Notice of Intent to Award to Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) | BOR LC 17 N007

Opportunity Information: Apply for BOR LC 17 N007

This funding opportunity is a continuation cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Funding Opportunity Number BOR LC 17 N007; CFDA 15.538) intended for the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW). The notice signals the Bureau of Reclamation's intent to make an award of up to $1,128,911 (one expected award) to support ongoing operation of NDOW's fish culture work tied to native fish conservation in the lower Colorado River Basin. The opportunity was created on July 6, 2017, with an original closing date of July 20, 2017, and eligibility is limited to state governments, which aligns with NDOW as the identified recipient.

The core purpose of the award is to ensure NDOW can provide, operate, and maintain dedicated fish rearing facilities at two key sites: Lake Mead Hatchery (LMH) and the Overton Wildlife Management Area (OWMA). These facilities are used to produce and raise native fish species that have experienced major declines across the Colorado River Basin. The work described is hands-on propagation and augmentation: rearing wild-caught larvae, growing fish through post-larval and sub-adult stages, and then stocking multiple year classes of fish each year. In practical terms, the agreement supports a pipeline that starts with collecting early life stages from the wild (or otherwise sourcing fish consistent with program needs), raising them in controlled hatchery or rearing conditions where survival is higher, and releasing them strategically to bolster populations and maintain age-class diversity in the system.

The project focuses on three native species: razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus, RASU), bonytail (Gila elegans, BONY), and flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis, FLSU). Two of these, razorback sucker and bonytail, are among the four endemic large-river fishes of the Colorado River Basin listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The emphasis on these species reflects both their conservation status and the long-standing impacts of river regulation and nonnative species introductions that have reshaped the basin's habitats and food webs.

For razorback sucker, the opportunity description provides the historical and ecological rationale for continued augmentation. Razorback sucker were once abundant and widely distributed across the mainstem Colorado River and major tributaries in several basin states, but their current distribution and abundance are much lower than historical levels. The narrative attributes the decline largely to the construction of mainstem dams and the establishment of reservoir environments, which favored introduced nonnative game fishes and altered the river's natural flow and sediment regimes. While razorback sucker have managed to persist in some lower basin reservoir settings, the description notes that persistence has often depended on early recruitment soon after dam closures and, importantly, on ongoing augmentation efforts. In other words, hatchery production and stocking are presented as essential tools for keeping populations present and viable under modern conditions.

For bonytail, the description similarly outlines a species that was once common from Mexico to Wyoming but suffered a major range-wide decline beginning around the 1950s. The same broad drivers appear: habitat alteration associated with dam construction and pressure from nonnative fishes. Unlike razorback sucker, bonytail have struggled to persist in lower basin reservoirs, making hatchery and captive propagation even more central to the conservation strategy. The opportunity text highlights a key element of this species' recovery framework: a captive broodstock originally developed from 34 individuals captured from Lake Mohave between 1976 and 1988. That detail underscores how constrained the species' genetic and demographic starting point has been for restoration and why consistent, well-managed production capacity remains important.

For flannelmouth sucker, the opportunity frames the species somewhat differently because its legal status is not the same as the two ESA-listed species, but conservation concern is still high. Flannelmouth sucker were historically described as the most abundant large fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin, yet they declined in the lower basin and were at times largely limited to portions of the Colorado River above Lake Mead and a short reach of the Salt River. The description notes that flannelmouth sucker are listed as a species of special concern in Arizona and are considered extinct in California. They are included in the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program (LCR MSCP) because of the possibility of future listing under the ESA or California Endangered Species Act (CESA), or potential protection under Nevada or Arizona law. Including flannelmouth sucker in the production and stocking work is therefore partly proactive: maintaining or rebuilding populations now can reduce extinction risk and help avoid further regulatory escalation later.

Overall, the opportunity is essentially a capacity-and-operations investment in two NDOW facilities that function as conservation production centers for native Colorado River fishes. Rather than funding a one-time study, it supports recurring, year-to-year activities that keep propagation infrastructure running, maintain fish through multiple life stages, and produce enough individuals across multiple cohorts to stock annually. The underlying conservation logic is straightforward: in heavily modified river and reservoir environments where natural recruitment is limited and nonnative predation or competition is high, targeted hatchery rearing and stocking can sustain or rebuild native fish populations, preserve genetic resources through broodstock management, and support broader basin recovery and multi-species conservation commitments.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation in the environment sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Intent to Award to Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.538.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 06, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 20, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $1,128,911.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for BOR LC 17 N007

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