What are Wetlands? Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year. Why are Wetlands Important? Wetlands are important features in the landscape that provide numerous beneficial services for people and for fish and wildlife. Some of these services, or functions, include protecting and improving water quality, providing fish and wildlife habitats, sustaining cultural uses to Tribes, and storing floodwaters. XV EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Water Division EPA Region 9 Clean Water Act §104(b)3 FY2015 What types of projects can be funded? ~ Develop a Tribal Wetland Program Plan. ~ Create training materials and tools for wetland protection in watershed planning. ~ Assess criteria to identify wetland restoration and protection priorities. ~ Build a wetland restoration/protection prioritization process that considers whether climate change may impact project success. ~ Develop monitoring protocols and assessment criteria that can be used to re- port the ambient condition of wetland resources. ~ Incorporate methods or strategies to include wetland water quality standards into EPA approved Tribal water quality standards. ~ Fund research, investigations, experiments, trainings, studies, surveys and demonstration projects. What Funding is Available? Wetlands Program Developments Grants is a competitive program for Tribes, States, local governments, and non-profits organizations. EPA Region 9 expects total allocation of approximately $3,000,000 every two years with individual awards between $50,000 to $350,000. Starting in 2015, funding is only available every other year. ------- What are Core Elements of a Tribal Wetland Program? EPA identifies four core elements that comprise and strengthen effective wetlands programs. The core elements are basic program functions that form the foundation of wetlands management and protection in a State or Tribe. These include: 1. Monitoring and Assessment; 2. Regulatory activities including 401 certification; 3. Voluntary Restoration and Protection; 4. Water Quality Standards for wetlands. More information on Core Elements can be found at http://water.epa.gov/grants funding/wetlands/cefintro.cfm What are Wetland Program Plans? EPA believes that Wetland Program Plans are an effective way for guiding and focusing efforts to build an effective wetland program. Wetland Program Plans may be a concise identification of planned actions to help create a focused and sustainable wetland program. Plans should include the following minimum components: • An overall goal statement for the program over the time period covered by the Plan. • An overall timeframe for the plan, with a minimum timeframe of three years and a maximum of six years, starting from the time of Plan submittal to EPA. • A list of actions consistent with the Core Elements Framework that the program intends to carry out over the Plan timeframe, and which, if collectively met, will accomplish the overall Plan goal(s). • An intended schedule for the achievement of each action. • A listing of more specific activities to be accomplished under each action. More information on Wetland Program Plans can be found at http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/wpp.cfm When & How to Apply? Tribes interested in applying for Wetland grants must submit their proposals through http://www.grants.gov. EPA expects the announcement during FY 2015 of Wetlands grants funding to occur between March and May 2015. How to apply and other information can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region9/funding/wetlands.htinl • The application requires a proposal with a detailed workplan and budget describing how the requested funds will be used and target dates for accomplishing specific milestones. • Grant applicants are required to match 25% of the total project costs. The match may be reduced to 5% of the total project costs if included in a Performance Partnership Grant (PPG). • The funding announcement will include a section on the competitive grant selection criteria for the proposal and how they are ranked. For your information, the 2014 selection criteria can be found at http://www.epa.gov/region9/funding/pdfs/wetlands/fvl4-wpdg-rfp-r9final.pdf. • There are two funding tracks: Track One is for applicants to develop a Wetlands Program Plan, Track Two is for applicants to build or refine core elements of their existing Wetlands Program Plan. • Tribes can submit separate proposals under Track One and Track Two in the same year Contact Information Leana Rosetti US EPA, Region 9 (WTR-2-4) rosetti.leana@epa.gov 75 Hawthorne Street (415) 972-3070 San Francisco, CA 94105 i ______ &EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency ------- |