Endangered Species Program

The Branch of Fisheries, Wildlife and Recreation (BFWR) provides competitive funding to achieve compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Tribal projects developing, utilizing, or managing Trust resources, or for projects that benefit Federally ESA-listed or Tribally-significant species on Tribal lands.

Projects for the BFWR Endangered Species Program may encompass either endangered species as identified in the ESA or Tribally-significant species as identified in a Tribal document, management plan, or Tribal Resolution. Priority consideration will be given to projects achieving ESA compliance and approval to utilize Trust resources for subsistence, economic, or other purposes beneficial to the applicant.

How to Apply

BFWR is now accepting project proposals for 2025 funding. All applications must be submitted to the appropriate BIA Regional Office contact by January 31, 2025.

Federally-recognized Tribes and Tribal Organizations may submit project proposals to the Endangered Species Program contact at their Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Regional Office. Project proposals are scored according to published ranking criteria, with the highest-scoring projects receiving funding. Projects which are required by law as part of section 7 of the Endangered Species Act will receive priority.

Each application may request up to $120,000 in project funding.

Detailed information on what to include in your project proposal, ranking criteria, and information on BIA Regional Office Invasive Species Program contacts can be found in the annual application linked below.

2025 Endangered Species Ranking Criteria and Application Process

Previously Funded Endangered Species Projects

California Yurok Tribes – California Condor

Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department staff member conducting an Endangered Species Act compliance survey

In support of their Threatened and Endangered Species Monitoring Program, a Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department staff member conducts an Endangered Species Act compliance survey.

The Yurok Tribe established the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Program in 2008, featuring the California Condor as their prime species for conservation and restoration. The Tribe has worked perseveringly to restore prey-go-neesh (condor in Yurok) populations to the Yurok Hlkelonah (the cultural and ecological landscape) throughout their ancestral homelands. As of 2020, the program has been elevated to Yurok Condor Restoration Program (YCRP) within the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department (YTWD). The YTWD collaborates with other Pacific Northwest tribes, as well as federal and local/state programs, on condor reintroduction projects such as the Northern California Condor Restoration Program (NCCRP). Through these partnerships, the NCCRP has established a Release and Management Facility, flight pens, and the Condor Management and Operations Center.

Soaring adult condor from the Yurok Condor Restoration Program

As of October 2022, the Tribe and its partners have released six condors which are monitored through a combination of satellite and radio transmission as well we visual observations. The YTWD team also works with Tribal elders to preserve traditional Yurok knowledge and stories about condors to pass onto the next generation.

Tulalip Tribes of Washington – Chinook Salmon

Tulalip Tribal employees conducting foot surveys and carcass sampling for Chinook salmon