MI Coastal Management Program, Due 5/15

It's time to get working on those coastal management program grant applications!

The guidance document outlines the basics:

Funds are being made available to encourage projects that reflect Michigan's Coastal Management Program (MCMP) objectives which include:

* Create and enhance coastal public access

* Protect, manage, and restore coastal resources, habitats, and watersheds

* Control development in erosion and flood hazard areas

* Research and educational outreach on Great Lakes and coastal issues

* Preserve and restore historic coastal structures important to Great Lakes maritime heritage

* Redevelop urban waterfronts, brownfields, and ports

* Protect coastal water quality and reduce nonpoint source pollution in coastal watersheds

* Minimize the adverse impacts of coastal growth and development

* Research, planning and zoning initiatives addressing the siting of wind energy facilities in the context of ensuring coastal resource protection

Who is eligible to apply?

* Coastal units of government including cities, counties, villages, and townships

* Area-wide agencies including regional planning agencies and conservation districts

* State agencies

* Universities and school districts

* Tribal governments

* Nonprofit organizations (non-construction projects only)

Important: Nonprofit organizations are not eligible to receive funding for construction. Nonprofit organizations wishing to use grant funding for construction projects on public lands, must apply through an eligible public entity. This eligible entity must provide assurance of public ownership.

What kinds of coastal projects are eligible for funding?

A. Studies, Designs and Land Use Plans: $60,000 maximum grant request. 1:1 non-federal match required for all projects except those specifically outlined in the Waiver of Match Requirements section. Projects may include:

* Site design, planning, and engineering for recreational sites and waterfront redevelopment

* Habitat restoration and resource management plans

* Maritime history interpretation, and historic structure restoration planning

* Coastal educational materials

* Natural features inventories

* Research on Great Lakes and coastal issues

* Studies for economic development planning, including ports and harbors

* Community master planning and zoning addressing management of coastal resources

* Watershed management plans

* Geographic Information System data development and mapping for coastal management

* Feasibility studies

Waiver of Match Requirements

The MCMP will consider waiving the 1:1 match requirement for proposals in specific categories of non-construction projects eligible for funding under Section 309 of the Coastal Zone Management Act, including:

∗ Development of community land use plans and zoning ordinances based on Smart Growth principles for coastal and waterfront communities (see http://coastalsmartgrowth.noaa.gov/ for information). Joint (multi-community) plans and ordinances are preferred

∗ Development of multi-community plans for protecting and managing coastal habitats and habitat corridors, including the associated research, inventories, and GIS data. Plans that include management of state-designated High Risk Erosion Areas, Environmental Areas, and Critical Dune Areas are preferred∗ Development of multi-community plans for establishing coastal greenways, blueways, and other trail systems for non-motorized recreation and public access, including the associated research, inventories, and GIS data3EQP 3594 (Rev. 02/10)

∗ Research, inventories, GIS data development, plans, and other projects that inform the planning and siting of coastal and offshore alternative energy infrastructure, and support the protection and management of natural, cultural, and historic resources

∗ Research, studies, and education/outreach efforts regarding the feasibility of low impact alternatives (i.e. beach nourishment, bio-engineering) to traditional shoreline armoring approaches.

∗ Development of coastal GIS parcel data in communities that contain designated High Risk Erosion Areas, Environmental Areas, and/or Critical Dune Areas

Competition for grant funds with no match requirement is expected to be intense. Applicants submitting proposals with substantially less than 1:1 match identified should understand that this significantly limits MCMP options for funding the projects. We urge all applicants to submit proposals including 1:1 match. All land use planning and GIS proposals must have a direct connection to coastal planning and/or coastal resource protection. This connection, along with ways in which the project will improve local coastal management, should be clearly described in the grant application.

B. Construction: $5,000 minimum and $50,000 maximum grant request. 1:1 non-federal match required for all projects. Projects may include:

* Habitat restoration and coastal resource protection

* Barrier-free retrofitting

* Low-cost construction projects, for example: boardwalks, scenic overlooks, educational and/or interpretive displays, trails, and bio-engineering shore protection demonstration projects

* Lighthouse restoration and preservation

Allowable construction projects are defined under Section 306A of the Coastal Zone Management Act. A project that involves any physical change to a site or existing structure is considered construction. All construction projects must be open to the general public, located on public land or secured through long-term lease (20 years minimum), and barrier-free accessible. MCMP project signs, (supplied by MCMP) acknowledging funding and displaying appropriate NOAA and state logos, must be permanently placed at project sites.

