NFWF Atlantic River Restoration Grants 2018

In December 2018, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), along with with numerous federal, state, and local agencies, companies, and organizations announced funding for a variety of upcoming projects to protect and restore rivers, fisheries, and important habitat in the USA.

Funding for the projects originated from the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF), Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF), and Bring Back the Natives program.

This summary includes projects that will impact rivers of Long Island Sound, the Chesapeake Bay, and Atlantic Coast. For the full list of NFWF funded projects, visit www.nfwf.org.


Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) Grants:

A Fishway for Pages Millpond Dam (CT)

Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will construct a fishway opening 5.35 river miles and 4.25 lake acres of fish habitat for alewife, blueback herring, and American eel in North Branford, Connecticut. The project will complete the restoration of this riverine migratory corridor to Long Island Sound for the first time in 300 years.

A Fishway for the Railroad Pond Dam (CT)

The Town of Berlin will install a fishway at the Railroad Pond Dam in Berlin, Connecticut. The fishway will remove an impediment to passage and open a 12-acre pond and river for fish to pass to Long Island Sound including alewife, blueback herring, sea lamprey and American eel.

Planning for Two Fish Passage Projects in Southeastern Connecticut (CT)

Connecticut Fund for the Environment/Save the Sound will develop engineered designs for fishways at Whitford Pond Dam in Stonington and at Alewife Cove Dam in Waterford, Connecticut. The project will set the stage to provide 4.2 miles of access to spawning, rearing and refuge habitat along two riverine migratory corridors valuable to Long Island Sound diadromous and freshwater fish such as alewife, blueback herring, brook trout, American eel and American shad.

Shewville Dam Fishway Design Project (CT)

The Eastern Connecticut Conservation District will prepare an engineered plan for a fishway on the Shewville Dam and Shewville Brook in Ledyard, Connecticut. The project will set the stage for the installation of a fishway that will reconnect 4.3 river miles and 152 acres of lake for alewife migration to all historic upstream habitat along a river corridor of Long Island Sound.


Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will support projects aimed at restoration and conservation of the Chesapeake Bay watershed in six U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

The grants were awarded through the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund (CBSF), a partnership between NFWF and the EPA’s Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grants Program (INSR Program) and Small Watershed Grants Program (SWG Program). Additional support is provided by other government agencies and the private sector.

Increase Collective Impact on the Elizabeth River through Strengthened Partnership (VA)

The Elizabeth River Project will recieve funding to further coordinated stormwater management and ecosystem restoration in Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The project will establish a leadership roundtable and summit to formally adopt a new watershed action plan, explore regional financing options, and improve coordination of green infrastructure projects at a variety of scales.

Formalizing and Growing the Middle and Upper James Riparian Consortium (VA)

The James River Association (JRA) will formalize an existing multi-party partnership structure designed to improve coordination and delivery of riparian conservation programs and practices in the middle and upper James River watershed. This project will utilize a consortium model to build individual organizational capacity of partners, coordinate project prioritization, and implement 200 acres of riparian buffers.

Envision the Choptank: Expanding and Scaling-Up Regional Partnership (MD, DE)

Shorerivers will strengthen and expand the Envision the Choptank partnership by identifying specific locations for best management practices on agricultural lands, providing training and education on high impact restoration techniques, and expanding landowner partnerships and technical assistance offerings. Project will continue to build the partnership of 17 regional and state organizations while implementing 250 acres of best management practices in the Choptank watershed.

Stormwater Pollutant Mitigation and Green Infrastructure at the Science Museum of Virginia

The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation will help mitigate sewer overflow events by removing 3 acres of impervious surface, installing an advanced bioretention system, enhancing existing green stormwater infrastructure education and outreach, and developing a predictive model of future green site and stormwater management projects. Project will reduce nutrient and sediment loads discharging into the James River and will demonstrate effective stormwater management practices.

Restoration of the Eastern Oyster in the Lynnhaven River (VA)

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) will help establish 2.5 acres of new oyster reef, construct and plant 200 reef balls, and place 5.5 million young oysters in the Lynnhaven River. The project will be conducted in partnership with Lynnhaven River Now oyster reef construction, enhancing the population of native eastern oysters, and engaging approximately 500 volunteers in a wide array of hands-on oyster restoration activities.

