The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today announced the second of its funding opportunities for wild horse “eco-sanctuaries.” The eco-sanctuaries would be established on combined public and private lands located within Herd Areas in the West. The announcement is part of the BLM’s fundamental reforms to the Wild Horse and Burro Program.
The eco-sanctuaries would help the BLM feed and care for excess wild horses that have been removed from Western public rangelands. The facilities would be publicly accessible with a potential for ecotourism. A list of questions and answers is available at www.shortURLgoeshere.
The official funding opportunity can be found at www.grants.gov. The deadline to apply is May 24, 2011, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. This solicitation is separate from a previous announcement that covered private-public partnerships for eco-sanctuaries on private land.
To submit an application, an applicant must first obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number. This can be obtained by going to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/index.jsp. After receiving a DUNS number, the applicant may proceed to the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) page and register. The CCR registration Website is located at https://www.bpn.gov/ccr/default.aspx. Completing this registration process can take up to two weeks, so applicants should work on their proposals while they are waiting for their registration confirmation.
The BLM manages more land – over 245 million acres – than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.