Please below for more information on a large federal grant program for large scale restoration due April 4.2024. Please pass it on!
The America the Beautiful Challenge is a public-private grant program for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful Initiative.
- Conserving and restoring rivers, coasts, wetlands, and watersheds
- Conserving and restoring forests, grasslands, and other important ecosystems that serve as carbon sinks
- Connecting and reconnecting wildlife corridors, large landscapes, watersheds, and seascapes
- Improving ecosystem and community resilience to coastal flooding, drought, and other climate-related threats
- Expanding access to the outdoors, particularly in underserved communities
Applicants are encouraged to develop large landscape scale and/or cross jurisdictional projects that advance existing conservation plans or are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge.
FYI from earlier this week: from: https://lnkd.in/g9Pwc7Ne
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Biden-Harris administration today announced the release of the 2024 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the America the Beautiful Challenge, as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The program, which was launched in 2022 with support from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, is dedicated to funding landscape-scale conservation and restoration projects that implement existing conservation plans across the nation. In 2024, the program expects to award up to $119 million in grants to communities nationwide.
America the Beautiful Challenge grant pre-proposals are due April 4, 2024, and the full RFP can be found on NFWF’s Request for Proposals webpage. Awards are expected to be announced in November 2024. Proposals are reviewed by a public-private committee of partners and technical experts, and funding decisions are based on the extent to which they meet the criteria listed in the RFP.
Additional information about the program can be found on NFWF’s America the Beautiful Challenge webpage.
FYI- For Partners in Maine
Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program 2024 Funding Round – Request for Letters of Intent
May 22, 2024
Interested Parties:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is requesting Letters of Intent for the 2024 Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP) funding round. Over $3 million will be available for award in 2024 for those seeking to restore, enhance, and protect wetlands and significant wildlife habitat in Maine. For more information, please refer to the Request for Letters of Intent available at the link below or at http://mnrcp.org.
MNRCP 2024 Request for Letters of Intent
In 2024, MNRCP will be prioritizing funding for projects that include wetland restoration and enhancement. Restoration and enhancement projects more directly address state and federal “no net loss” mitigation policies by replacing and enhancing the wetland functions and values impacted by development.
MNRCP can provide funding for restoration site identification, project design, permitting, implementation, construction oversight, and long-term monitoring. Fees for consultants and contractors can also be covered by the program. MNRCP encourages projects that include both restoration and new preservation. Projects that preserve intact buffers around restoration areas satisfy multiple program goals for MNRCP.
“Preservation only” projects are still eligible to submit a Letter of Intent. These projects are more likely to be invited to submit a full proposal if they protect specific resources or habitat types that are difficult or impossible to restore, including projects that protect known vernal pools, mapped Inland Waterfowl and Wading Bird Habitat, or marsh migration sites.
Public agencies, non-profit conservation organizations, tribes, soil and water conservation districts, and municipalities are all eligible to submit a Letter of Intent. Environmental consultants, working in partnership with the above listed groups, are also encouraged to apply. All Letters of Intent must be submitted online at http://mnrcp.org. To be considered, Letters of Intent must be received by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, June 26, 2024. Applicants whose proposed projects meet the program's requirements will be invited to submit full proposals, which will be due in September. Final grant awards are expected to be made in November 2024.
For more information, please visit http://mnrcp.org. Feel free to forward this information to others who may be interested in this program. Please contact Bryan Emerson at TNC ([email protected]) with any specific questions regarding potential projects or MNRCP in general.
Maine Natural Resource Conservation Program (MNRCP)
West Tennessee is Changing... Let’s Protect it Together.
“A natural area like this does something for your soul. It just refreshes you every time you get out.”
West Tennessee… A vast landscape of wetlands, floodplains, rolling agriculture, and bustling cityscapes intertwined with sleepy southern towns. But this deep-rooted heartland that we cherish, like so many others, is in danger of disappearing.
“Just think, thirty years from now, some developer – if I kick the bucket tomorrow – some developer would be out here and it’d be a bunch of houses.” – Nick Nunn, Nunn Farm landowner
“Growing up in this area, we have always been outdoors people. I had two brothers, and we lived in a residential neighborhood, but we were five houses away from streams and fields. Between the three of us, we’d come back just nasty from head to toe.” – Jim Gafford, Director of Outreach, WRC
This natural beauty and accessibility of West Tennessee has been combatting accelerated change for quite some time. But some things never change, like our connections to this incredible place.
