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The New Mexico Environment Department's Surface Water Quality Bureau has issued an amendment to the Request for Proposals for the River Stewardship Program. Proposal due date is March 3, 2016

Surface Water Quality Bureau Invites Public Input For Nonpoint Source Management Program Revision.

For those not familiar with the SLO Price Agreement for Natural Resource Management Services, here are the basics: • Price Agreements are standing contracts to provide certain services for a set price. • Price Agreements are not for specific projects. They are for various natural resource management activities. • They are divided into the following categories: 1. Vegetation Management (includes mechanical and hand thinning, chemical treatments, and slash treatments) 2. Prescribed Fire Services 3. Revegetation 4. Erosion Control, Road Management, and Post-Fire Treatments 5. Fencing 6. Project Management • A contractor can bid on any of the categories, but is not required to bid on all of them. • Bids are per acre, per hour, and daily rates depending on a particular category. Please pay close attention to the bidding requirement for each category. • Being selected for the Price Agreement does not automatically guarantee work. Contractors will be chosen for project work based on their capabilities, cost and time table, and past work experiences with the State Land Office and other land management agencies • Multiple contractors will be accepted for services. • Other state agencies, such as State Forestry and Department of Game & Fish, may utilize the Price Agreement for their project work. If you have any questions about the Invitation to Bid, please contact Sandra Lujan at State Purchasing Division at 505-827-0242. Contacts for questions about natural resource management projects are Mark Meyers at 505-827-4453 or Will Barnes at 505-827-5856.

The program will award grants that will develop cooperative weed management areas (CWMA), support significant advances of existing CWMAs, develop or strengthen prevention and early detection/rapid response efforts, enhance education, and assist awareness projects to reduce or eliminate invasive plant species. The program is a partnership among the NFWF, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Forest Service. Pre-Proposal Due Date: August 3, 2016 by 11:59pm Eastern Time Full Proposal Due Date: September 29, 2016 by 11:59pm Eastern Time

Applications may be submitted through Jan. 22, 2018.

USDA to Provide $9 Million, Leveraging Further Public and Private Resources to Create New Mitigation Opportunities for Farmers and Ranchers WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the establishment of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wetland Mitigation Banking Program, made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. Through the program, NRCS will provide $9 million to help states, local governments or other qualified partners develop wetland mitigation banks that restore, create, or enhance wetland ecosystems, broadening the conservation options available to farmers and ranchers so they can maintain eligibility for other USDA programs. "Over the past seven years, USDA has worked with private landowners to enroll a record number of acres in conservation practices, and we are seeing significant reductions in nutrient runoff and greenhouse gas emissions. Wetland Mitigation Banks will give farmers and ranchers more conservation options so they can find the best solution for their land and circumstances, and produce even more results," Vilsack said. Wetland mitigation banking is a market-based approach that involves restoring, creating, or enhancing wetlands in one place to compensate for unavoidable impacts to wetlands at another location. Wetland mitigation banking is commonly used to compensate for wetland impacts from development, but can also be used to offset impacts from agriculture. A small number of banks have been developed in the U.S. specifically to assist agriculture, and the mitigation banks established under this program will be used to help agricultural producers who need to mitigate wetland losses to maintain eligibility for USDA programs. NRCS is seeking applications from eligible third-parties to develop wetland mitigation banks, or modify existing banks to better serve agricultural producers. These third-parties include federally recognized Indian tribes; state and local units of government; for-profit entities; and nongovernmental organizations. The maximum award provided through this announcement is up to $1 million. This funding may be used to cover the administrative and technical costs associated with the development of a wetland mitigation bank or banking program. Funding may not be used to purchase an easement or any other interest in land. Partners will develop, operate, and manage the wetlands mitigation banks with technical oversight from NRCS, and will market mitigation credits to farmers and ranchers. Credits must be made available to producers within two years after the agreement is signed. NRCS is prioritizing funding to locations that have a significant known wetland compliance workload. These locations include the Prairie Pothole Region, California Vernal Pool Region, Nebraska Rainwater Basin Region, and other areas that have significant numbers of wetlands compliance requests. Priority will also be given to applications based on the speed with which mitigation credits can be made available to agriculture producers. USDA is now accepting project proposals for this program. Proposals are due to NRCS before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 28, 2016. The announcement and associated forms for this funding opportunity can be found at www.grants.gov.

Reclamation is inviting States, Tribes, irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations with water or power delivery to apply for a funding opportunity to cost-share on projects that conserve and use water more efficiently, increase the use of renewable energy and improve energy efficiency. The projects should support water sustainability in the west.