The Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors announces the following three project proposals were selected to receive RCN funding:

• Support for Status Assessment and Conservation Action Plan for the Eastern Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis ) across the Northeast Region; RCN Priority Topic 4: Identification of regional focal areas and corridors for the conservation of SGCN in the Northeast.

• The Wood Turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) in the Northeastern United States: A Status Assessment and Conservation Strategy; RCN Priority Topic 5: Design and implement conservation strategies for SGCN in the Northeast.

• Conservation Assessment of Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies) in the Northeastern Region; RCN Priority Topic 2: Identification of high priority Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the Northeast

The cumulative request for funds for the 2011 RCN projects is $207,530 and the grantees will provide $211,087 in matching funds, for a total of $418,617 towards regional conservation in the Northeast. The project proposals are provided below.

Nine project proposals passed the initial review by the US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program for eligibility and match funding certification.  These nine project proposals were submitted for review to each of the RCN Technical Review Teams. Those proposals that met the initial requirements were then assigned a ranking score that reflected several predetermined criteria. The nine proposals, reviews and ranking scores were submitted to the Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee who coordinated the state agency review process. Following this tier of the proposal approval process, the Committee discussed the proposals at their Fall meeting (link to news feed) to establish priorities for funding. Proposals were then ranked by fisheries and wildlife administrators and final selections were made by the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Directors in November, 2011.