Deadline: 10-Jun-21
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is launching the 2021 Southeast Aquatics Fund to restore habitats and improve water quality in targeted river basins and watersheds of the Southeast.
The Southeast Aquatics Fund is a competitive grants program that supports watershed-based restoration that will improve the health of these aquatic systems and secure populations of native freshwater aquatic species.
By promoting a habitat-based approach a diversity of species benefit, from game species to at-risk species, helping reduce the risk of future listings under the ESA.
The Southeast Aquatics Fund is a public-private partnership with funding provided by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Southern Company.
Program Priorities
Competitive proposals will address the threats facing the species within the above-listed geographies by implementing one or more of the following strategies identified below.
- Provide Technical Assistance and Outreach – Support needed capacity to conduct outreach to private landowners to increase awareness of conservation need, appropriate practices and available cost-share programs to improve water quality/quantity or connectivity.
- Agricultural and Forestry Best Management Practices –Support agricultural and forestry practices that reduce nutrient and sediment runoff from the land and conserve water where assistance is needed in addition to or outside of available Farm Bill and other cost-share programs.
- Restore and Enhance Riparian and In-stream Habitat –Restore wetland, streambank, and instream habitat in prioritized areas of a watershed that otherwise would not be addressed through agricultural or forestry best management practices to support key functions of the watershed and improve native aquatic species populations.
- Improve stream crossings – Restore connectivity for fish passage and reduce sedimentation by removing or retrofitting stream barriers and stream crossings (culverts, concrete fords).
- Assessment, Prioritization and Planning – Support the assessment of barriers and crossings within a watershed to identify which should receive highest priority for removal or retrofitting based on probable gains for target species.
- Monitoring – Conduct monitoring to understand the population status and habitat conditions for bridled and trispot darter, Villosa mussels (Alabama rainbow, Coosa creekshell), Black Warrior waterdog and flattened musk turtle within the Conasauga, Locust Fork and Middle Coosa watersheds.
Funding Information
Over $1 million is anticipated to be available in grant funding in 2021, with individual grant awards typically ranging between $150,000 and $350,000.
- Project Period: Anticipated completion time for funded projects typically will be 24 – 36 months following finalization of a grant agreement. The project narrative must include a clear timetable or schedule for project completion.
Geographic Focus
Geographic focal areas and funding priorities for the Southeast Aquatics Fund are informed by:
- The Longleaf Forests and Rivers Business Plan, which outlines NFWF’s goals and strategies for freshwater habitat restoration and enhancement. A suite of aquatic species were selected as indicators of healthy freshwater habitat in prioritized watersheds, including the bridled and trispot darters, Alabama rainbow, Coosa creekshell, Black Warrior waterdog and flattened musk turtle.
- The Southeastern Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation Strategy completed in 2016 by the University of Georgia River Basin Center and Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. This science-based, systematic assessment identified watersheds critical to southeast aquatic conservation based on the richness, endemism, and imperilment of freshwater fish, mussel, and crayfish species.
- State Wildlife and Forest Action Plans, with additional input from regional and state conservation partners.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include non-profit 501(c) organizations, U.S. Federal government agencies, state government agencies, local governments, municipal governments, Tribal Governments and Organizations and educational institutions.
- Ineligible applicants include businesses, unincorporated individuals and international organizations.
For more information, visit https://www.nfwf.org/programs/southeast-aquatics/southeast-aquatics-fund-2021-request-proposals