The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service anticipates receiving funds to support competitive projects that implement strategic, priority actions within Forest Service authorities to restore, protect, and maintain the Great Lakes ecosystem.
Donor Name: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
State: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/23/2023
Size of the Grant: $300,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
The interagency Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) targets improvements to address the most significant environmental problems within the Great Lakes Basin.
Successful projects will implement reforestation and other forest restoration activities to address invasive species, nonpoint source pollution impacts on nearshore health, and habitat restoration in coastal and riparian areas, while paying attention to measurable on-the-ground impacts, connections between terrestrial forested landscapes and water quality, resilience to climate change and other ecosystem stressors, and environmental justice. Anticipated funds will be distributed across three specific Program Areas.
Program Areas
- Invasive Species
- Mitigate Invasive Forest Insect and Disease Impacts – Implement targeted reforestation and forest protection actions to minimize invasive forest insect and disease impacts on watersheds.
- Priorities and activities receiving additional emphasis include projects that:
- Suppress non-native invasive insect and disease threats with a high risk of damage across Great Lakes forests and watersheds.
- Minimize non-native invasive insect and disease impacts where tree damage and mortality pose a particularly high risk to hydrologic function and ecosystem integrity in a watershed.
- Align with State and/or Federal initiatives and strategies for non-native invasive forest pests, showing a high probability of success based on scale and best practices.
- Increase environmental justice through integrated programs for non-native invasive insect and disease resilience, equitable environmental benefits, and improved quality of life.
- Nonpoint source pollution impacts on nearshore health
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- Reduce Runoff from Degraded Sites through Green Infrastructure – Capture or treat stormwater runoff by planting trees and other vegetation as an integral component of green infrastructure
- Priorities and activities receiving additional emphasis include projects that:
- Increase capacity, expertise, and engagement in maintaining community trees, particularly in underserved communities.
- Leverage existing modeling or other green infrastructure planning to plant trees in areas that will maximize filtration of overland flow.
- Improve infiltration through practices such as converting turf to native plantings, amending soil, or removing impervious surfaces in planting areas to improve green infrastructure connectivity,
- Restore riparian and floodplain tree canopy cover in these GLRI agricultural priority watersheds: Lower Fox River, WI; Saginaw River, MI; Maumee River, IN/OH; Genesee River, NY.
- Habitat and Species
- Restore and Connect Coastal and Riparian Forest Habitats – Protect, restore, and enhance high-quality coastal zone and connecting riparian ecosystems where trees are an important component.
- Priorities and activities receiving additional emphasis include projects that:
- Leverage or protect previous GLRI coastal wetland investments.
- Improve habitat quality and connectivity in priority breeding marsh bird habitat zones and connecting riparian or migratory corridors
- Address other coastal priorities identified in Lakewide Action and Management Plans (LAMPs) and State Forest Action Plan
- Address environmental justice through equitable access to environmental benefits and improved quality of life.
Funding Information
- Invasive Species
- Anticipated Funding : $1,000,000
- Minimum Allowable Federal Request: $50,000
- Maximum Allowable Federal Request: $200,000
- Nonpoint source pollution impacts on nearshore health
- Anticipated Funding : $3,500,000
- Minimum Allowable Federal Request: $100,000
- Maximum Allowable Federal Request: $300,000
- Habitat and Species
- Anticipated Funding : $800,000
- Minimum Allowable Federal Request: $50,000
- Maximum Allowable Federal Request: $200,000
Project Period
Projects should be completed within the 2-year project period after the award date
Eligibility Criteria
- State agencies, Tribal communities, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments are eligible for GLRI funding in all Program Areas. Projects must be located within the Great Lakes Basin of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Eligible applicants are encouraged to consult with their appropriate State Forester, Tribal administrator (for federally recognized Tribes), or Forest Supervisor (for work near National Forests) to develop and submit applications.
- Projects must be entirely within the boundaries of the Great Lakes watershed. The Great Lakes watershed is defined as those areas within the United States that currently or historically drain into Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, or Lake Ontario, or drain into the St. Lawrence River west of where the International Boundary line leaves the river. A map of the basin is in appendix A, and a list of eligible
Ineligible Projects
- Research: Basic research as defined in 2CFR 422.1, “Systematic study directed toward fuller knowledge or understanding of the fundamental aspects of phenomena and of observable facts without specific applications towards processes or products in mind.” Note: Technical transfer, education, and outreach activities associated with applying research can be included in the application. A research entity can be included as a partner and can contribute (e.g., monitoring activities).
- Construction and capital improvements (e.g., facilities, infrastructure, roads).
- Projects that only have outreach and education as outcomes. However, projects are encouraged to include a component of outreach, education, and/or training as components of the project, or as a means to achieve the project objectives.
- Projects that only have surveying or mapping as outcomes, though projects may include a survey or mapping components.
- Cost-share, reimbursement, and other types of payment provided directly to private landowners; however, funding may be used to perform work on private lands.
- Forest Health authorities may not be used to cut either dead or dying trees, unless used to suppress or slow the spread of an outbreak.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
