BLM Utah Fisheries and Riparian Resources Programs and Projects | L17AS00189

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00189

The BLM Utah Fisheries and Riparian Resources Programs and Projects grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L17AS00189) is a discretionary funding program offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, focused on protecting, restoring, and improving aquatic and riparian habitats on BLM-administered public lands in Utah. The central goal is to ensure suitable habitat for fish, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates, and other species associated with wetlands, lakes, streams, and riparian corridors managed by the BLM. Utah BLM manages a substantial aquatic footprint, including roughly 3,390 miles of fisheries stream habitat and about 15,230 acres of lakes and reservoirs, and the condition of these areas is directly tied to the survival and recovery of high-priority species, including seven federally listed endangered or threatened aquatic species and eleven BLM sensitive species covered under conservation agreements and strategies.

The opportunity is structured as an umbrella announcement designed to build cooperative partnerships with other federal and state agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, and other interested entities to carry out assessment, planning, implementation, and monitoring work. A key theme is that riparian and wetland areas represent a very small fraction of BLM-managed lands in Utah (about 215,840 acres out of 22,142,000 acres), yet they provide outsized ecological value. Because these habitats are limited and sensitive, the program emphasizes investments that measurably improve watershed function, riparian condition, and aquatic habitat quality while also supporting broader wildlife habitat goals. In the coming years, BLM identifies three major priority areas: (1) habitat restoration, (2) invasive species prevention and control, and (3) expanding or improving sportfishing opportunities on public lands in ways that remain compatible with native species conservation and overall aquatic ecosystem health.

Projects supported under this announcement can cover a range of activities, but they are generally expected to align with science-based, landscape-scale tools and datasets used by BLM and its partners. On the assessment and planning side, BLM is looking for technical support during land use planning and project development, including the application of regional or landscape assessments and decision-support tools. Examples specifically cited include Rapid Ecoregional Assessments, the Beaver Restoration Tool, the Riparian Condition Assessment Tool, Aquatic Assessment Inventory and Monitoring data, high-resolution riparian land cover mapping, fish habitat datasets, geomorphic change detection information, the Conservation Success Index, and Native Salmonid Population Viability Analysis. In practice, that means applicants may propose work such as compiling and interpreting monitoring and mapping data, identifying restoration and protection priorities, evaluating limiting factors for aquatic species, designing restoration treatments, and building monitoring frameworks that track ecological outcomes over time.

On-the-ground implementation is also a major focus. BLM is interested in projects that restore both coldwater and warmwater fisheries habitats, with an emphasis on benefiting native fish and other aquatic organisms. Typical restoration concepts consistent with these objectives can include improving stream and floodplain function, addressing barriers to fish movement, enhancing in-stream and riparian habitat complexity, stabilizing or re-vegetating degraded riparian areas, and supporting natural processes that sustain water quality and suitable temperature regimes. The program also explicitly links riparian restoration to broader habitat priorities, including projects that support riparian recovery within Greater Sage-Grouse priority habitats, reflecting the reality that riparian areas can be critical seasonal resources within sagebrush landscapes and that restoration can yield cross-species benefits when planned carefully.

Another eligible and highlighted area is "working lands" and conservation ranching initiatives. These projects are intended to conserve native fish and riparian resources through practical land management approaches that maintain healthy, balanced ecosystems. This can include collaborative strategies that improve riparian condition while sustaining compatible agricultural or grazing operations, often through improved grazing management, infrastructure or pasture management changes, protection of sensitive riparian reaches, or other practices that reduce stressors on streams and wetlands while supporting long-term stewardship.

In terms of basic grant mechanics, awards are made as cooperative agreements, which generally indicates BLM expects substantial involvement in coordinating, guiding, or participating in the work rather than simply issuing a standalone grant. The opportunity was listed under CFDA 15.231 (Natural Resources). Eligibility is described as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to many entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications in the full notice. The posted funding parameters for this announcement included an award ceiling of $90,000, with an expectation of about five awards. The original posting dates indicate it was created June 27, 2017, with an original closing date of August 28, 2017, which places it in a specific funding cycle; however, the program description is useful as a clear statement of BLM Utah priorities and the types of partnership projects the agency seeks to advance for aquatic and riparian conservation on public lands.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM Utah Fisheries and Riparian Resources Programs and Projects" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 27, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 28, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $90,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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