BLM Improving Habitat Quality in Arizona and Utah Big Game Migration Corridors | L18AS00096

Opportunity Information: Apply for L18AS00096

The grant opportunity titled "BLM Improving Habitat Quality in Arizona and Utah Big Game Migration Corridors" is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement aimed at quickly identifying and mapping mule deer movement and migration corridors on and around BLM-managed public lands in Arizona and Utah. It is grounded in two Department of the Interior Secretarial Orders that push federal land managers to work more closely with state, tribal, and territorial wildlife agencies to meet wildlife population objectives and to protect and improve big-game winter range and migration routes. In practical terms, the BLM is looking to fund research that produces solid, empirical movement data so it can make better on-the-ground management decisions, such as where to prioritize habitat restoration, where wildlife-friendly fencing would reduce barriers and entanglements, and where human disturbance should be avoided or minimized during key seasonal movement periods.

The main reason this funding exists is that habitat projects and corridor protections only work if managers know where animals actually travel. The BLM notes that it cannot effectively prioritize conservation actions without clear knowledge of mule deer migratory routes, and it emphasizes the need for this information quickly. The intended payoff is both ecological and public-facing: better conservation outcomes for mule deer on public lands, stronger support for hunted species management goals, and improved opportunities for wildlife viewing and hunting.

The work is split into two location-specific objectives. In Arizona, the project focuses on determining mule deer migration and movement corridors that connect the Vulture, White Tank, and Estrella Mountains with surrounding conservation and recreation landscapes, including the Sonoran Desert National Monument (BLM), Ironwood Forest National Monument (BLM), and Tucson Mountain Park. The proposed approach is to capture and fit GPS collars on 60 mule deer, track their movements across the broader landscape, and then provide the resulting geospatial corridor data to the BLM. In Utah, the objective is similar but centered on the area connecting the Oquirrh Mountains and the Stansbury (Land) Mountains, where there are substantial areas of BLM-managed public land. There, researchers would collar 40 mule deer, monitor movements, and deliver mapped corridor products and associated spatial datasets to the BLM.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, with the funding instrument identified as a cooperative agreement, meaning the BLM expects substantial involvement or coordination during the project rather than simply issuing a pass-through grant. The program is categorized under Natural Resources and is listed under CFDA 15.247. Eligibility is limited to state governments, aligning with the stated goal of coordinating closely with state fish and wildlife agencies. The opportunity number is L18AS00096. The posted award ceiling is $250,000, and the BLM anticipated making two awards, which fits the two-state structure of the work. The opportunity was created on August 24, 2018, with an original closing date of September 4, 2018.

Overall, the grant is best understood as targeted applied wildlife research with a management end use: collect GPS collar data on mule deer, translate those movement patterns into defensible migration corridor maps, and hand those spatial products to the BLM so it can more confidently plan and implement habitat improvements and corridor conservation actions on federal public lands in Arizona and Utah.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM Improving Habitat Quality in Arizona and Utah Big Game Migration Corridors" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.247.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 24, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 04, 2018. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for L18AS00096

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