April Partnership Meeting Recap The second Urban Waters Partnership meeting of 2022 was held on April 27th with a great turnout and a packed agenda. A copy of the meeting notes and partner presentations are available by clicking on the buttons below. The next two Partnership meetings will be held on July 13th and October 20th. Please save the dates and look out for meeting details in future communications. Want to connect before then? Please reach out to Victoria -she looks forward to hearing from you! Thank you for joining! *SAVE THE DATE* Next partnership meeting is July I3th, 9:30-n:30am Central Time April Partnership Meeting Notes Lake George Middle Branch Presentation CommuniTree Presentation Article on Biodiversity n the Times of Northwest Indiana Biodiversity is also about us, not just nature by Susan Mihalo Later this month are two days of note in the natural world. On May 20, people will unite to celebrate National Endangered Species Day. Then on May 22 has been proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Day for Biological Diversity to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. These dates have special meaning for Northwest Indiana, an area with some of the state's richest biodiversity. Experts tell me that northern Lake County alone has more than 30% of Indiana's rare and endangered species, such as Blanding's turtles and blueheart flowers. Notably, Indiana itself has more species of orchids than the state of Hawaii. Read the Full Article on nwitimes.com ------- Survey on Coastal Perceptions in the Indiana Dunes Survey: Coastal Perceptions in the Dunes How important are each of the following benefits of natural areas in the Indiana coastal region to you? Save the Dunes, Indiana University-Bloomington, and Michigan State University have recently launched a new project focused on evaluating Coastal Perceptions of Natural Resources in the Indiana Dunes region. As part of this project, they are conducting a survey to gather information about the perceptions, understanding, and importance of natural resources and natural areas to residents and visitors of the Indiana coastal region. Survey responses are anonymous.The project is supported with funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the indiana Department of Natural Resources Lake Michigan Coastal Program. Not at all important Somewhat Important Very important Extremely Important o O O o Scenic beauty Biological diversity o o o o Wildlife viewing and watching o o o o Outdoor recreation o o o o Protection for endangered species o o o o Protection of unique ecosystems o o o o Protection for future generations o o o o Scientific research o o o o Educational purposes o o o o Spiritual values or inspirational benefits o o o o Income and jobs for the tourism industry o o o o Save the Dunes Take the Survey 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 urbanwatersnwi(d)amail,com to discuss your projects and ways we can help, America the Beautiful Challenge I NFWF The America the Beautiful Challenge is a public-private grant program for locally led ecosystem restoration projects that invest in watershed restoration, resilience, equitable access, workforce development, corridors and connectivity, and collaborative conservation, consistent with the America the Beautiful initiative The America the Beautiful Challenge will seek to advance conservation and restoration projects that are consistent with the principles outlined in the Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report Applicants are encouraged to develop large landscape scale and/or cross jurisdictional projects that advance existing conservation plans or are informed by Indigenous Traditional Knowledge.The full Request for Proposals can be found here: https://www.nfwf.org/programs/america-beautiful-challenge/america-beautiful-challenge- 2022-reauest-proposals * Deadline: July 21 * Available funding and match requirements vary by project category Applicant Webinar: Thursday. Mav 19. 2022. 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern Time IDEM 319 Grant Solicitation for Nonooint Source Pollution Projects The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) is seeking applications for projects that will reduce nonpoint source (NPS) pollution in Indiana's lakes, rivers, and streams. Funding for selected projects will be provided by Clean Water Act (CWA) Section ------- 319 NPS Management Program grant funds. Notice of Intent (NOI) emails for the FFY 2023 grant solicitation are due June 1, 2022. Applications for FFY 2023 Section 319 grant funds are due September 1, 2022. Please review the Solicitation Announcement IPDF1 for important information including project eligibility, funding priorities, and application requirements. https://www.in.aov/idem/nps/resources/nonpoint-source-arants-compendium/ https://www.in.aov/idem/nps/fundina/current-section-319205j-projects/ * Notice of Intent Deadline: June 1 * Deadline: September 1 * Available Funding: $2,000,000 annually; 40% non-federal match required U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Invasive Species Prevention The USFWS is providing grants to support implementation of measures that prevent the introduction or spread of invasive species. Proposals should advance strategic, ecologically-based, landscape-level prevention measures. The USFWS anticipates