887.50	87,887.50	175,775
33	Preparing for the Future of Fish and Wildlife Management	CSU	69,785.44	69,785.44	139,570.88
34	Update and Further Development of Standard Sampling Protocols for Inland Fisheries (Phase 2 of 2)	AFS	0	97,399	97,399
35	Fisheries Research Tracking and Information Exchange Tool	AFS	0	84,373	84,373
36	National Fish Habitat Partnership Project Tracking Database (Maintenance, Support, and Enhancement)	PSMFC	0	20,000	20,000
37	Development of YY Male Broodstocks for Eradication of Invasive Common Carp Populations	WAFWA	0	75,704	75,704
38	Assessing the State of Fisheries Research Agendas in the United States and Outlining Best Practices for Development of Agendas	AFS	0	90,872	90,872
39-NS	Coordination Component for the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation for Year 2020	USFWS	130,853.50	130,853.50	261,707
40-NS	2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (5 years)	NORC	807,810	807,811	1,615,621
Totals			3,307,547.43	3,621,085.14	6,928,632.57
* Acronyms and initialisms for all tables are spelled out in the Abbreviations Used in Tables section.

FY 2020 Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program Fund Availability and Priority List

FY 2020 was the first year that Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program (R3-MSCGP) funds became available for award. The Service's WSFR program had $4,705,000 available for R3-MSCGP awards after sequestering $295,000; the total request for projects was the full available amount, leaving a balance of $0. The Service worked with the Association to make these funds available quickly for eligible projects. The Association provided the Service a priority list of 25 projects; the Service was able to award all projects by early December 2020. The list is in table 3.

Table 3—FY 2020 Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program Priority List

ID	Title	Recipient	Total 2020 R3 award
1	MAFWA * Regional Small Game Diversity and Inclusion Marketing Toolkit	MAFWA	$179,200
2	Exploring the R3 Needs and Opportunities of Female Hunters, Shooters, and Archers	CWA	245,004.50
3	Helping State Agencies Effectively Recruit and Retain the New Locavore Audience	WMI	154,000
4	Strengthening State Agency R3 of Diverse Hunters and Recreational Shooters	TRCP	35,500
5	Activating and Converting Target Archers into Hunting and Shooting Sports	NAA	78,295
6	Building Community to Retain Women Hunters	NWF	221,071
7	Scaling a College-Focused R3 Model	GWF	175,300
8	Increase Industry and Agency Relations and Communications by Expanding Partner-with-a-Payer Initiative	NSSF	146,112.75
9	Effectively Targeting New Adult Hunters	WMI	175,825
10	Increasing Hunting Mentor and Mentee Numbers and Effectiveness	WMI	203,821
11	Effective R3 Marketing Strategies	WMI	297,500
12	Leveraging Influencers & Content Marketing to Recruit Bowhunters	ATA	230,000
13	Email Marketing Best Practices for State Agencies	WMI	272,305
14	What is the public really saying about hunting and hunters (and what can we do about it?)	NMDGF	120,000
15	Message Testing: National Ad Campaign to Promote Support of and Participation in Hunting and Recreational Shooting	NWTF	230,658
16	Advancing R3 Forward	CAHSS	450,000
17	Hunting for Conservation Online: A Tool from CLfT to Engage in College R3 Efforts	MMWF	74,750
18	Combining States and Industry Resources to Increase R3 Success	NSSF	278,900
19	Hunters Connect State Content Delivery System and Database	IHEA	174,550
20	Trapping Matters—Communication Message Training Public Harvest of Wildlife	MMWF	52,250
21	Frameworks and Standards for R3 Effort and Strategy Evaluation	WMI	116,149
22	Development of a Real-time License Data Dashboard	ASA	239,450
23	Development of a Hunter Avidity Model to Assess & Improve R3 Participation	SAF	207,055
24	Assessing the Quality and Availability of Hunting and Shooting Access in the United States	NSSF	224,967.75
25	Hunting and Recreational Shooting Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation Among American Military Members	SAF	122,336
Total			4,705,000
* Acronyms and initialisms for all tables are spelled out in the Abbreviations Used in Tables section.

