Announcements
Typical Projects
- Buying land to conserve wildlife habitat
- Restoring state lands
Who May Apply?
Critical Habitat, Riparian Protection, and Urban Wildlife Habitat Categories
- Cities, counties, towns
- Federally recognized Indian tribes
- Nonprofit nature conservancies
- Special purpose districts, port districts, or other political subdivisions of the state that provide services to less than the entire state
- State agencies (Department of Enterprise Services, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission)
Natural Areas Category
- Nonprofit nature conservancies
- State agencies (Department of Enterprise Services, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission)
State Lands Restoration and Enhancement Category
- State agencies (Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission)
Urban Wildlife Habitat Category Eligibility
Click this map to see if your project is in an eligible urban area.
Planning Requirement
To apply for this funding, grant applicants must have completed a comprehensive recreation or conservation plan. See details on the planning page and in Manual 2: Planning Guidelines.
Funding
Funding comes from the sale of state bonds and is awarded every two years.
Grant Limits
| Category | Grant Limit |
| Critical Habitat | None |
| Natural Areas | None |
| Riparian Protection | Minimum request of $25,000, no cap. |
| State Lands Restoration and Enhancement | Minimum request of $25,000. Maximum request of $1 million for a single-site project and $500,000 for a multi-site project. |
| Urban Wildlife Habitat | None |
Match Details
Local agencies, special purpose districts, and nonprofits must provide 50 percent match and at least 10 percent of the total project cost must be from a non-state, non-federal contribution.
State agencies do not have to provide match.
Native American tribes must provide 50 percent match.
Match may include the following:
- Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials
- Appropriations or cash
- Bonds
- Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
- Other grants
Eligible Projects
Land Acquisition
Acquisition includes the purchase of perpetual interest in real property or non-perpetual interests such as leases and easements. Acquisition of non-perpetual interests must be for at least fifty years and may not be revocable at will.
Incidental costs related to acquisition are eligible. The Riparian Protection Category provides funds for acquisition of lease extensions under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which must be for a minimum of twenty-five years.
Development
- Benches, tables
- Interpretive kiosks, signs
- Paths, roads, parking
- Restrooms
- Viewing shelters
The Critical Habitat, State Lands Restoration and Enhancement, and Urban Wildlife Habitat Categories also allow for habitat creation and enhancement.
The Riparian Protection Category allows for site stewardship plans.
Restoration and Enhancement
- Animal watering stations
- Ecological restoration
- Estuary and shoreline restoration
- Fencing, gates,and signs
- In-stream habitat such as bank stabilization, channel reconfiguration, and woody materials placement
- In-stream passage improvements
- Habitat enhancement such as native plantings and invasive plant removal
- Removal of structures like bulkheads, dikes, levees, tide gates, and impervious surfaces
- Site augmentation to establish restoration elements
- Transplanting and re-vegetation
- Upland stewardship
Ineligible Projects
- Animal species introduction or propagation, other than biological controls for invasive species, etc.
- Concessionaire buildings
- Cost not directly related to implementing the project such as indirect and overhead charges
- Environmental cleanup of illegal activities, such as the removal of derelict vessels, trash, or meth labs
- Wildlife production facilities such as fish hatcheries
- Indoor facilities such as community centers, environmental education or learning centers, gyms, swimming and therapy pools, and covered ice-skating rinks
- Offices, shops, residences, and meeting and storage rooms
- Properties acquired via condemnation
- Specific projects or actions identified as mitigation as part of a habitat conservation plan approved by the federal government for incidental take of endangered or threatened species or other projects identified for habitat mitigation purposes
- Routine operation and maintenance costs
Long-term Commitment
Long-term commitments vary by grant program, category, project type, property ownership type, and other details.
More information is in Manual 10b: Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program Habitat Conservation Account and Manual 7: Long-term Obligations.