Department of the Interior Funding: $5.0 million, consisting of:

Habitat Partnership Grants: $2.0 million.

• The Department and the Service will work with the States of Arkansas and Louisiana, the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, and the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission to develop a package of grants to support protection and restoration of habitat for the Ivory Billed Woodpecker.
  
  
• Funding will be considered from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, the Cooperative Endangered Species Fund, and the Private Stewardship grant programs.

Recovery Planning: $1.3 million in 2005

• Development of species recovery plan and public education materials by the ESA program $800,000 in 2005 for team formulation, planning, public outreach. 2006 full year cost: $1.2 million.
  
  
• USGS research to support recovery planning and to guide other protection and restoration efforts. $500,000 each in 2005 and 2006.

Partnerships: $1.2 million in 2005

• Develop partnerships with landowners and waterfowl clubs to restore hydrology, protect habitat and support species-specific conservation practices. $1 million from the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program will support a 2-year effort.
  
  
• Expand partnerships for bottomland hardwood forest tree planting on refuge lands by private industry. Private companies receive credits for carbon sequestration. $200,000 from challenge cost share funding will support the restoration of habitat.

Enhanced Law Enforcement: $300,000 in 2005

• Enhance refuge law enforcement capability to work with visitors, birders, and hunters on public use/access issues. $300,000 in 2005; $600,000 full year cost in 2006.

• Assign a special agent to work on range-wide protection issues. $200,000 in 2006.

Public Education: $200,000 in 2005

• On-refuge kiosks and other public education efforts. $200,000 in 2005.

• Also ESA outreach included in recovery package above.

Department of Agriculture Funding: $5.2 million, consisting of:

• USDA's Conservation Reserve program will solicit sign-up of 18,000 acres of bottomland hardwood planting within the 100-year floodplain. USDA would cost-share the cost of tree planting, contributing $2.7million for this purpose in the near term. In out years, USDA would pay the participating landowners $13.5 million dollars in rental payments to maintain the trees ($900,000 per year for 15-year, renewable contracts).

• To enhance existing habitat, USDA will contribute $1 million of Wildlife Habitat Improvement program funds to support habitat improvement work in the affected area.

• To protect existing high quality habitat, USDA will contribute $1.5 million of Wetlands Reserve program funds to purchase development easements on older age class forests in the affected area.