L22AC00501

We request 100,000 for the identification and delivery of conservation activities required to achieve wetland wildlife habitat and recreation goals established for Blanca. Blanca has long been recognized as an important migratory bird production area for the state of Colorado. The wetlands found on the site provide valuable pre-breeding, foraging, and staging areas for populations of ducks, geese, wading birds, shorebirds, and other avian species that reside in the San Luis Valley during the breeding season as well as spring and fall migration.

The intent of the plan is to examine the contribution of wetland habitats towards these breeding and migration efforts. Limiting habitat factors for avian species will be identified, an array of habitat restorations or enhancements prescribed, and a set of preliminary construction plans will be drafted. The intent of a comprehensive wetlands conservation plan is to establish, for a given wetland complex, habitat goals and to identify the constraints and opportunities that prevail upon the achievement of those goals.

The plan presents a practical and prioritized list of proximate conservation tasks that, alone or in concert with other work, will accomplish objectives derived from the overarching conservation goals constituted in the plan. The explicit purpose of all of this is to provide a strong basis for an immediate and sustained program of conservation delivery on the wetland complex.

The following work will be performed as part of our wetland conservation efforts: project reconnaissance and feasibility assessment, project geotechnical surveys, project design and drafting, project permitting, and project administration, actuation, and evaluation. Further, DU will deliver a set of high-priority construction projects identified in the plan.

We will deliver a comprehensive wetlands conservation plan composed of the following elements: site goals and objectives, description of site wetland and water resources, topographic map and other surface modeling of important areas on the site, identification, conceptual design, and prioritization of wetland restoration projects, identification of activities required to achieve prescribed habitat conditions, a set of preliminary construction plans illustrating the required activities for restoration, regulatory review of proposed activities, description of optimal wetland management plan, schedule of equipment, materials, and contractor expenses for each identified task, identification of sources of funds available to cost-share identified improvements, explanation of funding strategies for activities on the project tract, recommended first steps towards funding highest priority activities on the project tract, drafting of 30 construction plan sets for the highest priority habitat projects, and wetland management recommendations.

In addition to the planning effort described above, DU proposes to implement priority construction projects that are identified as immediately beneficial to Blanca Wetlands and its wetland resources. The work proposed here will benefit the citizens of the United States who will be assured of a set of functioning wetland complexes on public and publicly accessible lands. Particular beneficiaries will be federal, state, and partner wetland and migratory bird managers interested in maintaining the extent and quality of wetland habitats in Colorado. Further, the public who enjoy using these BLM lands, including ranchers, waterfowlers, and birders, will benefit from the achievement of wetland habitat goals expressed in the plan.

There will be no subrecipients of this award.

Ducks Unlimited

15.247 - Wildlife Resource Management

BLM Colorado Region [DOI - BLM]

Alamosa, Colorado United States

County-Wide

Bureau of Land Management Colorado Wildlife Resource Management (L22AS00235)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 10728% from $30,000 to $3,248,328.