White Nose Syndrome Grants to States

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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is pleased to announce the availability of financial assistance to state wildlife agencies for issues related directly to the management of white nose syndrome (WNS). This opportunity is only open to state agencies and no more than one award will be granted to each state. Priority will be given to states that have confirmed WNS or the causative fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), and adjacent states. However all states are encouraged to apply. As of May 1, 2014, states confirmed to have WNS include: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Pd has also been detected on bats in Minnesota and Iowa. The following adjacent states are now considered most vulnerable to the future spread of Pd and WNS: North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Rhode Island. The Service has targeted up to $1.5 million for the funding opportunity in 2014 to help build state capacity that will assist with the management and control of WNS. Available funds are from internally awarded FY2013 and FY2014 funds. These grant awards are made under CFDA Number 15.657, Endangered Species Conservation Recovery Implementation Funds.

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