OMB CONTROL NO. 0710-0014
Expires: 00/00/20--
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Estuary Restoration Act
Title I, Public Law 106-457 (as amended)
Project Application
Agency Disclosure Notice
The public reporting burden for this information collection is estimated to average ten hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this data collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Executive Services Directorate, 155 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC, 20301-1155 and the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503, Attn.: Desk Officer for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR COMPLETED APPLICATION TO THESE ADDRESSES.
Respondents should be aware that not withstanding any other provision of law, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Please return your completed application form electronically to: estuary.restoration@usace.army.mil. Multiple email messages may be required to ensure successful receipt if the files exceed 4MB in size. Questions may also be sent to the same e-mail address. Hard copy submissions may be mailed or hand delivered to HQUSACE, ATTN: CECW-PB, 7701 Telegraph Road #3D72, Alexandria, VA 22315-3860.
Statement of Purpose
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting this information on behalf of the interagency Estuary Habitat Restoration Council. Completion of this application is voluntary but is required to be eligible to receive consideration for funding under the Estuary Habitat Restoration Program. We are asking for your name, title, telephone, and address to enable us to contact you if there are questions regarding your application, or there is the need for further information. This information will also be used for purposes of notification regarding funding decisions. Brief resumes of key staff that will be working on the proposed project are requested to demonstrate that the applicant has the capability to undertake its portion of project implementation and long term maintenance and monitoring. The information may also used by the four other Federal agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Department of Agriculture) authorized to implement projects under this program. The information will only be used as necessary to implement the Estuary Habitat Restoration Program and will not be disseminated to the public. Not providing that information will affect our ability to select projects for funding.
Date Prepared
PART I Summary information
2. Project Location (e.g., city/county/state):
3. Non-Federal Sponsor’s Organization Name:
4. Non-Federal Sponsor’s Point(s) of Contact:
a. Authorized Representative (the individual to whom official documents should be sent).
Name:
Title:
Telephone Number:
E-mail Address:
Mailing Address (including zip code):
b. The individual to be contacted with project specific questions
Name:
Title:
Telephone Number:
E-mail Address:
Mailing Address (including zip code):
5. Non-Federal Sponsor Type: (All proposals must originate from a non-Federal source)
_ State Agency _ Local Government Agency _ Tribal Government
_ Nonprofit _ Regional/Interstate Organization
Other (please specify):
6. Project Abstract (no more than 250 words) (label additional sheets with name of project, date, and Project Abstract):
7. Habitat Acreage
______ Submerged aquatic vegetation ______ Beach
______ Salt marsh ______ Dune
______ Freshwater marsh ______ Kelp
______ Mangrove ______ Coral reef
______ Forested wetland ______ Oyster reef/Shell bottom
______ Riparian zone (non-wetland) ______ Soft bottom/mud
______ In-Stream ______ Soft bottom/sand
______ Upland ______ Rocky shoreline
______ Pond ______ Maritime forest
______ Water column ______ Hard bottom
______ Shrub swamp (non-mangrove) ______ Other: _______ (please specify)
Total project acreage: ____
8. Funding and Partners
a. Estimated Total Project Cost (including post-construction monitoring costs but excluding long-term operation and maintenance costs): $__________
b. ERA funding request: $ __________
c. Total of Federal funds from other sources: $____________
d. Non-Federal share from all non-Federal sources (state, local, non-profit, in-kind, and volunteer contributions): $ __________
e. Budget : Provide a table that indicates the costs and sources of funding for the following categories of activities, as appropriate. Be sure to consider the Federal agency overhead and implementation costs when preparing the estimate. If the proposal is for more than one site, please provide this information for each site separately.
Planning (all phases including permitting)
Design
Implementation/Construction
Post Construction Monitoring
Project administration and oversight
Estimated value of the lands, easements and rights-of way required for the project.
Estimated annual operation and maintenance costs
PART II Proposal Elements
Proposals must address the following items.
1. Project Description. Please succinctly describe the project: It must be clear that the project will provide tangible benefits on its own. If it is part of a larger effort, the relationship to the larger effort should be briefly described (see item 7 below). Among the items to cover are:
Site description, including identification of existing and former habitat types present at the site and factors which may affect the success of the proposed restoration.
Brief description of the likely future condition of the proposed restoration site in the absence of the proposed project.
Project methods/techniques/features and applicability to this restoration effort.
Need for the project including how estuary habitat trends (including historic losses) in the project region were considered in developing the project proposal.
Project goals and expected benefits including:
Ecosystem benefits such as improvements in habitat conditions, water quality, and the status of endangered/threatened species and migratory birds
Benefits to nearby existing habitat areas or connection to adjacent habitat areas, including ongoing or proposed restoration projects/protected areas
Improvements in the ability of an area to provide human services such as flood protection and recreational opportunities
Monetary benefits
Brief discussion of importance/significance of expected benefits
Conceptual approach/ecological model for addressing restoration needs. Explain how the proposed project will achieve the desired results.
Administrative management:
Respective roles, responsibilities, and contributions of project partners and participants
Project implementation schedule
Expected length of time before success can be demonstrated
Provisions for long-term operation and management of the project
Estimated life cycle of the project. At what year will project benefits be realized and how long will the project last without major maintenance?
2. Monitoring Plan. Please succinctly describe the monitoring plan, including how this project adheres to the Council’s minimum monitoring requirements, which include a five year post-construction monitoring timeframe. These requirements may be found at http://era.noaa.gov/htmls/era/era_monitoring.html and http://www.usace.army.mil/estuary.html . A monitoring planner maybe found at http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/restoration/rmp/PUBLICSITE/index.cfm .
