Nine project proposals are currently under consideration by the Northeast Regional Conservation Needs (RCN) Grant Program review teams and committees.

The proposals, submitted in response to the 2011 RCN request for proposals, cumulatively request $558,000 in funding and address five of the seven RCN Topic Areas (see attachment below) outlined in the RFP. The two RCN Topic Areas that received no proposals were “Assess Threats to SGCN” and “Design SGCN Monitoring Protocols.”

Following an initial review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program for eligibility and match funding certification, project proposals were submitted for review to each of the RCN Technical Review Teams. Individual team members screened each proposal for relevance to the RFP, clarity and achievability. Those proposals that met the initial requirements were then assigned a ranking score that reflected several predetermined criteria.

Currently, all proposals, reviews and ranking scores have been submitted to the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee who will coordinate the state agency review process. Following this tier of the proposal approval process, the Committee will discuss the proposals at their September meeting to establish priorities for funding. Proposals will then be ranked by fisheries and wildlife administrators.

Awarded project proposals will be determined and announced by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors in early November.