Management Grants Program
The Iowa DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program is making small grants available for management projects directly related to wildlife diversity conservation. Approved projects will be funded on a single-year basis but can be submitted for additional funding in subsequent years (not to exceed 3 years in succession). Proposals will be accepted from any organization engaged in management for the benefit of wildlife conservation. Projects should be closely related to the goals of Iowa's Wildlife Action Plan (http://www.iowadnr.com/wildlife/diversity/plan.html). Total grant allotment is $15,000 per year with $7,500 being the maximum amount available per proposal request. Deadline for proposals is 5 pm on December 15, 2009. No match is required for these funds, but if a project needs additional funding, those funds must be secured prior to March 31, 2010. Funds will be available July 15, 2010.

• Management Grant Application Instructions,*.pdf

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Small Grants Program Funds Available
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, funded by donations from the Fish & Wildlife Protection Fund (Chickadee Checkoff) and Natural Resource License Plate funds, has small grants available for projects directly relating to wildlife diversity conservation, education, or research. Approved projects will be funded on a single-year basis but can be submitted for additional funding in subsequent years (not to exceed 3 years in succession). Total grant allotment for 2010 is $10,000 with $2,500 being the maximum amount available per project funding request. If you are interested in applying for small project funding, please refer to the "Small Grant Program" document listed below for further information. Grant proposals for the 2010 monies are due December 15, 2009 by 5 PM. Funds will be available June 1st, 2010.

• Small Grants Brochure,*pdf

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UPDATED!!! - State Wildlife Grant Funds Available
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is providing the opportunity for all interested conservation organizations, colleges, and universities to receive a portion of State Wildlife Grant funds through a competitive granting process. If you are interested in applying for project funding, please refer to the documents listed below on this page.

New this year is a pre-proposal step. In order to apply for these funds, you first must submit a pre-proposal by September 28, 2009 by 5PM through email to Doug.Harr@dnr.iowa.gov. Selected applicants (approximately 5) will then be invited to submit a full proposal for consideration by December 15, 2009 by 5PM. We expect to be able to fund 1-2 of these proposals, depending upon the availability of federal appropriations. Also new this year is a 1:1 match requirement on behalf of the submitting organization. In years past, the IDNR has been able to provide funds needed to meet the federally required 1:1 match, although proposals able to provide their own match have received a higher score. This year, only proposals that can provide their own 1:1 match will be considered. The 1:1 match must occur within each federal fiscal year (October 1 - September 30), with the submitting organization having an equal or greater amount available for match within each fiscal year.

For more information on the pre-proposal process, please refer to both the "Call for Pre-proposals" and the "Pre-proposal Application Guidelines" below. The "Current Research Needs" document lists current priority research interests for the IDNR. Proposals are NOT limited to these topics. The research needs list should serve only as an idea page but extra consideration may be given to proposals addressing these needs.

If your pre-proposal is selected, you will receive an email inviting you to submit a full proposal with an attachment on the full proposal application guidelines.

	*.pdf
Call for Pre-proposals: Detailed information about Iowa's State Wildlife Grants program
Pre-proposal Application Guidelines: Specific guidelines for writing and submitting an Iowa State Wildlife Grant Proposal
Current Research Needs: A list of research needs designated as high priority by Iowa DNR management staff

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• State Wildlife Grants
  

Patch-Burn-Grazing Study

Nestling found During Bird Response Study

Bobcat Population Study Iowa Stream Fish Golden Redhorse Iowa Stream Fish

Examples of some State Wildlife Grant Projects: Bobcat Distribution and Population Dynamics: In order to conserve and manage populations of these interesting carnivores, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with Iowa State University began a study in 2003 to understand the distribution, abundance, and dynamics of bobcats in Iowa. http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/ClarkW/html/bobcat.html Bird Response to Enhanced Vegetation at Spring Run Study: This study is to compare the response of birds nesting in 4 different created habitat (grasslands) types commonly used on Wildlife Management Areas in NW Iowa. http://www.cfwru.iastate.edu/projects/In%20Progress/Unit%20Scientist/contKofordSpringRun.pdf Patch-Burn-Grazing Study: Our mission is to explore approaches to the restoration of native grasslands and associated biodiversity within a working landscape. The target is a system based on grazing and recreational land use that is both ecologically and economically viable, as well as socially acceptable. http://www.nrem.iastate.edu/research/patchburn/index.html Birds and Vegetation at Neal Smith NWR: This project has two major goals: 1) to examine temporal shifts in avian diversity and community structure through stages of restoration of a tall grass prairie and 2) to compare avian diversity and community responses to habitat structure across restored prairie and woodland savannah. Iowa Stream Fish: The first major benefit of this project will be the establishment of a prioritized and realistic plan for assessing Iowa's stream fish SGCN. A second major benefit of this project will be a significant increase in our understanding of the occurrence and distribution of high-priority SGCN in Iowa streams. An additional benefit of this project will be better understanding of the status of all fish SGCN, not just the high-priority subset of SGCN. Secretive Marsh Birds: This project will 1) develop methodology for surveying secretive marsh birds in Iowa, 2) design and implement a survey for estimating the abundance of secretive marsh birds (bitterns and rails) in Iowa and suggest how this could be used as a long-term monitoring tool, and 3) assess general habitat associations of secretive marsh birds in Iowa relative to wetland characteristics. http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cootjr/Marsh-bird%20research.htm