Join Us In-Person for the July 20, 2023 Northwest Indiana (NWI) Urban Waters Partnership Meeting NWI Urban Waters Partnership Meeting Thursday, July 20, 2023 9:30-11:30am CDT Indiana Dunes Visitor Center 1215 IN-49, Porter, IN 46304 View on map here Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 923 2469 6114 Passcode: 630183 Dial by your location +1 646 931 3860 US +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) Find your local number: https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/u/aexh4w72cQ This meeting will be held in-person with a virtual call-in option available. We hope you will join us in person if you are able - we'll enjoy networking and a tour of the Indiana Dunes Indigenous Cultural Trail after the meeting! Agenda 1. Welcome 2. Introductions 3. Partner Presentation: "Indiana Dunes Indigenous Cultural Trail Project," Christine Livingston, Indiana Dunes Tourism 4. Partner Presentation: "Our Once and Future Wetlands: Art, Ecology and Engineering," Lindsay Olson, Artist-in-Residence at The Wetlands Initiative 5. Partner Updates & Announcements Questions? Please reach out to Victoria Wittia the Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Federal Partnership Ambassador. Save the Date for the final NWI Urban Waters Partnership Meeting of 2023 Thursday, October 19, 9:30-11:30am CST at Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Paul Labovitz, Superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Park, Set to Retire ------- Indiana Dunes National Park Rangers and Indiana Dunes Tourism celebrating the historic name change from a National Landmark to a National park in 2019. Photo by Paul Labovitz. After nine years serving as the Superintendent for the Indiana Dunes National Park, Paul Labovitz has announced that he is set to retire at the end of June. Paul will be sorely missed by all who know and work with him! He has been an anchor for the conservation community and an incredibly strong proponent for the power that partnership work brings to the National Park and the region - including as a key partner to the NWI Urban Waters Federal Partnership. His nine years were marked by incredible progress at the National Park including the historic name change from a National Lakeshore to a National Park in 2019, the introduction of entrance fees to help clear a backlog of critical maintenance needs, and the soon-to-be-cleared river channel on the East Branch of the Little Calumet which will provide paddling opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts. Read more about Paul's tenure in the Post Tribune article here. Send Paul a note to thank him for his service and wish him well at paul_labovitz@nps.gov Watering Alert from CommuniTree Partners According to the Indiana Drought Monitor we are in an abnormally dry period. If you've received trees through the CommuniTree program in the past few years, please make sure to water them thoroughly during dry spells. For more information on how to care for your trees, view the United States Forest Service (USFS) Tree Owner's Manual here or Davey Residential Blog here. Map released: Thurs. May 25,2023 Data valid: May 23,2023 at 8 a.m. EOT Intensity None DO (Abnormally Dry) D1 (Moderate Drought) H D2 (Severe Drought) H 03 (Extreme Drought) ¦ D4 (Exceptional Drought) ¦ No Data Authors United States and Puerto Rico Author(s): Brad Rippev. U.S. Department of Agriculture Pacific Islands and Virgin Islands Author(s): Rocky Bilotta. NOAA/NCEI Wildlife Habitat Council Receives funding from the USFS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ------- Above: Group photo of WHC partners and volunteers at a community event on a sunny day Photo by Daniel Goldfarb. Daniel Goldfarb of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) recently shared the exciting news that WHC will be receiving more than $282,000 in funding from the USFS Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for a project titled: "Calumet Region Runoff Reduction: Industries and Communities Working for Lake Michigan." According to Daniel, "Our [proposal] stands alone in our focus to engage industries and bi-state communities of the Calumet Region to work together to increase tree canopies of industrial and community spaces. This award is also reflective of the strong Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) partnership called CommuniTree Calumet." The funding will support urban forestry projects, green infrastructure, and pollinator "shovel-ready" projects in the Calumet region working in collaboration with communities, private companies, utilities and academia. View the full list of USFS GLRI awardees here. Funding Opportunities The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership may be able to provide assistance to advance your initiatives by exploring grant opportunities, building partnerships, and helping you develop competitive proposals. Email Victoria Wittia to discuss your projects and ways we can help. US EPA Pollution Prevention (P2) Grant: Environmental Justice in Communities The EPA P2 Grant aims to provide technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) on source reduction. Grantees must demonstrate that the project will improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by implementing P2 approaches. Read the RFP here View the applicant webinar here *Applications due June 6, 2023 *Award Range: $100,000-800,000 for individual projects or up to $1.2 million for multi- state or multi-tribal projects Land Trust Alliance Land arid Climate Grant Program The Land and Climate Grant Program aims to support and build the capacity of land trusts and other groups that conserve and steward land to integrate climate change into land protection and management decisions. To view the RFP click here *Applications due June 8, 2023 *Award Range: $5,000-15,000 EPA Pollution Prevention fP2) Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer