Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 1995 / Notices 7787

Description Date

NO 05–04, Afognak ........ January 4, 1995.

NO 05–05, Karluk ........... January 4, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Copies of these OPD’s may

be purchased for $2.00 each from the

Minerals Management Service, Alaska

OCS Region, 949 East 36th Avenue,

Room 603, Anchorage, Alaska 99508–

4302, Attention: Library, (907) 271–

6435.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Technical comments or questions

pertaining to these maps should be

directed to Leasing and Environment,

Chief, Leasing Activities Section, at the

address stated above, or at (907) 271–

6691.

Dated: January 30, 1995.

Judith C. Gottlieb,

Regional Director, Alaska OCS Region.

[FR Doc. 95–3167 Filed 2–8–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–MR–M

National Biological Service

State Partnership Program

AGENCY: National Biological Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The National Biological

Service (NBS) is announcing the

availability of funds to States for

research, inventory and monitoring, and

the dissemination of information

relating to biological resources. This

program is intended to encourage and

reinforce cooperative working

relationships between NBS and the

States, and among States and their

agencies. It is anticipated that the

resulting cooperation and collaboration

will produce and make available more

and better biological information at less

cost by leveraging public funds for

greater efficiency.

DATES: Materials concerning this

program, proposals, and applications for

Federal assistance must be received by

March 22, 1995. Decisions on the

proposals will be made in April 1995.

ADDRESSES: Proposals should be sent to

the National Biological Service State

Partnership Program; Mail Stop 3070–

MIB, 1849 C Street NW., Washington,

DC 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.

Mary Anne Young, Mail Stop 3070–

MIB, 1849 C Street NW., Washington,

DC 20240, telephone 202–482–3188, or

on internet as YoungM@Mail.fws.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

The NBS is developing a multidimensional State Partnership Program

intended to build upon relationships

between States and the Department of

the Interior (DOI) bureau elements that

have been transferred to NBS with the

goals of (1) fostering collaborative efforts

within and between States to increase

the availability of sound ecological and

biological science to decisionmakers; (2)

producing information and products

regarding biological and ecological

resources useful for decisionmaking to

all levels of government and the private

sector; (3) promoting more efficient use

of both NBS and State funding by

fostering collaboration, and (4)

promoting overall closer relationships

with the States. This program is

conducted in furtherance of the

Secretary’s obligations under the Fish

and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C.

742a-j) and the Fish and Wildlife

Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661–667e).

NBS solicits applications for project

funding.

B. Background

The NBS was created in November

1993, as an independent science bureau

in DOI. The Secretary of the Interior

issued Order No. 3185 on January 5,

1995, changing the name of ‘‘the

National Biological Survey’’ to ‘‘the

National Biological Service’’ to more

accurately reflect the mission of the

agency. Sec. 6.b. of Order No. 3185

reads: ‘‘States have significant resource

management responsibilities, including

species other than those entrusted to the

Federal Government. Also, they hold

much of the information necessary to

understand important resource issues.

The NBS will work with States to

understand the biological resource

issues and share data, working with

them to establish common protocols and

standards for data collection, analysis,

and dissemination.’’

The National Academy of Sciences

(NAS) 1993 report on the NBS, A

Biological Survey for the Nation, stated

that effective conservation and

protection of the Nation’s resources

depended on strong partnerships

between Federal and State agencies. The

NBS concurs strongly and seeks to

expand its interactions with States. A

key to NBS success is the development

of close collaboration between NBS and

States, and among various State

agencies.

States have diverse capabilities for

collecting data useful to a variety of

decisionmakers. Each State has legal

mandates for conserving and managing

its fish and wildlife resources for values

including cultural, aesthetic,

educational, scientific, economical, and

recreational. The NBS inherited

constructive working relationships with

States through the Cooperative Fish and

Wildlife Research Unit programs and a

wide variety of programs and projects at

the Fish and Wildlife Research Centers

now generally referred to as Science

Centers—and other field units. NBS

therefore is keenly aware of the array of

biological information and expertise

available from State agencies, and how

many of their missions and goals

correlate well with NBS programs.

C. Availability of Funds

The NBS is inviting State agencies

and institutions whose primary focus is

on natural resources to submit

applications for funding for Fiscal Year

1995. The total funding available for

Fiscal Year 1995 is $600,000. These

monies will be provided to successful

applicants on a competitive basis. In

order to maximize the number of States

able to participate, there is no minimum

project cost. The maximum project cost

will be $150,000. Proposals showing

matching funds and in-kind

contributions are encouraged as are

proposals that are submitted as

collaborative projects among State

entities or involving two or more States.

D. Eligibility Requirements

Any agency or instrumentality of the

several States, The District of Columbia,

and all Territories, Possessions and

Commonwealths of the United States,

that conducts natural resource

identification, monitoring, or research,

may apply.

E. Application Process

Any parties interested in obtaining

more information from the NBS State

Partnership program and/or information

on how to apply for available funds

should write to: The National Biological

Service, State Partnership Information

Request, Mail Stop 3070–MIB, 1849 C

Street NW., Washington, D.C. 20240,

Attn: Mr. Robin O’Malley; or Internet:

O’MalleyR@Mail.fws.gov

All requestors will receive an

information package with detailed

application instructions including the

proposal format, the criteria for funding,

the methods by which proposals will be

selected, a description of NBS programs

and priorities for FY 1995, a list of NBS

contacts for the specific areas, and an

Application for Federal Assistance

(Standard Form 424).
7788 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 1995 / Notices

F. Dates

Proposals and Applications for

Federal Assistance must be submitted to

the above address by March 22, 1995.

