BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Shared Conservation of Colorado's Native Birds | L18AS00004

Opportunity Information: Apply for L18AS00004

The grant opportunity titled "BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Shared Conservation of Colorado's Native Birds" (Funding Opportunity Number L18AS00004) is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Colorado program that seeks a partner to help identify and monitor native bird species and their habitats on BLM-managed public lands across Colorado, especially in the western part of the state. These landscapes span a wide range of ecosystems, from alpine tundra to canyon and mesa country in the southwest and broad sagebrush terrain in the northwest. The core idea behind the opportunity is that BLM manages extensive and ecologically diverse habitat, and effective bird conservation depends on strong, on-the-ground partnerships that can expand monitoring capacity and translate findings into better habitat stewardship and public access outcomes.

This funding is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the BLM expects active involvement and collaboration with the selected cooperator rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant. Through that partnership, the project is intended to generate practical, management-relevant data on where native birds are found, how abundant they are, and how their populations change over time. The monitoring focus is meant to support multiple bird groups that matter to public land management, including special status species, game birds, and migratory birds. By tracking distribution and trends, the work helps clarify how land use and management actions affect bird habitats and populations, and it helps pinpoint where habitat improvements or restoration efforts are most needed.

A major theme of the announcement is that bird-related recreation and wildlife-dependent activities are an important part of Colorado's economy and community life, and BLM views wildlife conservation as closely tied to sustainable recreation such as hunting and bird-watching. The agency emphasizes that BLM lands support a large share of Colorado's outdoor economy and jobs, and that maintaining healthy, functional habitat contributes both to biodiversity and to recreation-based benefits for local communities. The program also highlights BLM Colorado's National Conservation Lands, which total about one million acres, as part of the broader public-land base where stewardship and monitoring can be especially valuable.

The opportunity is listed as discretionary and is open to unrestricted applicants (in other words, it is broadly available to many entity types, subject to any eligibility details in the full announcement). The CFDA number associated with the program is 15.231, and the funding activity category is Natural Resources. The expected award setup is for a single award, with an award ceiling of $73,000 and an expected number of awards of 1. The notice was created on November 22, 2017, with an original closing date of January 23, 2018, and applicants were directed to retrieve the full application package and instructions through Grants.gov using the opportunity number.

Finally, the announcement notes a budget uncertainty factor: it was released before Congress had passed the FY 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act. Because of that, continuing resolutions or later appropriations decisions could affect whether funding is available and at what level. The practical takeaway is that the project is designed to strengthen shared conservation through partnership-driven bird monitoring on BLM lands, producing data that supports habitat management decisions, identifies restoration needs, and helps sustain both wildlife populations and the recreation opportunities tied to them.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-CO Strengthening Partnerships for Shared Conservation of Colorado's Native Birds" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 22, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 23, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $73,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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