Supporting Community-Based Municipality Stormwater Retrofit Plans in Prince George’s County (MD)

The Low Impact Development Center will create partnerships and provide capacity to the 12 municipalities within the Anacostia Watershed to assist in meeting National Pollutant Dischare Elimination System permit requirements. Project will engage elected officials, community leaders, citizens, staff and businesses resulting in the planning, selection, and design of stormwater retrofit best management practices.

Restoration of the Eastern Oyster in the Lynnhaven River Western Branch (VA)

Lynnhaven River Now, in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will construct a 3-acre oyster reef using crushed concrete substrate in the Lynnhaven River. Project supports an overall goal of 60 acres reef habitat in the Lynnhaven River.

Oyster, Shoreline and Stream Retoration in the Rappahannock Tidal Tributaries (VA)

Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) will undertake projects in Carter’s Creek and Urbanna Creek implementing oyster restoration on the river bottom, living shorelines and grasses to reduce shoreline erosion, and green infrastructure to address polluted stormwater runoff. Project will engage schools and community volunteers in restoration work.

Engaging Local Landowners in Living Shorelines and Shoreline Management (VA)

The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission will target landowners with contiguous repetitive loss properties to create a 500 to 700-foot stretch of living shoreline and develop rural coastal flooding resiliency plans utilizing sand from other dredging projects. The project will improve coastal resiliency and mitigation efforts, while simultaneously improving water quality and managing shoreline erosion and marsh loss.

Sustainable Streamside Buffer Establishment in the Upper Susquehanna (NY)

The Tioga County Soil and Water Conservation District of New York will provide support to the Upper Susquehanna Coalition Buffer Program to plant additional riparian buffer acreage and facilitate management on riparian buffer practice acres. The project will enable riparian buffer stewards to evaluate and assess buffers throughout the watershed to determine plant survival and management needs and to facilitate management activities.

Stormwater Management in Shenandoah Towns (VA)

The Town of Woodstock will construct two biofiltration projects, incorporate permeable pavers into a retrofit of court square area, and foster broader adoption and better maintenance of stormwater facilities by the localities in the Shenandoah River Friendly Towns collaboration through a series of related outreach and training efforts. Project will demonstrate benefits of green infrastructure in Shenandoah localities.

Stream and Habitat Restoration in Kings Branch Flat Creek Greenway Natural Area (MD)
Grantee: South River Federation

Oyster Reef Restoration in the St. Mary’s River Shellfish Sanctuary (MD)

The St. Mary’s River Watershed Association will construct and install 5 acres of three-dimensional reef structures and traditional oyster restoration structures in the St. Mary’s River Shellfish Sanctuary. The project will engage 200 volunteers on site and an additional 600 STEM and public school students.

Trees for Public Health in the Harris Creek Watershed (MD)

Baltimore Tree Trust (BTT) will expand the urban tree canopy and remove impervious surfaces, focusing on planting trees along streets in neighborhoods identified as concrete-laden, with critically low tree coverage. The project will result in 275 newly planted street trees and the removal of 8,800 square feet of impervious surface.

Mircro-Bioretention at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church (MD)

The St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Congregation will install three micro-bioretention facilities in St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church’s parking lot. The project will capture and treat stormwater and pollutants that run off from the parking lot into Jones Falls River and Baltimore Harbor.

Living Shoreline and Oyster Reef Ball Restoration in the Turnbull Community (MD)

A South River Federation (SRF) project on the the South River will stabilize 748 feet of shoreline through rock sills and oyster reef balls; reef balls will be placed along the bottom of rock sills and set with oyster spat to study oyster population success.

Leveraging Partnership and Data in the Nanticoke for Stormwater Best Management Practices (DE)

The University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center will use existing collaborative structures in the watershed to collect and analyze data about demographics and landownership to identify needed changes and gaps. The project will assist Nanticoke Watershed Alliance (NWA) in developing recommendations for stormwater management to increase participation in programs and implementation, meet total maximum daily load goals across regulated and unregulated parts of the region, and fit the communities’ financing capacity.