FY 2021 Awards; Fund Availability and Priority List

After adjusting for sequestered, recovery, and carryover amounts from FY 2020, the T-MSCGP had $6,515,283 available for award, and the R3-MSCGP had $5,010,000 available. The total request for T-MSCGP projects was $6,488,271.53, leaving a balance of $27,011.47. The total request for R3-MSCGP projects was $3,066,603.90, leaving a balance of $1,943,396.10. Please note that the Association's Management Assistance Team proposal requesting $555,277.37 of Multistate funds (Project #10) also was provided an additional $150,000 in Federal funds from the National Conservation Training Center. This funding addition was the result of a signed Memorandum of Agreement between the Service and the Association. The Association provided the Service with a single Priority List of 39 proposals, consisting of 22 T-MSCGP projects (including 2 approved components of the 2022-2027 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation project) and 17 R3-MSCGP projects. The list is in table 4. The projects in this list have been awarded.

Table 4—FY 2021 Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program and Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program Priority List

ID	Title	Recipient	WR* funding	SFR funding	R3 funding	Total 2021 grant
1	Communicating the Effects of Climate Change on Fish and Fisheries	AFS	$0	$111,870	$0	$111,870
2	Surveillance Optimization Project for CWD Dashboard: A Web Application for Disease Visualization and Data-Driven Decisions	CU	244,946	0	0	244,946
3	Online Platform for CWD Data Sharing Management in North America	WVDNR	225,000	0	0	225,000
4	Fisheries Gray Literature Database State Agency Expansion and Support	AFS	0	105,191	0	105,191
5	Preventing the Spread of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHDV2) in the United States by Engaging Key Stakeholders in Collaborative Management Solutions	UGA Research Foundation	149,797	0	0	149,797
6	Wildlife Viewer Survey: Enhancing Relevancy and Engaging Support from a Broader Constituency	AFWA	65,300	65,300	0	130,600
7	An Agency Path Forward: Designing Effective Engagement and Building Capacity for Relevancy	WMI	149,721.50	149,721.50	0	299,443
8	State- and Congressional District-Level Economic Impacts for Hunting and Target Shooting	SAF	100,308	0	0	100,308
9	Ensuring the Viability of the American System of Conservation Funding: Improving the Understanding of Excise-Tax-Based Funding for Conservation	WMI	85,932.50	85,932.50	0	171,865
10	Management Assistance Team and the National Conservation Institute—Leadership Development for AFWA Members and the Conservation Community	AFWA	277,638.69	277,638.68	0	555,277.37
11	Instream Flow and Water-Level Conservation Training and Research Center	IFC	0	119,325	0	119,325
12	Maintaining Relevancy of the AFWA North American Trapper Education Program for State Fish and Wildlife Agencies	AFWA	100,000	0	0	100,000
13	Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States	AFWA	84,819.60	56,546.40	0	141,366
14	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	AFWA	64,800	64,800	0	129,600
15	Supporting Effective Coordination of Regional & National Conservation Efforts Through State Fish & Wildlife Agencies	AFWA	80,869.80	80,869.80	0	161,739.60
16	Coordination of the Industry, Federal and State Agency Coalition	AFWA	30,927	30,927	0	61,854
17	Expanding the Community of Support for Fish Habitat Partnership Conservation Efforts	AFWA/National Fish Habitat Partnership	0	176,240	0	176,240
18	Strengthening Awareness of State Fish and Wildlife Management: Support for Legal Strategy and Conservation Law Education Under MSCGP Strategic Priority 4	AFWA	60,800	60,800	0	121,600
19	Supporting Law, Graduate and Undergraduate Students' Study of Legal Principles and Professional Experience in Conservation Law and Policy and Providing Opportunity for Practicing Lawyers and Judges' Continuing Legal Education on Conservation Law Under MSCGP Strategic Priority 4	NWTF	87,033	87,033	0	174,066
20	Multistate Conservation Grant Program Coordination	AFWA	45,049.20	45,049.20	38,613.60	128,712
21	Measuring the Efficacy of State Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation (R3) Efforts: A Quantitative Approach	WMI	0	0	137,530	137,530
22	R3 Specific Evaluation and Social Science Training and Resources for the Modern R3 Practitioner	MAFWA	0	0	127,573	127,573
23	Meet Demand by Building Shooting Ranges with Excise Taxes	NSSF	0	0	102,500	102,500
24	Effective R3 Marketing Strategies	WMI for the Association of Conservation Information	0	0	297,500	297,500
25	Testing and Implementation of the Hunter Avidity Model to Assess & Improve R3 Participation	SAF	0	0	112,340	112,340
26	Winning at the Point of Contact: Boosting R3 Response Rates Through Professional Communications	WMI for NEAFWA	0	0	135,000	135,000
27	Utilizing Data Driven Marketing Strategies to Enhance New Audience Engagement, R3 Curriculum Development and Program Efficacy	BCHA	0	0	156,000	156,000
28	Creating a Hunting Mentor Communication Toolkit	PF for MAFWA	0	0	139,865	139,865
29	Modernizing Trapping Matters Professional Development Workshops and Wild Fur Schools Delivery Through Updated Messaging and the Creation of Distance Learning Modules	MMWF	0	0	100,000	100,000
30	Converting 2020's Surge of New Firearm and Hunting License Owners into Active Hunters and Target Shooters	NSSF	0	0	136,500	136,500
31	Retaining 2020's Surge of Licensed Anglers	AFS	0	188,712	0	188,712
32	Asset Creation: National Ad Campaign to Promote Support for and Participation in Hunting and Shooting	NWTF	0	0	350,000	350,000
33	Tracking Participation Through Expanded, Faster License Data Dashboards	ASA	0	160,562.16	121,125.84	281,688
34	Facilitation of National R3 Strategies	CAHSS	0	0	652,850	652,850
35	Effectiveness of Hunter Education Delivery: Finding the Missing Data	IHEA	0	0	143,794	143,794
36	Archers USA Varsity Archery Next Step Program Taking Recruitment into Retention, Transitioning the National Archery in the Schools Program Participants into Bowhunters	ATA	0	0	175,000	175,000
37	Hunter Education in a Post-COVID-19 World	IHEA	0	0	140,412.46	140,412.46
38-NS	Coordination Component for the 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation for Year 2020	USFWS	132,777.50	132,777.50	0	265,555
39-NS	2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (5 years)	NORC	1,251,628	1,251,628	0	2,503,256
Totals			3,237,347.79	3,250,923.74	3,066,603.90	9,554,875.43
* Acronyms and initialisms for all tables are spelled out in the Abbreviations Used in Tables section.

