FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management | L25AS00075

FAQs: FY25 IIJA/IRA BLM Idaho (ID) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management (L25AS00075)

What is this funding opportunity?

This is the FY25 IIJA/IRA Bureau of Land Management Idaho (ID) Invasive and Noxious Plant Management funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number L25AS00075). It is a discretionary funding program from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that will be awarded through cooperative agreements under CFDA 15.230.

What is the main purpose of the program?

The program is intended to protect BLM-managed public lands in Idaho by supporting work that addresses invasive plants and state-designated noxious weeds. The underlying premise is that invasive plants and noxious weeds are a major, long-term driver of ecosystem degradation, and that proactive, sustained management is needed to keep native plant communities intact and functioning.

Where must projects take place?

Projects are focused on protecting BLM-managed public lands in Idaho. The description also emphasizes cross-boundary benefits, including reducing impacts to neighboring lands, but the central focus is BLM-managed public lands in Idaho.

What types of activities are supported?

The eligible activity types named in the program description include prevention, detection, inventory, control, and monitoring related to invasive plants and noxious weeds.

What are examples of work that fits these activity types?

While specific treatment methods are not listed in the provided excerpt, the description indicates that, in practice, this kind of work often includes surveying and mapping infestations, prioritizing rapid response for new outbreaks, implementing integrated weed management approaches, restoring treated areas to reduce reinvasion risk, and measuring treatment effectiveness to inform follow-up actions.

Why does the program emphasize prevention and early detection?

The program frames invasive and noxious plants as a leading threat to native plant communities and the benefits they provide. It also notes that modern patterns of trade, travel, and tourism increase the speed and volume of species movement, and that more frequent wildfires and other disturbances can make sites more vulnerable to invasion. These factors increase the urgency for proactive and coordinated management, including preventing new infestations and detecting them early.

What outcomes is BLM trying to achieve with this funding?

Projects are meant to directly address the spread and impacts of invasive and noxious plants on public lands. The opportunity highlights practical outcomes such as preventing new infestations, improving early detection, expanding inventory and mapping, conducting on-the-ground control treatments, and monitoring results over time.

How does this work support broader land and community benefits?

The notice emphasizes that intact native vegetation supports wildlife habitat, watershed function and water quality, recreation access and quality (including hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking), and the economic stability of rural communities and working landscapes. It also highlights that invasive plants can reduce the health and productivity of farms and ranches, degrade parks and natural areas, and harm adjacent private lands, contributing to economic losses in rural and urban settings.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits).

Who is not eligible to apply?

Individuals and for-profit organizations are explicitly ineligible to apply under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

What award instrument will be used?

Awards will be made through cooperative agreements. This generally indicates a partnership approach where BLM remains substantially involved in the funded work, which is characteristic of cooperative agreements.

What is the maximum funding amount per award?

The award ceiling is listed as $250,000, meaning this is the maximum federal amount anticipated per award under this listing.

How many awards will be made?

The excerpt provided does not state the expected number of awards.

What is the closing date for applications?

The original closing date listed for this opportunity is 2025-02-03.

When was the opportunity created?

The opportunity was created on 2024-11-13.

Is this opportunity intended for organizations that can deliver on-the-ground results?

Yes. Funding is intended for organizations capable of delivering practical invasive plant and noxious weed management outcomes on public lands, typically through partnerships with substantial BLM involvement.

Does this NOFO support hiring interns or youth crews under the Public Lands Corps Act?

No. This NOFO does not support entities that want to hire interns or crews under the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993. The notice states that the Public Lands Corps authority is the only legislative authority that allows BLM to "hire" interns under that framework.

Where should Youth Conservation Corps organizations apply for youth-crew or internship-style projects instead?

Youth Conservation Corps organizations are directed to pursue youth-crew and internship style projects under a different funding opportunity: NOFO 15.243, BLM Youth Conservation Opportunities on Public Lands.

Are there special rules for applicants that are part of a CESU network?

Yes. For applicants that are part of a Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU) network, the notice reiterates CESU’s purpose (research, studies, assessments, monitoring, technical assistance, and educational services) and includes a specific indirect cost limitation for certain CESU awards.

What is the CESU indirect cost cap mentioned in the notice?

If a cooperative agreement is awarded to a CESU partner under a negotiated Master CESU agreement consistent with the CESU purpose, indirect costs are capped at no more than 17.5 percent of the indirect cost base recognized in the partner’s federally approved NICRA.

What should CESU applicants include in their proposal according to the notice?

CESU applicants are expected to state whether their proposal advances CESU purposes and identify which CESU Network should be considered as the host.

What is the broader management approach implied by the notice?

The notice emphasizes proactive and sustained management to keep native plant communities intact and functioning. It also stresses coordinated management due to increased species movement from trade/travel/tourism and increased vulnerability following wildfires and other disturbances.