From Design to Construction: Scaling-Up to Meet Demand for Living Shorelines on the Lower Bay (VA)

Environmental Concern will increase the capacity of the Elizabeth River Project for in-house design and construction of living shorelines, rain gardens, wetlands, and other green infrastructure. The project will address a lack of available and affordable construction firms to meet an increasing demand for this work on the lower bay.

Reconnecting Floodplains and Stream Restoration in the Upper Sassafras (MD)

Shorerivers will produce a fully permitted stream and wetland restoration design that addresses an eroding 4,800 linear foot stretch of forested perennial stream in the headwaters of the Sassafras River. The project will result in designs for a stream that receives runoff from surrounding highways and a weigh station, as well as 370 acres of surrounding agricultural land.

Developing a Privately-Managed Upland Restoration Plan for Gwynns Falls (MD)

CityScape Engineering will perform green infrastructure audits and individual restoration site plans, providing a capital improvement planning tool for individual property owners, including anticipated costs for design, construction and maintenance of best management practices with recommended funding mechanisms.


Bring Back the Natives Program Grants

Restoring Stream Connectivity for Eastern Brook Trout in the Upper Rappahannock Watershed (VA)

This Piedmont Environmental Council project seeks to improve native eastern brook trout habitat in Virginia’s Upper Rappahannock watershed. In partnership with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) the project will reconnect 2 miles of intact brook trout habitat and restore 200 linear feet of riparian habitat by replacing culvert structures with an open-span bridge.

National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants (USA)

More than $20 million will help fund 28 projects in 12 coastal states to protect, restore or enhance more than 10,000 acres of coastal wetlands and adjacent upland habitats under the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program.

State and local governments, private landowners, conservation groups, and other partners will contribute over $20 million in additional funds to these projects, which acquire, restore or enhance coastal wetlands and adjacent uplands to provide long-term conservation benefits to fish and wildlife and their habitats.

“The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Coastal Wetlands Grants provide critical funding in the effort to protect some of our most fragile and at-risk wildlife habitats, said Service Director Dan Ashe. “With rising ocean levels eating away at coastal wetlands from one side and development claiming more and more acres on the other, our coastal wetlands are being squeezed into an ever thinner sliver of land. Never before has it been so important to protect these places.”

States and territories receiving funds are California, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, and Washington.

More information is available at:

http://www.fws.gov/coastal/CoastalGrants/index.html.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Maine Shore and Harbor Planning Grants

The Maine Coastal Program, part of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (DACF), recently announced awards to nine coastal municipalities. The awards will provide support for harbor management, waterfront infrastructure planning and design, and public access.

Funding for the grants comes from DACF’s federal coastal management award from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and from Maine’s Submerged Lands Program. Each grantee will provide a minimum of 25% in matching funds or services.

Grants were awarded as follows:

1. Bath – Guilford Lot Cooperative Fishing Pier: $10,000 for design and engineering services to develop a vacant lot along the Kennebec River into a cooperative fishing pier.

2. Brunswick – Brunswick Public Mooring Field Opportunities: $15,900 to assess options for creating a town mooring field for non- residents.

3. Cranberry Isles – Islesford Town Dock Repairs: $30,000 for engineering and design to repair and extend the Islesford Town Dock.

4. Cumberland – Payson Pier Replacement Project: $20,906 for engineering and design of a new pier.

5. Frenchboro – Waterfront Management Plan: $20,000 to develop a plan for managing municipal waterfront resources.

6. Ogunquit – Replacement of Existing Pedestrian Bridge: $20,000 for design and engineering of a new pedestrian bridge to provide safer access to Ogunquit Beach.

7. Portland – East End Beach Non-Motorized Boating Facility: $22,500 to design new floats and dockage for non-motorized watercraft activity on East End Beach.

8. Sedgwick – Benjamin River Harbor Design and Engineering: $15,000 for engineering of improvements or a replacement for the existing pier, as well as conceptual design of the entire municipal facility.

9. Wells – Who Owns the Beach? Access and Ownership Research: $8,900 to evaluate the applicability of local historical deeds and possible implications on public access in the community.

