Shorebird Conservation Project

THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE-SOURCE AND THERE IS NO FULL ANNOUNCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NOTICE. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) intends to award a grant agreement to the National Audubon Society to support the implementation of land protection tools to secure important roost sites for Hudsonian Godwits and Whimbrels on Chiloé Island, Chile, and to reduce disturbance at protected roosts. A new national law, the ⿿Derecho Real de Conservación⿝, allows landowners to place conservation easements on their properties to maintain and enhance the ecosystem services that are provided to the people of Chile. This program will build capacity to implement the Derecho Real de Conservación on properties of high value to migrant shorebirds, maintain and expand a local landowner and coastal conservation network, and measure effectiveness of conservation efforts through shorebird monitoring. Strengthening the management infrastructure and conservation capacity of local organizations will ensure that effective habitat management at key sites will be maintained and expanded on Chiloé Island. The National Audubon Society was selected to receive this award based on unique qualifications due to a decade long partnership with the Centro de Estudio y Conservación del Patrimonio Natural (CECPAN). The two organizations have been working together with local conservation partners and international investors to advance conservation in key coastal wetlands and associated watersheds for migrant shorebirds and resident waterbirds on Chiloé Island. This program addresses Secretarial Priority #1: Creating a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt as it promotes natural resource conservation through the balanced stewardship of public initiatives for private lands. The program will work with local communities, organizations and agencies, which will expand the lines of communication which addresses Secretarial Priority #3: Restoring trust with our local communities. Funding for this project is provided under the authority of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 742a-754; Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act of 1958, 16 U.S.C. 661-667(e); Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901-2911; the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, 16 U.S.C. 709a, and the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017.