While TennGreen Land Conservancy and partners like Wolf River Conservancy work tirelessly to protect our natural resources, it comes down to local residents to protect their private farmlands.
“I work in an office all day, and I’m a guy who has to be outside… So, this is a big tract of land that I was able, through TennGreen, to put a conservation easement on. Once stuff go into asphalt, it’s gone—for what I really enjoy, anyway. And so, that was the main thing for me, anyway, to be able to come out here and have it as it was when I bought it.” – Nunn
This is why we’re here. And as Tennessee’s oldest accredited statewide land conservancy, TennGreen is beyond committed to protecting all of Tennessee’s resources… For all of us.
“Agriculture and farmland are as Tennessean as they come. And it’s up to each of us to be able to support the systems we have here in place. At TennGreen, we very much so value these particular lands." – Alice Hudson Pell, Executive Director, TennGreen
Development is necessary for humanity to thrive, but over-development ends in devastation. And placing property into a conservation easement is one of the most powerful protective tools we have as American citizens.
“Now that it’s protected forever, I feel confident that anybody who owns it down the road, they have to abide by the rules and restrictions that are in place. Through TennGreen and the easement, I feel like what I wanted to be accomplished has been accomplished.” – Nunn
And as West Tennessee continues to develop, nothing can change one simple fact: we are all part of nature. We’re all in this together. And by working together to preserve this incredible state, we’re conserving lands and waters where we’ll all thrive—protecting the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the land that sustains us all.
For more information on conservation easements and Tennessee conservation, please visit: tenngreen.org
Agricultural Landowners Encouraged to Apply for Regional Conservation Partnership Program Entity Held Easement Program
https://lnkd.in/e7hYACB5
The NRCS and ACT will accept applications for the fiscal year 2024 through the NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The RCPP is a partner-driven approach to conservation that funds solutions to natural resource challenges on agricultural land. The program promotes coordination of NRCS conservation activities with partners who offer value-added contributions to expand their collective ability to address on-farm, watershed, and regional natural resource concerns. As part of these RCPP projects, NRCS and its partners have funding to pay landowners for conservation easements placed upon their land.
#smallfarms#sustainablefarm#sustainableag#farmlife#woodlands#forest#agritourism#tourism#lowerfarmenergycosts#farming#floridafarms#floridaconservationtion#conservation#farmvalue#farmincome
Levee Breach Marks Completion of the Delta’s Largest-ever Tidal Wetland Restoration Project: https://lnkd.in/gH6j-49d
This is a big deal, ecologically speaking. California's Central Valley, largely now turned to dry agriculture and other development, used to be full of wetlands. It has offered key locations for birds migrating along the Pacific Flyway each spring and fall, and historically had great biodiversity of year-round species. From the 1780s to the 1980s it's likely that the continental U.S. lost 60 acres of wetland every hour, non-stop.
Now, most of the wetlands in central California are drained, and invasive species like eucalyptus trees also impact ecosystems across the region. But restoration projects offer chances to bring back some of what was lost. Because the land and its natural hydrology has been so broken up, and so much water is sucked down by agriculture, some restored wetlands--like those at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge--must have water piped in seasonally.
3400 acres, while the largest restoration to date in the delta, is a drop in the bucket compared to the massive amounts of wetlands that once covered large areas of the state. But it reminds us that we can restore thousands of acres at once, and hopefully someone will see fit to try to break that record.
The Eel River is one of California's largest and wildest rivers, but past and current land and water use practices have led to a substantial decline in salmon and steelhead populations in the Eel River. Today, we released a report that will guide holistic restoration and recovery in the watershed. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gHebz9T6
What does the report say?
The Eel River Watershed Restoration and Conservation Plan pulls together the best available scientific information to plan for native fish recovery, riparian corridor restoration, and conservation across the watershed. It recommends key recovery actions and an action prioritization framework across the seven major sub-watersheds of the Eel River watershed. The Plan also proposes a management approach that is informed by a monitoring and assessment framework, all of which is built from existing restoration and monitoring efforts. The Plan concludes with a menu of recommendations and next steps needed to get this important work off the ground.
Why does this report matter?
Salmon and steelhead populations within the Eel River were once incredibly abundant, with combined runs reaching nearly a million adults in good years. The drastic reduction in salmon, steelhead, and Pacific lamprey abundance has impacted communities in the north coast region by reducing access to food, cultural resources, and economic opportunity. This report is the first of its kind to outline restoration and conservation actions for the entire watershed.
What's next now that we have this report?