More information on the grant program can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mcp/grants/shore-and-harbor-planning-grants.html.

USFWS BIG Grants

On 9 April, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced more than $11.2 million in competitive grants to 15 states for projects to support recreational boating through the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program.

The Fish and Wildlife Service will also release approximately $2.4 million to 25 states, commonwealths, and territories willing to match a smaller, non-competitive grant program known as “BIG Tier 1” funding.

Grantees use Boating Infrastructure Grant funds to construct, renovate, and maintain facilities with features for transient boats (those staying 10 days or less) that are 26 feet or more in length and used for recreation. Grantees may also use funds to produce and distribute information and educational materials about the program and recreational boating.

Funding for the Boating Infrastructure Grant program comes from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, formerly known as the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund, which boaters and manufacturers support through excise and other taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment and gasoline.

For more information on each of the grant projects, visit:
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/BIG/BIG_Funding.htm

Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment Grants

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced the availability of Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment grants.

2013 grants will focus on long term conservation of the state’s wild salmon strongholds, which represent some of Oregon’s most productive and intact aquatic ecosystems and sustain the state’s largest and most diverse runs of salmon and other native aquatic species.

Oregon’s seven recognized strongholds include: the Tillamook/Nehalem, Illinois, North Umpqua, Sandy/Clackamas, Lower Deschutes, North Fork John Day, and Lower Grand Ronde (Joseph Creek, Minam River, and Wenaha River) watersheds. Salmon populations found in these systems support a variety of recreational, commercial, and Tribal fisheries.

Grant proposals requesting up to $75,000 in grant funds are being invited to support two types of projects in and across the state’s seven salmon strongholds:

1) on-the-ground habitat improvements in strongholds;

2) programmatic activities that seek to prevent the continued loss and degradation of habitats.

All projects must address the key limiting factors or threats that have been identified in existing watershed plans or assessments as bottlenecks to salmonid abundance. Approximately $300,000 in grant funds is anticipated to be awarded through this grant round.

Pre-proposals should be submitted by November 28, 2012 through NFWF’s online application system, Easygrants. Pre-proposals will be evaluated and ranked, and the strongest projects will be invited to submit full proposals due on January 31, 2013.
Full proposal applicants will be notified of grant awards by April 2013, with funds available for projects shortly thereafter. Approved projects should be completed within two years.

Eligible applicants include non-profit conservation organizations, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, tribes, schools, local, state and federal government agencies, and other special districts.

Applicants should log onto NFWF’s Oregon Governor’s Fund for the Environment program webpage at www.nfwf.org/orgovfund to review proposal criteria and requirements and to submit a pre-proposal.

source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Fishing for Energy Fund

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, in partnership with Covanta Energy Corporation and the NOAA Marine Debris Program, recently announced the availability of grant funding to provide capacity and incentives to address old, abandoned or derelict fishing gear.

The Fishing for Energy Small Grants Fund will entertain a wide variety of proposal topics for the prevention and removal of unwanted derelict fishing gear from the marine environment.

Priorities for funding for the 2012 call include:
• At sea derelict fishing gear removal;
• Gear density assessment; and/or,
• Economic and resource impact assessment.

The Fishing for Energy partners have roughly $500,000 in funds available for projects in 2012 and anticipate awarding approximately five projects. Proposals requesting less than $10,000 or over $250,000 will not be considered.

Most awarded projects will complete activities within 1-2 years. Projects submitted for funding must directly engage the fishing community in project activities. Priority will be given to: projects that work directly through an existing Fishing for Energy location.

Interested applicants should submit a pre-proposal using National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's online Easygrants system. Pre-proposals must be submitted and received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on May 1, 2012.

source: NOAA FishNews

Vermont Clean Vessel Act Grants

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department recently announced that federal grant funds are available for projects that will help improve boating sewage pump-out facilities in the state for boaters with onboard sewage holding tanks.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service reviews grant proposals and provided funding for CVA projects. Approved projects are given funding for up to 75 percent of the total cost of the project.

In Vermont, typical project proposals are from marinas that want to construct or upgrade pump-out facilities to assist boaters in properly disposing sewage. Eligible projects that can receive federal funding include the construction, renovation, operation, and maintenance of pump-outs and dump stations used by boaters. The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department administers the CVA grant program for the state of Vermont.

