Montana and Dakotas Good Neighbor Authority Grant

The Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) is intended to facilitate partnerships with states, counties, and federally recognized Indian tribes to plan and implement forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration projects. The GNA authority specifically authorizes treating insect-and disease-infested trees; reducing hazardous fuels; any other activities to restore or improve forest, rangeland, and watershed health, including fish and wildlife habitat. GNA applies to Federal land, non-Federal land, and land owned by an Indian tribe. Under this program, funds may be used for GNA projects on non-BLM managed lands if the project directly benefits BLM-managed lands.

Example projects include but not limited to:

• Noxious weeds and invasive species treatments – Treatment of noxious weeds and invasive species is often carried out across multiple ownerships in a coordinated effort. GNA can be an effective tool to partner with a cooperating entity that is carrying out weed treatments, whether using herbicide, mechanical, or biological controls, in a coordinated cross boundary effort.
• Fuels Management – Mechanical treatments (e.g. thinning, piling, mastication, mowing) chemical and biological applications, and prescribed fire to protect communities at risk, improve wildfire resiliency, and provide a safe and effective wildfire response.
• Community Assistance – Projects across ownership boundaries with mutual benefit and the ability to leverage funds to complete work on the ground. Some treatments could include thinning around a community at risk, juniper removal to improve landscape resiliency.
• Forest Management – Conduct treatments to enhance resilience of forests to wildfire, insect, disease, and drought through density management.
• Riparian restoration – Restoration work following flood events, large washouts, or changes to riparian area form and function that support wildlife and livestock is often more effective when implemented throughout a stream reach in coordination with a cooperating entity and other federal agencies. GNA can be used to install headcut and erosion control structures, check dam repair and removal, leaking ditches, re-contouring, or re-vegetation to support stream banks.

Award Amounts: $50,000- 3,100,000

Eligible Applicants:

• State governments
• County governments
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)