The plan is the first step in creating and implementing a new watershed-wide restoration and conservation program. The Eel River Watershed Restoration and Conservation Program is intended to serve as an administrative body that will guide and oversee restoration and conservation in the Eel River Watershed for the foreseeable future.
At Orvis, one of our core values is "Protect What We Love." We never lose sight of the fact that the natural world is at the core of our passions...and how crucial it is to raise awareness around environmental issues.
Big Sugar has initiated legal action against the crucial EAA Reservoir restoration project, posing a significant threat to the restoration efforts of the Everglades and the water future of Florida. This lawsuit has the potential to redefine the purpose of the EAA Reservoir, transforming it from its intended role of restoring the natural flow of the Everglades through storage, purification, and redirection of water, into a privately controlled water supply for the sugar industry, funded by #taxpayers.
The EAA Reservoir is the single most impactful restoration project designed to provide large-scale relief to all of south Florida’s waterways. Should Big Sugar prevail in this legal battle, it risks undoing years of progress in restoring and preserving these vital #ecosystems.
Read on for the full story.
#Orvis#Florida#Everglades#environment#conservation#waterways#restoration
MARYLAND - Earlier this month, Gov. Wes Moore announced that Maryland has achieved a milestone goal for land conservation required by state legislation six years ahead of schedule. The Maryland Department of Planning, in the latest update of the Maryland Protected Lands Dashboard, reports that Maryland has already met the 30% mark with more than 1.85 million acres of land conserved as of February.
“From the forests of Mountain Maryland to the coastal plains of the Eastern Shore, Maryland’s natural beauty must be protected. Land conservation isn’t optional—it’s a prerequisite for success,” said Gov. Wes Moore. “By moving in partnership, we are meeting our goals ahead of schedule. But we know there’s more left to do. I will work closely with state and local leaders to find as many opportunities as we can to add to the state’s growing portfolio of public and protected lands, so we can reach our 40% conservation goal by 2040.”
Land conservation means to permanently protect land from development through purchase, donation, easement, or fee ownership to preserve the cultural, historical, ecological, or agricultural value of the land. The Maryland the Beautiful Act of 2023 established goals of conserving 30% of the land in the state by 2030 and 40% by 2040. Land protected by state agencies, local governments, nonprofit land trusts, and the federal government all count towards the goal. Maryland’s total land area is about 6.1 million acres.
See the full press release: https://lnkd.in/eJuR2KBu
This is more than likely bc PA is the last to ever do anything to help the planet. My husband and I for the past 3 years (me myself about 7yrs) have for example trying to get the simplest request done in lower burrell pa. Put an end to the catch and release fishing that injures and or kills numerous waterfowl a season. It gets worse every yr. Ppl call NJ the arm pit of America. yet if anyone would go there in the past... idk how long... they are putting us and Ohio to shame with cleaning up their ocean, lakes,&rivers. they even have most of it totally blocked off for bird nesting. They actually do press charges when a bird protected by the MBTA (which is 98%of all birds in the USA mind you) is injured by a human. The lake is a simple thing to keep clean. if they turned places like this listed in this article and the park in lower burrell pa into a sanctuary for wildlife (or birds alone) THEY WOULD MAKE SO SO MUCH REVENUE FOR THAT PARTICULAR AREA. PPL LOVE TO TRAVEL TO WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES. THEY ALSO SPEND MONEY WHILE VISITING. Obviously this is a geese "favorite location". Waterfowl eat ticks by the 1,000s. We need them around to help protect us and our dogs. It seems ppl either wait till the last minute, and it is almost to late..or to late, or ppl just don't care that they're not doing anything at all. we all need to act now. this is no time to play around or pretend this isn't happening. the litter in pa is gross and getting worse yr after yr. we still have the lowest littering fines out of almost any state. it's a joke. I watched an entire family toss all their McDonald's trash bags, cups and all right out their car windows infront of a cop car. do u think they pulled them over??? nope. why not? it's supposed to be a damn fine? but they're ticket your butt for going 10 miles over the speed limit when u have to use the restroom and your bladder is exploding? that is not right. if we can't get the law behind mother nature...what hope do we have. and teach your kids not to litter as well. it is going to end up hurting their world in the end. think about it. We can't just wait till it gets bad. u must prevent things like this and smaller issues when they're easy to fix before it is to late.
https://lnkd.in/gm9jQ9q6
A closer review public land access rules. #RMFU presses #BLM to adopt standards supporting family ranchers by standards that allow for tools “like adaptive management and that incentivize cooperation among users and the conservation community.” https://loom.ly/aJZdNPM