What kinds of coastal projects are NOT eligible for funding?

* Restroom facilities

* General recreational facilities (e.g., playground equipment, ball fields and courts)

* Maintenance of existing structures

* Hard shoreline armoring (rip-rap, sheet pile, gabions, etc.)

* Brick and mortar construction

* Dredging

* Design or construction of roadways

* Water and sewer line construction

* GIS-purchase of hardware

* GIS-maintenance activities (maintaining data)

* GIS-parcel mapping outside of coastal areas

* Demolition

* Chemical treatment and mechanical or manual removal of invasive species

* Recreation plans

* Dam improvements

* Drain improvements

Where projects must be located to be eligible for funding?All construction projects must be within Michigan's coastal boundary that generally lies 1,000 feet inland from the ordinary high water mark of the Great Lakes. Included within the boundary are coastal cities, state parks, coastal lakes, coastal floodplains, Great Lakes connecting waters, coastal river mouths, bays, and designated sand dune areas. Coastal boundary maps are available at www.michigan.gov/deqcoastal or you may call staff of the MCMP at 517-335-3168.4

EQP 3594 (Rev. 02/10)All project areas for studies, designs, land use master plans, local ordinances, GIS data development, and nonpoint pollution control must directly relate to protection or management of coastal resources or water quality.

NOAA Coastal Grant Programs Announced

NOAA has released details on several grant programs:

Habitat Restoration - Due Sept. 30
NOAA delivers funding and technical expertise to restore coastal and marine habitats. These habitats support valuable fisheries and protected resources, improve the quality of our water, provide recreational opportunities for the public's use and enjoyment and buffer our coastal communities from the impacts of storms and sea level rise. Partnerships funded through NOAA have strong on-the-ground habitat restoration components that provide social and economic benefits in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements that benefit NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation, NOAA seeks to openly compete funding available for multi-year national and regional habitat restoration Partnerships. Partnerships will result in implementation of a wide-range of individual habitat restoration projects, from locally-driven, grass-roots projects that emphasize stewardship and hands-on restoration, to mid-scale, watershed level projects that yield significant ecological and socio-economic benefits. NOAA envisions working jointly on such Partnerships through its Community-based Restoration Program (CRP) to identify, evaluate, fund, and administer projects that offer this range of ecological, socio- economic and stewardship benefits to coastal watershed communities. This document describes the types of habitat restoration Partnerships that NOAA envisions establishing, portrays the qualities that NOAA deems desirable in such Partnerships, and describes criteria under which applications will be evaluated for funding consideration. Partnership applications selected through this announcement will be implemented through a multi-year cooperative agreement, and will ultimately involve joint selection of multiple community-based habitat restoration projects funded as sub-awards made through the Partner organization. Funding of approximately $10 million is expected to be available to establish habitat restoration Partnerships in 2010, with annual funding anticipated to maintain them for up to 3 years duration. Requests for funding to establish Partnerships typically exceed the funds available for this purpose and the selection process will be highly competitive. Typical Partnership awards will range from $500,000 to $1,000,000 per year. Funds will be administered by the NOAA Restoration Center within NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation. This is not a request for individual community-based habitat restoration project proposals so municipalities will want to contact current CRPs to request assistance.

Marine Debris Removal Project - Due Oct 31
The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), authorized in the Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (MDRPR Act, 33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.), provides funding to catalyze the implementation of locally driven, community-based marine debris prevention, assessment and removal projects that will benefit coastal habitat, waterways, and NOAA trust resources. Projects funded through the MDP have strong on-the-ground habitat components involving the removal of marine debris and derelict fishing gear, as well as activities that provide social benefits for people and their communities in addition to long-term ecological habitat improvements for NOAA trust resources. Through this solicitation the MDP identifies marine debris removal projects, strengthens the development and implementation of habitat restoration through the removal of marine debris within communities, and fosters awareness of the effects of marine debris to further the conservation of living marine resource habitats across a wide geographic area. Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be implemented through a cooperative agreement. Funding of up to $2,000,000 is expected to be available for Community-based Marine Debris Removal Project Grants in FY 2010.

Contact us for more information!