and More ------- Sustainable Products The purpose of the Pollution Prevention Grant: Environmental Justice Through Safer/Sustainable Products is to provide P2 technical assistance to businesses (e.g., information, training, expert advice) in order to improve human health and the environment in disadvantaged communities by increasing the supply, demand and use of safer and more sustainable products. To view the RFP click here. *Applications due June 20, 2023 *Award Range: $100,000-800,000 for individual projects or up to $1.2 million for multi- state or multi-tribal projects U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Urban Waters Federal Partnership USGS UWFP funded activities include a wide range of water-quality related monitoring, assessment, management practice evaluation, and educational activities. These projects are done in cooperation with municipal, state, and regional partners focused on restoring and revitalizing urban waterways. To learn more about how to apply, contact Dave Lampe at dclampe@usgs.gov or 317-416-7448 *Pre-proposal due August 4, 2023 *Award Range: $75,000-100,000 EPA Great Lakes Environmental Justice Grant Program EPA's newly created Great Lakes Environmental Justice Grant Program will fund implementation of environmental protection and restoration projects that further the goals of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in communities with environmental justice concerns. To learn more about eligibility criteria and the program description, view the RFP here. *Applications due August 11, 2023 *Award Range: $2-10 million for regional programs U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration - PROTECT Program (Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative. Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation') The purpose of the PROTECT Program is to plan for and strengthen surface transportation to be more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters. The vision of the Program is to fund projects that address the climate crisis by improving the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. View the Notice of Funding Opportunity here. *Applications due August 18, 2023 *Award Minimum: $100,000 Partner Opportunities & Resources Oak Wilt Management Training This summer the USFS Forest Health Protection office will be working in collaboration with Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and Purdue University Extension to host a 1-day Oak Wilt Management Workshop in Porter, Indiana. This exciting workshop will cover biology and management of oak wilt disease in the central U.S. It will include a two-hour morning session on the biology of oak wilt, followed by a three-hour field-based session with visits to two active oak wilt sites that were recently treated. Register with Kara Costanza: Kara.Costanza@usda.gov; 406-360-7263 *Registration open until June 30, 2023 *Training scheduled for July 26, 2023, 9:00am-3:30pm CT at the Indiana Dunes National Park Chellberg Farm Executive Order to "Revitalize Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All ------- President Biden signed an executive order further embedding environmental justice into the work of federal agencies to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on. Read more about how the campaign kicked off at the launch of the 21st Urban Waters Federal Partnership location in Raleigh, North Carolina here- Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Announced EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy are cooperatively funding awards to 14 regional and 3 national Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (EJ TCTAC). The network of centers will provide direct technical assistance, training and capacity building support to communities and organizations to advance environmental and energy justice priorities. This includes two Region 5 grants totaling $20 million dollars. View the full list of awardees here. EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund Webinar Series These recorded webinars feature professionals from around the country sharing their expertise on a range of topics related to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and how the fund can be used for a variety of projects. To view the webinars, click here. EPA Inflation Reduction Act Website The EPA Inflation Reduction Act website has information about EPA's current and upcoming funding opportunities from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. Explore funding and projects related to environmental justice, climate change and addressing air pollution. To view the website, click here. White House State-by-State Fact Sheets on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The White House Infrastructure Implementation Team released new state-by-state fact sheets which outline the progress of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in all 50 states, Washington D.C. and U.S. territories as of January 13, 2023. To view the fact sheets, click here. EPA News Release: EPA Proposes to Establish First-Time Clean Water Act Protections for Over 250 Tribes In early May, EPA announced proposed federal baseline water quality standards for waterbodies on Indian reservations that do not have Clean Water Act standards, ensuring protections for over half a million people living on Indian reservations as well as critical aquatic ecosystems. To learn more about this proposal, read the press release here. The Northwest Indiana Urban Waters Partnership focuses on the Lake Michigan watershed in Lake, Porter and LaPorte 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. NWI Urban Waters | Northwest Indiana, Lake, Porter, & LaPorte Counties, IN 46360 Unsubscribe vwittia@pnw.edu Update Profile IConstant Contact Data Notice Sent byvwittig@pnw.edupowered by k Constant Contact Try email marketing for free today! ------- |