The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing 600,000 in federal funding to the state of ohio through the bipartisan infrastructure law

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is providing $600,000 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding through a Cooperative Agreement to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Office of Coastal Management. This funding will build the capacity of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve to plan for and implement habitat restoration and conservation projects proposed through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Specifically, ODNR will use these funds to establish a subaward with the Chagrin River Watershed Partners to provide technical assistance to the Central Lake Erie Basin Collaborative, a network of northern Ohio organizations working to protect and restore Lake Erie and its watersheds. The technical assistance activities include coordinating steering committee meetings, supporting project planning and proposal development, and providing training to collaborative members. The award period is from Jan 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2027.

This funding will build the capacity of the old woman creek national estuarine research reserve within the ohio department of natural resources office of coastal management to plan for and implement habitat restoration and conservation projects proposed through funding opportunities connected to the bipartisan infrastructure law. Specifically, the old woman creek nerr will use these funds to establish a subaward with the chagrin river watershed partners to provide technical assistance to the central lake erie basin (cleb) collaborative, a network of northern ohio organizations and initiatives that work together to protect and restore lake erie and its watersheds. Technical assistance activities include: coordinating central lake erie basin steering committee meetings; supporting BIL project planning and proposal development by connecting cleb network members with available funding opportunities, assisting with project budget development, and grant writing; and developing and providing training to cleb network members to support project development.