Decisions on the proposals will be made

in April 1995.

F. Eugene Hester,

Deputy Director, NBS.

[FR Doc. 95–3159 Filed 2–8–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–DP–P

Success With Species at Risk Initiative

AGENCY: National Biological Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The National Biological

Service (NBS), Office of Inventory and

Monitoring, is establishing a Success

With Species at Risk Initiative to

develop scientific information on the

status and trends of sensitive species

and ecosystems, particularly with

respect to the relationship of habitats to

abundance and distribution, and with

special emphasis on producing

information needed by or useful to

public and private land managers.

The goal of the initiative is to fund

projects, on a wide range of taxa, that

will generate information and

alternatives that lead to the stabilization

of declining populations of sensitive

species, and special attention will be

focused on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service Category 2 species list compiled

under the authority of the Endangered

Species Act. Information will be shared

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

for use in listing determinations.

Information may also lead to removal of

species from the candidate list.

DATES: Completed project proposals and

Federal Assistance forms (Standard

Form 424, etc.) must be received by the

NBS within 45 days after publication of

this notice in the Federal Register.

Notification of project selection and

funding will be made as early as April

26, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Parties interested in this

initiative should request an information

package from: National Biological

Service, Mail Stop 3660–MIB, 1849 C

Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20240,

attn. John Mosesso or Wendy Kuhne.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John

Mosesso or Wendy Kuhne, Mail Stop

3660–MIB, 1849 C Street NW,

Washington, D.C. 20240, E-Mail:

MosessoJ@mail.fws.gov or

KuhneW@mail.fws.gov, or telephone

202–482–3774.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Notice is hereby given that the

National Biological Service (NBS),

Office of Inventory and Monitoring, is

establishing a Success With Species at

Risk Initiative to develop scientific

information on the status and trends of

sensitive species and ecosystems,

particularly with respect to the

relationship of habitats to abundance

and distribution, and with special

emphasis on producing information

needed by or useful to public and

private land managers.

This notice is to provide an

opportunity for scientists,

conservationists and land managers

from academia, State agencies, private

organizations and industry, and Native

American Tribes and Nations to

participate in this initiative through

research, inventory and monitoring

activities. The initiative involves shortterm projects that generate information

on sensitive species and particularly

those presently listed on the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service Category 2 species

list.

The goal of the initiative is to fund

projects, on a wide range of taxa, that

will generate information and

alternatives that lead to the stabilization

of declining populations of sensitive

species, and special attention will be

focused on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service Category 2 species list compiled

under the authority of the Endangered

Species Act. Information will be shared

with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

for use in listing determinations.

Information may also lead to removal of

species from the candidate list.

This initiative is conducted in

furtherance of the Secretary’s

obligations under the Fish and Wildlife

Act of 1956 (16 USC 742a–742j, as

amended) and the Fish and Wildlife

Coordination Act (16 USC 661–667e, as

amended).

B. Background

The NBS is an independent science

bureau in the Department of the Interior

(DOI) that gathers and analyzes

biological information and serves as an

information clearinghouse, providing

broad access to the widest possible

range of factual data on the status and

trends of the Nation’s biota and the

potential effects of land management

choices.

The Secretary of the Interior issued

Order No. 3185 on January 5, 1995,

changing the name of the ‘‘National

Biological Survey’’ to the ‘‘National

Biological Service’’ to more accurately

reflect the mission of the agency. Sec. 4

of Order No. 3185 reads: ‘‘The primary

role of the NBS is to meet the biological

research needs of other organizations

within the Department of the Interior,

other Federal agencies, States, local

entities, Tribes, and private and

nonprofit users.’’ The initiative

addresses the role of NBS by gathering

scientific information on sensitive

species and their habitats. This

information serves public and private

landowners who are interested in

sustaining biological resources. It also

provides understanding to help avoid

conflicts that can both stymie

development and degrade natural

habitats.

The Success With Species at Risk

Initiative will develop scientific

information and alternatives to assist

Federal, State, and other land managers

in their decisions regarding the

protection of sensitive species and

habitats and to allow the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service to remove Category 2

species which do not merit further

consideration.

C. Availability of Funds

Through this initiative, the NBS

invites proposals for funding for Fiscal

Year 1995. The total funding available

for the fiscal year is up to $1 million.

Monies will be provided to successful

applicants on a competitive basis. In

order to maximize the number of

proposals there is no minimum project

cost. The maximum project cost will be

$100,000. When the biology of the study

species dictates, monies awarded in

Fiscal Year 1995 may be carried over

into FY 1996, for the purposes of

completing on-going field research.

D. Eligibility Requirements

The NBS will accept project proposals

for this initiative from State agencies,

private and industry groups, academic

institutions, and Native American

Tribes and Nations. Proposals will be

evaluated by NBS scientists with respect

to their scientific merit, partnership

opportunities, quality of investigators

and institutions, potential for providing

useful information to resource

managers, ecosystem and landscape

benefits, potential for conservation

agreements, possibilities for cost

sharing, and demonstration of progress

or successful completion in 1995.

E. Application Process

Parties interested in participating in

this initiative should request an

information package which will include

detailed application forms, Federal

Assistance forms (Standard Form 424,

etc.), proposal format requirements, etc.

from: