Apply for NIRPC CommuniTree Grants NIRPC is now accepting applications for Spring 2022 tree planting through the CommuniTree Grant Program! Communities can apply to receive quality 1+ inch caliper native trees to plant and maintain in public spaces. *Applications due: Friday, March 11 For full details and to apply visitNIRPC's CommuniTree Application Page or e- mail Jen at ibirchfield@nirpc.ora. General Requirements • Tree recipients must agree to properly plant and maintain trees and water them for at least three years. Training will be provided. • Eligible applicants include public entities, such as municipalities, schools, churches, and conservation, community or service organizations. • In most cases, trees must be planted in public spaces, such as parks, schools, churches and along public roadway easements within Northwest Indiana's Lake Michigan watershed. If no public spaces are available, trees can be planted on private property (restrictions apply). • Tree recipients must track and submit in-kind services directly attributable to the planting, inventory and care trees. • Tree recipients are required to inventory the trees they receive and plant. NIRPC's simple GIS-based survey can be completed in the field during tree planting using a smartphone (it only takes about 1 minute per tree). • Communities can pick up their trees after a brief Tree Care and Maintenance workshop at NIRPC (to be scheduled in April). • Applications for at least 20 trees are recommended. About CommuniTree Trees are essential in our communities. They help clean our air and water, reduce flooding, create habitat for wildlife and provide significant social and health benefits for people. CommuniTree is an alliance of residents, not-for-profits, universities, government agencies, and businesses working to create a more diverse, healthy, and sustainable urban forest for quality of life in the Calumet Region. Partners are working to plant 10,000 trees in the region by 2022. Funding for the CommuniTree Community Tree Grant Program is made possible through a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grant awarded to the Northwestern Indiana Reqional Planning Commission by the USDA Forest Service. NWI Urban Waters Coordinator Position ------- Please share the NWI Urban Waters Coordinator Position Posting widely! Short Description The coordinator facilitates effective communication, collaboration, and project development between local, state, federal, educational, business, and non-profit partners who work on waterway-related projects in northwest Indiana. View the full position posting for duties and details. Location Office at Purdue University Northwest, Hammond, Indiana Hours The position is expected to be 32 hours per week but this is negotiable. Full time could be possible. Some evening and weekend meetings. Flexible regarding when non-meeting work takes place. Salary Range & Benefits $22-$33.00 per hour, negotiable depending on experience ($36,608-$54,912 at a 32-hour week). The Coordinator is a Purdue University Northwest employee. If working 32 or more hours per week, the position includes a generous benefits package. Note: this is a soft-money position, though we have been able to keep it funded for 10 years. To Apply Please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to: urbanwatersnwi@amail.com by Monday, February 14, 2022. Please detail how your experience addresses the criteria listed in the job announcement. Funding and Assistance Opportunities The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership may be able to provide assistance to further your initiatives by exploring grant opportunities, building partnerships, and helping you to developing competitive proposals. Contact Jen Birchfield to discuss your projects and ways we can help. American Rescue Plan Act Economic Adjustment Assistance EDA's ARPA EAA NOFO is designed to provide a wide-range of financial assistance to communities and regions as they respond to, and recover from, the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, including long-term recovery and resilience to future economic disasters. EDA expects to fund a number of projects under this NOFO that support communities negatively impacted by the downturn in the coal economy, supporting transitioning away from coal. *EDA encourages eligible applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible and strongly advises applicants to submit complete applications no later than March 31, 2022 *Award range: $100,000 to $10,000,000. EDA generally expects to fund at least 80%, and up to 100%, of eligible project costs. Sustain Our Great Lakes (SOGL) SOGL is soliciting proposals to benefit fish, wildlife, habitat and water quality in the Great Lakes basin. The program will award approximately $11.2 million in grants in 2022 in six categories: 1. Restore and Enhance Stream and Riparian Habitat 2. Restore and Enhance Coastal Habitats 3. Expand Green Stormwater Infrastructure in Great Lakes Communities 4. Maintain and Enhance Benefits of Habitat Restoration through Invasive Species Control 5. Restore and Preserve Natural Areas and Biodiversity in Wisconsin's Lake Michigan Watershed 6. Accelerate Implementation of Conservation Practices and Regenerative Agriculture on Working Lands ------- *Award range: $100,000 to $1,000,000 with 1:1 match *Pre-proposal deadline: February 25, 2022 National Park Service Rivers. Trails and Conservation Assistance The National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program (NPS- RTCA) is accepting applications for technical assistance on locally-led conservation and outdoor recreation projects. The program will assist communities in evolving climate resiliency strategies, developing or restoring parks, conservation areas, rivers and wildlife habitats, as well as creating outdoor recreation opportunities and programs that engage future generations in the outdoors. *Application deadline: March 1 DPI FWS Coastal Program 2022 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance through cooperative agreements to coastal communities, conservation partners, and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. Coastal Program habitat improvement projects strive to increase coastal resiliency by improving the ability of coastal ecosystems to adapt to environmental changes and supporting natural and nature-based infrastructure projects to protect and enhance coastal habitats. *Applications Due: September 22, 2022 *Award ceiling:$200,000 with no match requirement The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership focuses on the Lake Michigan watershed in Lake, LaPorte and Porter Counties, Indiana. Urban Waters works to connect urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies and state and local partners. The goals are to improve the Nation's water systems and to promote their economic, environmental and social benefits. ------- |