FY 2022 Awards; Fund Availability and Priority List

After adjusting for sequestered, recovery, and carryover amounts from FY 2021, the T-MSCGP had $6,598,154.68 available for award. The total request for T-MSCGP projects was $6,571,005.97, leaving a balance of $27,148.71. After adjusting for sequestered, recovery, and carryover amounts from FY 2021, the R3-MSCGP had $7,045,896.10 available. The total request for R3-MSCGP projects was $5,318,864.91, leaving a balance of $1,727,031.19. Please note that the Association's Management Assistance Team proposal requesting $560,000 of Multistate funds (Project #18) was provided an additional $150,000 in Federal funds from the National Conservation Training Center. This funding addition is the result of a signed memorandum of agreement between the Service and the Association. The Association provided the Service with a Priority List of 44 proposals, consisting of 20 T-MSCGP projects (including 2 approved components of the 2022-2027 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation project) and 24 R3-MSCGP projects. The list is in table 5. The projects in this list have been awarded.

Table 5—FY 2022 Traditional Multistate Conservation Grant Program and Modern Multistate Conservation Grant Program Priority List

ID	Title	Recipient	WR* funding	SFR funding	R3 funding	Total 2022 grant
1	Modernizing Fish Hatchery Management (aka the `Piper Manual' or `Black Book'), the How-to Manual for Practicing Fish Culturists	AFS	$0	$123,554.60	$0	$123,554.60
2	Utilizing a Novel Genetic Resource to Inform Management of CWD	MDNR	199,061	0	0	199,061
3	Improve PKD Diagnostics and Assess the Impact of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae Infection on North American Salmonids	MSU	0	145,844.37	0	145,844.37
4	Contaminant Loads in Waterfowl of the NE Atlantic Flyway: New Threats and Outdated Advisories	CU	280,959	0	0	280,959
5	Burial Disposal of CWD-Infected Carcasses: Migration and Decontamination of Prions in Model Landfill Substrates	UWM	193,581	0	0	193,581
6	Advancing Implementation of the Fish and Wildlife Relevancy Roadmap	WMI	79,425	79,425	79,425	238,275
7	Ensuring the Viability of the American System of Conservation Funding: Improving the Understanding of Excise-Tax-Based Funding for Conservation	WMI	75,191	65,190	0	140,381
8	Social Listening for Relevancy	WMI	66,187.50	66,187.50	0	132,375
9	Modernize the Organization, Authority, and Programs of State Fish and Wildlife Agencies Report	WMI	103,450	58,756	0	162,206
10	Best Practices for Cultivating Diverse Fish and Wildlife Agency Workforces	CSU	71,574	71,574	0	143,148
11	Developing Your Why: An Assessment of WAFWA Member States' DEI Journey	WAFWA	37,293	37,293	0	74,586
12	New Mexico Wildlife Federation: Mi Tierra Salvaje	NMWF	95,400	75,000	75,000	245,400
13	Development of Consistent Policy and Law to Prevent Translocation of Feral Swine	WMI	93,555	0	0	93,555
14	Coordination of Farm Bill Program Implementation to Optimize On-the-Ground Fish and Wildlife Benefits to the States	AFWA	78,120	52,080	0	130,200
15	Exploring the motivations and deterrents of wildlife poachers, the true conservation costs of wildlife crime, and developing an approach to ensure restitution, fines, and penalties fit the crimes	BCC	205,272	0	0	205,272