A two-volume manual that provides technical assistance, outlines necessary steps, and provides useful tools for the development and implementation of sound scientific monitoring of coastal restoration efforts is also available at http://coastalscience.noaa.gov/ecosystems/estuaries/restoration_monitoring.html#vol1 . Among the items to specifically address are:
Parameters to be monitored (e.g., %cover). Clearly identify which are structural and which are functional.
What measurements will be made, how frequently, and what project areas will be sampled.
How baseline conditions will be established for the parameters to be measured.
How results will be evaluated (statistical comparison to baseline or reference condition, trend analysis, or other quantitative or qualitative approach), including success criteria (e.g., 75% reduction of x invasive species or 75% increase of x target species).
How success criteria are linked to project goals.
If applicable, how reference sites were selected, where they are located, and whether they represent target conditions for the habitat or conditions at the site without restoration.
What indicators will be used to determine if corrective actions are needed.
Identify any links to a watershed-scale monitoring program.
3. Project Readiness. Projects in the advanced planning and design phases are more likely to meet the evaluation criteria and will be given preference.
Identify the steps that must be taken prior to the initiation of on-the-ground restoration activities -- e.g., development of detailed project plan, obtaining permits, preparation of plans and specifications, obtaining bids, acquisition of real estate.
Identify any potential delays to project initiation.
4. Restoration Plans. According to the Estuary Restoration Act, projects funded through this program must address restoration needs identified in a Federal, State, or regional restoration plan that was developed with the substantial participation of appropriate public and private stakeholders (see §103(6) of the Act for more information).
Provide the name of the restoration plan(s) (as defined above) that this project would support, the entity preparing it, and the date finalized.
Briefly discuss the extent of participation of appropriate public and private stakeholders in development of the restoration plan(s).
Discuss how the project will contribute to meeting the needs, goals, objectives and restoration priorities of the restoration plan(s).
5. Other Information. Please respond to the following items as applicable.
Indicate if the project occurs within a watershed in which there is a program being carried out to address sources of pollution and other activities that otherwise would re-impair the restored habitat. Give a brief description of the program.
Indicate if the project includes pilot testing or demonstration of an innovative technology or approach. Describe how this technology or approach would be likely to achieve better restoration results than other available technologies, or comparable results at lower cost in terms of energy, economics, or environmental impacts.
Innovative technology or approach is defined as novel processes, techniques and/or materials to restore habitat, or the use of existing processes, techniques, and/or materials in a new restoration application.]
Indicate if there is a formal agreement (such as a Memorandum of Understanding) between/among some or all of the partners as part of the project – list the entities involved and the date of the agreement.
Indicate by “yes” or “no” if the Tribe, State or Territory in which the project will occur has a dedicated funding source to acquire or restore estuary habitat, natural areas, and open spaces for the benefit of estuary habitat restoration or protection.
6. Status of Total Project Funding. This is to complement the information provided in the Funding and Partners section.
Are funds being requested or secured from other sources?
If yes, list the source, amount and whether the funds are federal or non-federal, currently available or being requested as a grant or in a future appropriation. When would it be known if those funds will be available?
Can the project proceed if funds are unavailable from one or more of the potential sources?
7. Relationship to a larger project. Is the proposed project part of a larger project?
If yes, briefly describe the scope, cost and timing of the larger project.
If the larger project is ongoing, the benefits attributable to the proposed project must be clearly identified.
If the proposed project is the first portion of a larger project it should be able to stand alone and provide benefits if no additional work were done.
The Estuary Restoration Act can be found on the Internet at:
http://era.noaa.gov/htmls/era/era_act.html . There is also a link to the Act at http://www.usace.army.mil/estuary.html.
PART III Required Attachments
1. Letter of assurance. The proposal must be accompanied by a letter signed by a representative of the non-Federal sponsor certifying that the non-Federal sponsor has:
Adequate personnel to meet its obligations, including: any proposed in-kind items of work; operating, maintaining, replacing, repairing and rehabilitating the project; monitoring; and other items of local cooperation. Indicate whether work will be done by staff, contract, or under agreement with another entity. (If an agreement with another entity is required, discuss the nature of the agreement and its status.)
Adequate funding/support. Describe the source of funds: existing taxes, donations, etc. and if these monies are currently available or proposed. For a non-governmental organization there should be a discussion of the ability to guarantee sufficient resources for long-term operation and maintenance activities including monitoring.
Authority to meet its obligations including provision of all required lands, easements and rights-of-way and to carry out items of local cooperation, including operation and maintenance. This may be a statement of general authority for a governmental body or citation of the charter or other official documents of a non-governmental organization. The ability to provide the required lands should be specifically addressed.
2. Brief resumes for key project personnel, including reference to previous experience with restoration projects and/or monitoring programs. No more than one page per individual.
3. Map showing location of project site and location of key project features. Include geo-reference coordinates if available.
4. Description of compliance activities (e.g., National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act) accomplished to date.
5. Non-Federal Sponsor Certification: Federal Laws and Excluded Activities
I certify that the proposed project, if funded, will be carried out in accordance with all Federal statutes and regulations, included but not limited to the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and other nondiscrimination statutes.
I further certify that the proposed project does not constitute mitigation required under any Federal or State law for adverse effects of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by Federal or State law, and does not constitute restoration for natural resource damages required under any Federal or State law.
______________________________________ _____________________________
Name of Non-Federal sponsor’s representative Non-Federal sponsor signature
:______________________________________ Title:__________________________
Organization
Date:____________________________
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | November 2003 DRAFT |
| Author | Amy.Zimmerling |
| Last Modified By | s0cixlcg |
| File Modified | 2008-04-04 |
| File Created | 2008-04-04 |