funding one to four projects. The anticipated award date is August 2022. Additional details can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity on arants.aov. Number F22AS00320. Please direct questions to Susan Pasko, Division of Fish and Aquatic Conservation, USFWS HQ - MS:FAC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803, 703-358- 2466, susan pasko@fws.aov * Deadline: June 22 * Award range: $200,000-$1,852,550; no match required U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program 2022 This is a voluntary, community-based program that provides technical and financial assistance to coastal communities, conservation partners, and landowners to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat on public and private lands. * Deadline: September 22 * Award ceiling: $200,000; no match required Volunteer, Employment & Training Opportunities Student Conservation Association Tree Plantings The Calumet Tree Conservation Crew invites volunteers to help green the urban canopy of Northwest Indiana for the betterment of people and the environment. Together with CommuniTree and volunteers, the CTCC crew is helping to surpass 10,000 trees planted in Northwest Indiana since the program began in 2017. Contact Sam Vergara, Chicagoland Program Manager for The Student Conservation Association with any questions at Svergara@thesca.org Turkey Creek Golf Course Tree Planting Mav 21 at 9:00am Dowlina Park Tree Planting Mav 28 at 9:00am Indiana Department of Natural Resources Urban Forestry Program Coordinator The Urban Forestry Program Coordinator manages and directs the statewide Community and Urban Forestry Program (CUF). They will develop program initiatives that meet the needs of various communities while educating others about responsible use of natural resources. Although they will serve in the Division of Forestry, they will collaborate with other divisions and agencies to ensure program success. Learn more and apply here. Conservation Finance Boot Camp - Virtual Option Available The Conservation Finance Network will host the 16th annual Conservation Finance Boot Camp at Colorado State University. The boot camp helps mid-career professionals use effective financing strategies to increase social and ecological resilience. There is a hybrid participation option for core sessions and there is no application process for virtual participation. To register for the virtual sessions, click here. To view the application for the ------- in-person events, click here. June 27 to July 1, 2022. $165 for virtual participation. Other Useful Resources EPA Funding Integration Tool for Source Water — FITS is a one-stop-shop tool that explains how various funding sources can support activities that protect drinking water sources. Users may navigate between source water protection funding sources, planning and funding coordination information and examples of funding sources in action. To access the tool, click here. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Source Water Protection Website NRCS has developed a new website that includes national maps of source water priority areas under the 2018 Farm Bill. The maps show the 2022 priority source water areas by type of water system (groundwater, surface water or both) and resource concern for water quality, quantity or both. State and local source water partners can contact their NRCS State Conservationist's office to request state specific maps of priority source water areas. To view the state offices directory, click here. EPA Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Best Practices Guide for Financing Nonpoint Source (NPS) Solutions — Each state, and Puerto Rico, uses the EPA-administered CWSRF program to operate its own water infrastructure bank to combat water pollution from both point and nonpoint sources. Each CWSRF program defines its own goals and operating policies. Some have achieved particularly notable success at using CWSRF funds to target NPS needs. EPA developed this guide to share the collective wisdom from those states that have achieved success in this area. To view the guide, click here. EPA Greenhouse Gas Eouivalencies Calculator — The Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator is EPA's most popular communications tool and has been updated with new data and a new interface. The Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies calculator allows you to convert emissions or energy data to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emission. To use the calculator, click here- White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Draft Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool The CEQ has released a beta version of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool. The tool is a key component of the President's environmental justice commitments, including Justice40. The beta version of the tool is open to feedback from the public. Federal Funding Clearinghouse developed bv the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities & Economic Revitalization The centralized clearinghouse features billions of dollars in existing federal funding sources. The government-wide list offers access to fund infrastructure, environmental remediation, job creation and community revitalization efforts. 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. ------- |