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Initiative Summary
Saving New England's Wildlife funds projects that accelerate the conservation of high priority wildlife habitat in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
The initiative achieves its mission through (1) capital grants for the purchase of permanent conservation easements and fee interest in land and (2) grants and contracts for efforts that increase support and funding for wildlife habitat protection.
Capitalized with a $6 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the initiative was developed and is administered by OSI. OSI awards grants to qualified organizations through a competitive process that is guided by an advisory board comprised of experts from across the three states with knowledge of the region’s wildlife habitat, funding opportunities, conservation policy, and protection opportunities and needs.
Mission
Saving New England's Wildlife seeks to sustain, protect and enhance wildlife habitat in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts through the conservation of ecologically critical lands and waters identified in State Wildlife Action Plans. The initiative also seeks to accelerate implementation of the action plans, build support for wildlife conservation, and increase public and private funding for protection of high priority wildlife habitat.
Funding and Awards
Through its affiliate organization, the Open Space Conservancy (OSC), OSI has received a $6 million grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to accelerate the conservation of priority wildlife habitat identified by State Wildlife Action Plans in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
OSI will award $5 million in capital land protection grants on a competitive basis to qualified organizations. A minimum of $1 million will be awarded to projects in each state, with the remaining funds to be granted to conservation transactions of the greatest need and opportunity within the three eligible states. This $5 million must leverage at least $25 million in other public and private financial support to help implement the action plans. Projects are reviewed by a regional advisory committee that recommends grants and loans for approval to OSI. In the first round of grants (Spring 2009), OSI approved 15 capital grants, three of which have closed. (PROJECT LIST)
In addition, non-capital grants are available to increase funding for wildlife conservation and to amplify the importance of State Wildlife Action Plans to the media, decision-makers, funders and the general public. These amplification grants and contracts are awarded for selected projects by invitation only. OSI has approved six amplification grants in 2009. (Press Release)
Outcomes: What we want to achieve
Saving New England's Wildlife supports transformative land conservation efforts, each containing priority habitat as identified in the State Wildlife Action Plans. The program will leverage at least $25 million in public and private funding.
More broadly, the initiative’s investment in selected land conservation projects will:
- increase support for wildlife conservation among key decision makers and the general public;
- raise the visibility of habitat conservation efforts to land trusts, elected officials and the public;
- promote the interdependence between land conservation and community economic development;
- catalyze other land conservation projects
- promote regional habitat conservation;
- enhance connectivity among conserved lands and waters to facilitate wildlife movement and adaptation to climate change, and
- direct and leverage funding and capacity to implement the action plans in the region.
Geographic Focus
The New England states included in this program contain areas of great need and opportunity for wildlife conservation. Each state supports rich animal and plant diversity that are undergoing high rates of habitat loss to development and fragmentation.
To slow this loss, urgent conservation action is needed across the region. Recognizing this need, each of these states has developed a high quality State Wildlife Action Plan to guide conservation. Importantly, each state also has supportive political leadership, strong state agency commitment to conservation, experienced partner organizations, public support for wildlife conservation, and exemplary land conservation projects.
OSI will fund conservation projects that contain priority habitat, as identified in the state action plan. Preference will be given to priority habitat projects located in one of three distinct parts of the region, as depicted on the attached map: the tri-coastal plain of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts; Maine’s bold coast from Cobscook Bay to Mt. Desert Island; and the ecologically rich forests of western Massachusetts and central New Hampshire.
These ecological areas were chosen based on 1) biological diversity, 2) immediate or near term threat, 3) land conservation opportunities, 4) high percentage of species of greatest conservation need, and 5) regional and national significance of the wildlife resources at risk.
Land Protection Grant Criteria
To be considered for funding, projects must meet all of the following threshold criteria:
- Include priority wildlife habitat identified in the State Wildlife Action Plan (See the grant application for contact information);
- Protect ecologically critical land and waters through acquisition of fee interest in land and waters, or with a permanent conservation easement or conservation restriction;
- Provide financial leverage of 5:1 or greater. Projects with less than 5:1 match will be funded only in exceptional circumstances;
- Be completed within 18 months of application;
- Require Forest Stewardship Council certification, to the extent practicable, for any conservation easements that allow commercial timber harvesting;
- Be spearheaded by organizations with the capacity and financial ability to execute the transaction and ensure long-term stewardship of the protected property.
Additional geographic preference: The initiative will give preference to projects that are located in the ecological areas shown on the map. However, under exceptional circumstances, we will fund projects outside those areas that:
- Contain wildlife resources that are of greater than state-wide ecological significance as detailed in the State Wildlife Action Plans
- Are part of a multi-community or multi-state conservation effort
- Are a top conservation priority for the state wildlife agency
Those projects that meet the threshold criteria will be judged against the following criteria:
- Conserves, either alone or in conjunction with existing protected areas, larger landscapes to ensure the viability of wildlife species at scale;
- Enlarges, connects and/or buffers existing protected lands and waters to facilitate movement of wildlife and adaptation to climate change;
- Catalyzes other conservation transactions or funding, increases and diversifies the audiences for conservation, and/or brings together unlikely allies for conservation;
- Demonstrates a connection between conservation and community economic sustainability, for example a reserve component within a working landscape;
- Demonstrates an urgency and/or timeliness in proceeding, i.e., where there is significant but manageable threat; and
- Is executed in a cost-effective manner, providing the greatest benefit at the least cost.
Eligible Uses of Funds
Grants may be used to acquire permanent conservation easements and fee interest in land and waters. These grant funds are not to be used for stewardship or other non-capital project expenses. The initiative may also provide short-term low-interest loans to bridge gaps in public or private funding. For loans, please refer to OSI’s loan application requirements.
Application Process and Timeline
Grants and loans are available on a competitive basis to qualified organizations. Preference for funding is given to nonprofit groups; under exceptional circumstances the initiative will provide funds directly to state or municipal agencies.
Grant applications and information regarding grant submissions are available here.
Grant proposals must be received by 5 pm on December 11, 2009
Proposals are reviewed by the Fund’s advisory committee, which makes recommendations to OSI's Credit Committee. Final grant awards will be subject to approval by OSI's Board of Trustees. Funds will be provided at project closing in accordance with the terms of a grant agreement.
Contact
Jennifer Melville, New England Coordinator
Open Space Institute
26 School Street
Yarmouth, ME 04096
Tel: 207-846-9700
jmelville@osiny.org | 