16	Strengthening Awareness of State Fish and Wildlife Management: Support for Legal Strategy and Conservation Law Education Under MSCGP Strategic Priority 4	AFWA	14,240	14,240	0	28,480
17	Supporting Undergraduate/Graduate/Law Students' & Post-Graduates' Education & Professional Experience in Conservation Law & Policy	NWTF	75,452.50	75,452.50	0	150,905
18	Increasing Conservation Management Capacity Through Skills, Leadership, and Knowledge Development	AFWA	280,000	280,000	0	560,000
19	Multistate Conservation Grant Program Management	AFWA	58,680	58,680	58,680	176,040
20	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	AFWA	64,800	64,800	0	129,600
21	Coordination of National-Scale Conservation Efforts by State Fish & Wildlife Agencies: Travel, Industry, Agency and Communications	AFWA	101,870	101,870	0	203,740
22	Realtime License Data Dashboard Improvement and Expansion	ASA	0	117,352	117,352	234,704
23	The New Future of Hunting and Fishing	WMI	0	0	145,030	145,030
24	A National Campaign to Connect Millennials and Generation Z with Hunting, Shooting, and the Outdoors	WMI	0	0	470,538	470,538
25	Discovering Family Bowfishing—National Education Initiative	ATA	0	54,600	127,400	182,000
26	Phase 3—Launch and Education: National Ad Campaign to Promote Support for and Participation in Hunting and Shooting	NWTF	0	0	100,000	100,000
27	Effectively Targeting New Adult Hunters	WMI	0	0	158,430	158,430
28	Expanding Relevancy to Include More Diverse Audiences	ATA	0	0	71,000	71,000
29	Firearms Fundamentals Course Promotion Through SEAFWA States	SEAFWA	0	0	275,000	275,000
30	Social Influencers to Drive R3 in SEAFWA	SEAFWA	0	0	300,000	300,000
31	R3 Through Marketing via Pilot States	WMI	0	0	292,500	292,500
32	The Hunter's Network National Version	IHEA	0	0	248,275	248,275
33	Identifying When to Use In-Person vs Virtual R3 Events	SAF	0	58,219	58,219	116,438
34	Development and Implementation of a Learn to Hunt Upland Game Digital Course to Strengthen Strategic R3 Efforts of Diverse Hunters	PF	0	0	236,578	236,578
35	Native American Participation Research and Outreach	OSCF	0	0	116,000	116,000
36	Delta Waterfowl's University Hunting Program	DWF	0	0	284,614	284,614
37	Black Hunters: Reclaiming the Tradition	WMI	0	0	263,329	263,329
38	Connecting Different Cultures to Hunting and Fishing Through Food	WMI	0	24,000	48,500	72,500
39	Extending Academics Afield to Advance Equity in College R3 Programming	GWF	0	0	360,458	360,458
40	Hunters Connect Audience Expansion	IHEA	0	0	178,530	178,530
41	MAFWA Small Game Diversity and Inclusion Outreach Toolkit: Phase 2	MAFWA	0	0	220,000	220,000
42	2022-2024 Facilitation of National R3 Strategies	CAHSS	0	0	1,034,006.91	1,034,006.91
43-NS	2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation (5 years)	NORC	1,251,628	1,251,628	0	2,503,256
44-NS	2022 National Survey Coordination	USFWS	134,760.50	134,760.50	0	269,521
Totals			3,560,499.50	3,010,506.47	5,318,864.91	11,889,870.88
* Acronyms and initialisms for all tables are spelled out in the Abbreviations Used in Tables section.

Martha Williams,

Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.