The Directors of the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies have made their final selection of the 2012 proposals that will receive funding.   The following three projects will begin in 2013:

RCN 2012(1): Detecting the extent of mortality events from Ranavirus in amphibians of the Northeastern U.S. Priority RCN Topic # 7- Identify and Assess Threats to NE Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

RCN 2012(2): The conservation status of the brook floater mussel, Alasmidonta varicosa, in the Northeastern United States: trends in distribution, occurrence, and condition of populations. Priority RCN Topic # 7- Identify and Assess Threats to NE Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

RCN 2012(3): Assessment and Evaluation of Prevalence of Fungal Dermatitis in New England Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) Populations. RCN Topic # 5- Design and Implement Conservation Strategies for NE Species of Greatest Conservation Need.

The cumulative request for funds for the 2012 RCN projects is $242,989.11 and the grantees will provide $260,027.48 in matching funds, for a total of $503,016.59 towards regional conservation in the Northeast. The project proposals are provided below.

Ten 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 ten 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 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 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 December, 2012.