As indicated in the grant application process described at the NAWCA website, joint ventures have a role in reviewing applications and providing input to the proposal selection process.

Because the joint venture review process varies by joint venture, the following information describes the process utilized by the Gulf Coast Joint Venture (GCJV):

• Proposals are distributed to the 4 Working Groups of the GCJV’s Science Team for their review and assessment relative to biological objectives and priorities in GCJV conservation plans.
• Science Team working group members will additionally consider the contributions of each proposal to GCJV NAWCA objectives for resource users and conservation supporters, specifically the degree to which each proposal contributes to increasing the number of hunter use-days, bird viewer use-days, and private landowners participating in habitat conservation programs in the GCJV region.
• Full proposals are made available to members of the GCJV Management Board.
• Project officers will be contacted by the GCJV Coordinator to participate in a teleconference or meeting of the GCJV Management Board and other proposal representatives. This teleconference or meeting typically takes place 4-7 weeks after the proposal application deadline.

What to Expect During the Teleconference/Meeting

• Participants include all proposal representatives, GCJV Board members, GCJV staff, and sometimes others at the invitation of the Board Chairperson.
• Each proposal representative will have a specific allotted time slot to use at their discretion. Given that teleconference/meeting participants will have seen your proposal prior to the call, we suggest that you use the majority of this time to highlight unique aspects of your proposal, particularly those that may not be obvious from the written application. The GCJV Coordinator will inform you of the allotted time well prior to the call, and the times will be strictly monitored and enforced.
• Board members will then have an opportunity to ask a variety of questions of the proposal representatives. Some standard questions are likely to include the following:


1. "Was this project vetted or discussed by GCJV Initiative Teams?"
2. "Was input sought from GCJV Staff during proposal development?"
3. "Habitat objectives and priorities for each GCJV Initiative Area are summarized in fact sheets for each area. With specific reference to objectives and priorities depicted in these fact sheets for a GCJV Initiative Area relevant to your proposal, identify the single best (i.e., one) nexus of your proposal with a GCJV objective or priority.


Initiative Area Fact Sheets
• Laguna Madre Initiative Area Fact Sheet
• Texas Mid-Coast Initiative Area Fact Sheet
• Texas Chenier Plain Initiative Area Fact Sheet
• Louisiana Chenier Plain Initiative Area Fact Sheet
• Mississippi River Coastal Wetlands Initiative Area Fact Sheet
• Coastal Mississippi-Alabama Initiative Area Fact Sheet


4. "How would your proposed project help address the GCJV’s NAWCA objectives for resource users and conservation supporters as mentioned above?"
5. "What efforts did you make to seek additional contributing partners?"
• At the conclusion of the teleconference or meeting, the Board will develop a recommendation for consideration by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Council). That recommendation will be transmitted via letter to the Council, and each proposal’s project officer will receive a copy.

All GCJV Planning documents and Initiative Area Implementation Plans may be found in the GCJV Documents section of this website. GCJV Planning Documents relevant to each respective Initiative Area may also be found in the Intitiative Area section.