Anyone interested in applying for these funds is encouraged to act quickly to fill out an application form describing how their project will address the goals of the Clean Vessel Act. Information and grant applications are available at vtfishandwildlife.com/boating_grants.cfm.

The deadline to apply is November 1, 2011.

source: Vermont Fish and Wildlife

FY 2011 Species Recovery Grants to Tribes

NOAA Fisheries has announced the availability of grants to fund ongoing efforts by tribal nations to conserve and protect species under the agency’s jurisdiction.

The agency is authorized to provide Federal assistance to tribes to support conservation programs for marine and anadromous species under its jurisdiction. This assistance, provided in the form of grants, can be used to support conservation of endangered, threatened, and candidate or proposed species, as well as post-delisting monitoring of recovered species.

Funded activities may include development and implementation of management plans, scientific research, and public education and outreach; proposals should address priority actions identified in an Endangered Species Act Recovery Plan or address a NOAA Fisheries-identified regional priority or need. Only federally recognized tribes are eligible to apply.

Proposals focusing on listed Pacific salmon or steelhead will not be considered for funding under this grant program; such projects may be supported through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. In addition to this opportunity, the NOAA Restoration Center may provide additional funding for habitat restoration projects selected through the Species Recovery Grants to Tribes program.

Applications must be postmarked, provided to a delivery service, or received by http://www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on March 7, 2011.

source: NOAA Fish News

NOAA Awards Bycatch Reduction Grant to WWF

NOAA’s Fisheries Service has awarded a $364,000 grant to the World Wildlife Fund in support of the 2009 Smart Gear Competition that awards prizes for innovative gear designs which reduce fisheries bycatch.

Bycatch occurs when fishermen catch unwanted fish species or wildlife along with their intended catch. Adaptations to fishing gear can reduce bycatch by allowing non-target species to escape from gear or avoid being captured. Fishermen who observe bycatch problems first-hand have developed some of the most effective methods to selectively target commercial species.

“The Smart Gear Competition is a model for cross-sector collaboration among government, conservation organizations, industry groups, fishermen and the scientific community,” said James Balsiger, NOAA’s acting assistant administrator for fisheries. “All parties involved are working together to find solutions.”

The two-year NOAA grant to WWF will support the competition, plus extensive testing to further develop the winning designs. Launched in 2004, the competition has received entries from fishermen, chemists, engineers and inventors in previous years, resulting in hundreds of proposals from dozens of countries.

WWF plans to award a total of four prizes for the most promising technological developments: one grand prize of $30,000; two runner-up prizes of $10,000; and one special East African regional prize of $7,500. The competition is accepting entries until June 30.

“WWF views the International Smart Gear Competition as an important tool in helping to identify simple, powerful change within fisheries around the world,” said Mike Osmond, senior program officer for the WWF fisheries program. ”Fishermen themselves are often the greatest innovators when it comes to effective ideas for reducing bycatch, and this competition seeks to identify those ideas with the greatest potential and reward them with cash prizes, as well as helping to advance the idea towards commercial adoption.”

Previous Smart Gear Competitions have resulted in gear that minimizes bycatch of cod and flounder in the Northeast, juvenile red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico, and seabird and harbor porpoise in fisheries around the world.

For more information or to submit a gear design entry, visit www.smartgear.org

NOAA Marine Debris Program – Community-based Marine Debris Removal Grants

Through NOAA's Marine Debris Program (MDP), the Community-based Marine Debris Prevention and Removal Grants catalyze the implementation of locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention and removal projects that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources including anadromous fish.

On July 16, 2009, NOAA published an Omnibus Federal Register Notice to announce the availability of FY2010 competitive federal grant funds. The Federal Funding Opportunity (link below) describes the conditions under which applications will be accepted and describes criteria under which applications will be evaluated for funding consideration. Projects funded through the MDP have strong on-the-ground habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear that will provide educational and social benefits for people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative agreement.

Applications are due by October 31, 2009

For more information see:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/projects_programs/crp/partners_funding/callforprojects2.html