Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program
Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks
FWP’s Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) is a federal grant program for conducting noxious weed management to restore wildlife habitat.
WHIP projects should include:
- ecologically important wildlife habitat that is directly threatened by noxious weed invasion;
- a landscape or watershed-scale approach; multiple partners and landownerships; access for public hunting;
- and a plan to maintain or restore native plant communities following weed management activities.
Funding
Up to $2M of federal Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration funds are available annually for new WHIP projects and requires a dollar of nonfederal matching funds (cash) for every 3 dollars of federal grant funding. Grants, which are paid in the form of reimbursed expenses, may be up to five years in duration.
Eligibility
Eligible activities include herbicide, biocontrol, and mechanical treatments, restoration seedings, grazing improvements as part of an integrated noxious weed management plan, and project administration and monitoring.
2024 Funding Opportunity
Application period: September 1 – November 23, 2023
WHIP applications are detailed and complex. FWP strongly encourages contacting the WHIP Coordinator, Smith Wells (406-444-7291 or smith.wells@mt.gov), for guidance on your project design to ensure compliance with the program requirements.
