Section 3060.75  Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund Grant Program − Maintenance of Wildlife Rehabilitation Facilities That Take Care of Threatened or Endangered Species

Pursuant to the Illinois Non-Game Wildlife Protection Act [30 ILCS 155/4(c)], 5% of the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund will be committed to or expended on grants by the Department for the maintenance of wildlife rehabilitation facilities that take care of threatened or endangered species.  For purposes of calculating the 5%, the amount in the Fund is exclusive of any federal funds deposited in or credited to the Fund.  The amount to be committed to or expended on grants for the maintenance of facilities that take care of threatened or endangered species shall be calculated by multiplying the total amount received through the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund check-off on the Illinois 1040 State income tax return during the most recent calendar year for which the total of donations has been reported by the Illinois Department of Revenue by 0.05.

a)         Eligibility Requirements

1)         Eligible recipients are limited to those persons who possess a current wildlife rehabilitation license/permit issued by the Department and who have provided care for threatened or endangered wildlife species during the 3-year period preceding the date of their application for grant funds.   Those applicants who intend to use any portion of grant funds received from the Department to take care of migratory birds must also possess a current wildlife rehabilitation license/permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowing that activity.

2)         Eligible projects are limited to those projects necessary for maintenance of facilities used to rehabilitate threatened or endangered species.  Eligible uses of grant funds are limited to structural repair and maintenance of existing buildings, pens, cages and appurtenant facilities used to take care of threatened or endangered wildlife species.

3)         Grants shall be limited to a maximum of $2,000 to qualified, eligible applicants per year.

b)         Application Procedures

1)         Grant applications for funding assistance under this program shall be submitted to the Department at One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, Illinois 62702-1271, Attention: Office of Resource Conservation. The application deadline will be April 1. Application forms and instructions are available through the Department. Applications received after the deadline will be returned to the applicant and not considered by the Department.

2)         Applications shall contain all of the following required information:

A)        the name and address of the applicant

B)        the name of a contact person

C)        a daytime telephone number and e-mail address (if available) for a contact person

D)         a comprehensive project description with justification, including:

i)         a description of the facilities, including photographs, at which the grant funds will be used

ii)        detailed description of the eligible uses for which grant funds will be expended, including drawings and/or photographs illustrating the portions of the facilities that will be maintained with grant funds

iii)        detailed description of the benefits to threatened or endangered wildlife species that will result from the proposed expenditure of grant funds

iv)        property location and map of property

E)         a comprehensive funding/budget summary, including:

i)          actual cash contributions other than the grant amount

ii)         labor equity contributions

iii)        documented price of expected expenditures for the maintenance project

F)         a list of all threatened or endangered wildlife species cared for at the facility in the 3 years preceding the application for grant funds and the percentage of the facility's total caseload comprised of threatened or endangered wildlife species during that 3 year period

G)        a photocopy of current wildlife rehabilitation licenses/permits issued to the applicant by the Department and/or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

H)        signature of the applicant or authorized individual for applicant

c)         Project Evaluation and Procedures

1)         All applications received on time, and containing the minimum required information, will be reviewed by Department staff. Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for completion and resubmittal. Submitting an incomplete application does not extend the application beyond the application deadline. Department staff will select those projects that they determine best fit the purposes of the fund and prepare a prioritized list of projects recommended for funding. Staff will consider the following in making recommendations: completed application, deadline met, past grant performance of applicant, eligibility, feasibility, adverse impacts and priority for the Department.  The staff shall provide to the Director all eligible applications and a prioritized list of recommended projects deemed to be consistent with the purposes of the Illinois Wildlife Preservation Fund.

2)         The Director shall make the determination of what grants shall be awarded. Applicants shall be notified of the Director's decision.

3)         Reporting Requirements

A)        The grantee shall provide a written Final Report (consisting of two hard copies and one CD or 3½" diskette in Word or PDF format; Macintosh format will not be accepted) to the Department no later than 30 days following the completion of the project or the ending date of the grant agreement, whichever is earlier. The Final Report shall take the form of a technical report or manuscript for publication and include all of the following required information:

i)          grant agreement number

grantee name, address and telephone number

time-frame of the report

name and telephone number or e-mail address of grantee representative completing the report

ii)         project objective as described in the application and grant agreement

iii)        completed project description

iv)        summary of the project accomplishments (if applicable) as follows:

introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion and summary sections

deliverables of five to 10 digital images (color/black and white photos and slides are acceptable, though digital images are preferred) depicting the study species, project site, project activities, or other aspects of the project

for education of the general public, a list of wildlife and/or native plant resources (by species) that benefited from the project and how they benefited, specific audience affected, measurable outcomes achieved, and list of products resulting from the project

total project expenditures itemized to include the following:  name and address of vendor, item description identifying details (if applicable), quantity purchased, date item purchased

project expenditures paid by funds other than Special Wildlife Grant Funds

B)        Final payment will not be processed until the Final Report and payment request certification are received and approved by the Department.  Failure to provide reports in a timely fashion may render the grantee ineligible to receive payments under the current award or make the grantee ineligible for future awards. Deadlines for reports may be extended for just cause when a request is submitted in writing at least two weeks prior to the deadline.

(Source:  Added at 32 Ill. Reg. 19781, effective December 4, 2008)