U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service North American Conservation Act The Mexico Program

The North American Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989 provides matching grants to organizations and partnerships to carry out conservation projects in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Accomplishments Since 1991, more than 1,180 partners have been involved in 333 North American Wetlands Conservation Act Redhead. Credit: Neil Mishler/USFWS projects in Mexico. Partners have matched grant funds more than two-to- • enhance Mexican conservation and Mexico’s one, tripling the impact on the ground. professionals’ capabilities in natural Secretariat of the Environment and Grant and matching funds support a resource management through Natural Resources Division of Wildlife wide range of conservation activities in various technical or capacity- (SEMARNAT-DGVS), the Service’s Mexico, including projects that: building training programs; and counterpart in Mexico. Based on their longstanding partnership, the • protect, restore, or enhance • advance the conservation offices collaborate on the evaluation wetlands and other migratory bird community’s understanding of bird of each proposal. Eligible proposals habitats throughout the country; populations and habitats through are presented to the North American monitoring and sustainable use Wetlands Conservation Council, which • create or strengthen conservation- initiatives. reviews, ranks, and recommends stewardship attitudes within projects to the Migratory Bird many local communities through The Process Conservation Commission for final environmental education programs; Once a year, applicants submit project funding approval. The Division of Bird proposals both to the U.S. Fish and Habitat Conservation awards grants Wildlife Service’s Division of Bird and administers the approved projects. 2020 Grants Program Totals since 1991 Partner Match: Grant Funds: $3,856,198 $3,137,013 Grant Funding: $64,650,740 Matching Funds: $126,683,348 Projects: 333 Mexican States: 11

Number of Projects: Marbled Godwit. Credit: Roger Baker/ USFWS 13 Volunteer Project Highlights North American Wetlands Migratory In 2020, approved projects will invest more than $3.1 million in Conservation Council Commission U.S. federal funds in 11 Mexican states, including: Terry Steinwand (Chair), North Dakota Honorable David Bernhardt (Chair), Game and Fish Department Secretary of the Interior • Pronatura Peninsula de Yucatan – $200,084 for the Aurelia Skipwith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Honorable John Boozman, Senator from ecological restoration of Service Arkansas in northern John Carlson, Jr, California Waterfowl Honorable Martin Heinrich, Senator from Yucatán. Association New Mexico Daneil Eichinger, Michigan Department of Honorable Mike Thompson, Representative • Pronatura Noreste, AC. – Natural Resources from California $132,142 for the protection, David Nomsen, Pheasants Forever Honorable Robert Wittman, Representative ecological enhancement and Jeff Trandahl, National Fish and Wildlife from Virginia management of Laguna Foundation Honorable Sonny Perdue, Secretary of Madre. Tony Wasley, Nevada Department of Agriculture Wildlife Honorable Andrew Wheeler, Administrator, • Ducks Unlimited de México, Nick Wiley, Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Agency C. – $428,052 for the Mark Elsbree (Alternate), The A. Eric Alvarez (Secretary), Chief, Division enhancement of wintering Conservation Fund of Realty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grounds for waterfowl in Daniel Wolfish, (Ex Officio) Canadian Yavaros Bay. Wildlife Service History Wendy Jackson, (Ex Officio) Land Trust Over the past 25 years, the Act has • Organización Vida Alliance provided funds to protect and restore Silvestre, A.C. – $228,965 María de los Ángeles Palma Irizarry, (Ex more than 30 million acres in the United for the protection and Officio) SEMARNAT States, Canada, and Mexico. The Act was originally passed to support activities hydrological restoration of Glenn Olson, (Ex Officio) National Audubon Society under the North American Waterfowl wetlands in Marismas Management Plan, a trinational Kari Duncan (Council Coordinator) U.S. Nacionales. agreement that provides a strategy for Fish and Wildlife Service the long-term protection of wetland and associated upland habitats needed by waterfowl and other migratory birds. Since then, the Act has expanded its scope to include the conservation of wetland associated migratory birds listed in the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan, the North American Waterbird Conservation Plan and the Partners In Flight Conservation Plans.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Bird Habitat Conservation 5275 Leesburg Pike MS: MB Falls Church, Virginia 22041 703/358 1784 [email protected] www.fws.gov/ birds/grants/north- american-wetland-conservation-act. php

September 2020

The Laguna Madre, critical habitat for many wintering waterfowl. Credit: P. Thorpe/USFWS