Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) received a $1,258,526 Cooperative Agreement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Coastal Zone Management Estuarine Research Reserves Program (CFDA 11.420) for the period October 1, 2025 through March 31, 2027. This award supports the operational, research, monitoring, education, training, and stewardship activities of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), a 2,800-acre reserve encompassing open water, salt marshes, ponds, and uplands on Cape Cod in Falmouth and Mashpee, Massachusetts. The $880,967 federal funding is matched by $377,559 in state salaries for key personnel including the Reserve Manager, Fiscal Administrator, Research Coordinator, and Education Coordinator.

The reserve delivers core products and services through a multi-disciplinary team including an Events and Volunteer Coordinator, Stewardship Coordinator, Research Associate, K-12 School and Interpretive Programs Coordinator, and Coastal Training Program Coordinator. Key outputs include program oversight and administration, grant management and reporting, visitor services, facilities maintenance, research and monitoring activities, educational programming, and stewardship initiatives. The Friends of the Waquoit Bay Reserve (WBRF) serves as a subawardee, supporting education and training events, managing the Summer Science School, and coordinating fundraising and volunteer activities to complement reserve operations and programming.