BLM-Utah, SGFO Partnership to Support Stewardship of the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas, Washington County, Utah | L17AS00050

Opportunity Information: Apply for L17AS00050

The grant opportunity titled "BLM-Utah, SGFO Partnership to Support Stewardship of the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas, Washington County, Utah" is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) funding opportunity focused on building organized, community-based stewardship support for two National Conservation Areas (NCAs) in Washington County, Utah: the Red Cliffs NCA and the Beaver Dam Wash NCA. These public lands are managed by the BLM Saint George Field Office (SGFO) and are increasingly affected by the rapid growth of the surrounding communities. The central idea behind the opportunity is to partner with outside organizations to help protect and care for the natural and cultural resources in the NCAs as visitation and nearby urban development continue to rise.

The need for the project is driven by Washington County being one of the fastest growing urban areas in the United States. As housing, roads, and general development expand outward, the NCAs are experiencing more intense use and more impacts tied to that growth. The opportunity highlights that population and community growth has already been linked to damage and loss of resources, including both natural resources (habitats, wildlife, vegetation, soils, water-related features) and cultural resources (archaeological sites, historic features, and other protected cultural materials). Because both NCAs are increasingly bordered by an urban environment, the BLM is emphasizing the importance of organized community support to reduce impacts, improve stewardship, and maintain the values for which the areas were designated.

A key point in the description is the scale of recreational demand, particularly in Red Cliffs NCA, which recorded more than 120,000 documented visitors in 2010. That figure is used to underscore the long-running and growing pressure these lands face from recreation and proximity to a fast-growing population center. The opportunity suggests that the impacts are not hypothetical or future-oriented; they are already occurring, and the need is for sustained, coordinated stewardship that can keep pace with increasing visitation and development pressures.

The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the BLM expects an active partnership role rather than simply issuing funds with minimal involvement. In practice, cooperative agreements are typically used when substantial federal involvement is anticipated, such as collaboration on planning, coordination with land managers, jointly defined stewardship priorities, volunteer engagement, monitoring, education/outreach, or other shared implementation activities. The funding activity category is Natural Resources, and the listing is associated with CFDA number 15.231, which corresponds to BLM assistance programs.

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, described as open to any type of entity, subject to any clarifications that would normally appear in the full posting under an additional eligibility section. This broad eligibility is consistent with partnerships that might involve nonprofit friends groups, community organizations, educational institutions, local governments, tribes, or other entities capable of organizing stewardship activities and working closely with the BLM field office.

The funding opportunity number is L17AS00050. It was created on March 28, 2017, with an original application closing date of May 26, 2017. The anticipated award information indicates a single expected award, with a maximum award ceiling of $20,000. Taken together, that suggests a relatively small, targeted partnership project intended to support on-the-ground stewardship, coordination, and community engagement rather than a large capital project.

The narrative also points to an existing foundation for success: a local "friends group" that has been involved in stewardship and conservation since the NCAs were designated through the 2009 Omnibus Public Lands legislation. This friends group previously built significant public support for permanent protection of these areas, and the BLM is signaling that this established network of supporters can serve as the backbone for continued work. The overall purpose is to harness and strengthen that community support system to help address the increasing pressures on the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash NCAs and to protect their resources as the surrounding region continues to grow.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-Utah, SGFO Partnership to Support Stewardship of the Red Cliffs and Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Areas, Washington County, Utah" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.231.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 28, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 26, 2017. (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 $20,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for L17AS00050

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