The objective of the national estuary program watersheds grant program (nepwg) is to support projects that address urgent, emerging, and challenging issues that threaten the ecological and economic…

The objective of the national estuary program watersheds grant program (nepwg) is to support projects that address urgent, emerging, and challenging issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of estuarine areas. Restore america's estuaries will manage a cooperative agreement that will solicit, award and administer a national competitive subaward program with subawards between $200,000 and $500,000.activities:activities to be performed include: work with EPA and the six-member advisory program committee, comprised of leaders in the public, tribal, and non-profit sectors, RAE will develop a request for proposals (RFP) that integrates the goals and priorities of the nepwg program. Promote the nepwg RFP broadly via email lists, social media, and newsletters and increase targeted outreach to historically underrepresented communities and organizations, utilize a two-stage, competitive application process consisting of an open letter of intent (LOI) solicitation, followed by an invitation-only full proposal stage. Select, oversee, and manage subawards that address urgent, emerging, and challenging environmental issues and priorities. Oversee and manage subawards and provide technical support to subawardees to help ensure the quality of project data and environmental results, and qapps submitted by subawardees meet EPA requirements. Integrate learning and knowledge sharing opportunities throughout their administration of nepwg and will convene at least one live learning exchange webinar annually. Qualitatively and quantitatively measure, track, and report the outputs and outcomes of the environmental results of the NEP watersheds grant projects accomplished through the competitive subawards. Capture the data and results, and documenting lessons learned from the subaward projects. Progress reports will document data results, along with reflect on lessons learned. Subrecipient:subaward projects will address urgent, emerging, and challenging issues that threaten the ecological and economic well-being of estuarine areas. The subawards will support estuary protection and restoration subaward projects located entirely within the identified NEP watersheds grant geographic areasoutcomes:anticipated outputs/deliverables may include: projects that address urgent and challenging issues that threaten ecological and economic well-being in geographic areas as defined by this RFA funded through subawards. Projects that remove or modify physical barriers that would prevent natural transition of salt marsh habitat. Development and verification of subawardee tracking (reporting) systems that include the ability to monitor progress and to upload reports. Lessons learned captured from the subaward projects. Number of acres, linear miles or feet of habitat created, RE-established, rehabilitated, or enhanced funded through subaward projects. Expected outcomes may include: change(s) made to regulations, codes, and/or ordinances to promote estuarine watershed-based protection and restoration. Increased capacity among state, local, regional, tribal governments along with typically under-represented and/or environmental justice communities to address urgent, emerging, and challenging estuarine issues. Improvement in the function of estuarine, near-shore, wetland, and upland habitat communities. Increase in the quality of habitat that was impaired by non-native invasive species. Change(s) in behavior of community members that results in improved conditions in estuarine waters or bolsters resilience to climate change. Intended beneficiaries of this program include the estuarine watershed communities and stakeholders located in the nepwg geographic areas.