NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2022-2007109 NOFO.pdf

NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Funding Opportunity Description 4 A. Program Objective 4 B. Program Priorities 4 C. Program Authority 8

II. Award Information 8 A. Funding Availability 9 B. Project/Award Period 9 C. Type of Funding Instrument 10

III. Eligibility Information 10 A. Eligible Applicants 10 B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 10 C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility 11

IV. Application and Submission Information 12 A. Address to Request Application Package 12 B. Content and Form of Application 12 C. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM) 22 D. Submission Dates and Times 22 E. Intergovernmental Review 22 F. Funding Restrictions 23 G. Other Submission Requirements 23

V. Application Review Information 24 A. Evaluation Criteria 24 B. Review and Selection Process 31 C. Selection Factors 32 D. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 33

VI. Award Administration Information 33 A. Award Notices 34 B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 34 C. Reporting 37

VII. Agency Contacts 37 VIII. Other Information 38

Notice of Federal Funding Page 1 of 39

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Federal Agency Name(s): National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce

Funding Opportunity Title: NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants

Announcement Type: Initial

Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-NMFS-HCPO-2022-2007109

Federal Assistance Listings Number: 11.463, Habitat Conservation

Dates: The application deadline is January 12, 2022, at 11:59 PM Eastern time. Applications must be received by www.Grants.gov.

Funding Opportunity Description: The principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants competition is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to habitat restoration projects that meet NOAA's mission to restore coastal habitats and support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/documents/glri-action-plan-3-201910-30pp.pdf) goal to protect and restore habitats to sustain healthy populations of native fish species in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be evaluated based on alignment with our program priorities, including: 1) contribution to GLRI Focus Area 1 (Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern) goals to implement management actions within select Areas of Concern (AOC), and 2) contribution to GLRI Focus Area 4 (Habitats and Species) goals to restore habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat degradation. Through this solicitation, we intend to address GLRI Focus Area 4 goals by prioritizing a subset of habitat restoration projects identified by the Lake Committees as Environmental Priorities to meet fish community objectives for Great Lakes fish species. Lake Committees are composed of senior officials from state, provincial, and U.S.

intertribal fishery agencies, convened by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Together, they are responsible for managing the Lakes’ fisheries and developing plans and guidance to sustain healthy populations of Great Lakes commercial and recreational fish species.

Applicants are encouraged to propose one or more projects that are identified on 1) an AOC management list and/or 2) a Lake Committee Environmental Priorities list. (Please see section I.B of this funding opportunity to see the AOCs and Environmental Priorities that are prioritized in this competition). An applicant’s capacity to manage concurrent habitat restoration projects over multiple years and willingness and ability to work with stakeholders and communities to

Notice of Federal Funding Page 2 of 39 achieve project goals will also be evaluated through this competition. NOAA reserves the right to fund some and not all the proposed projects based on program priorities and funding availability. Proposals may include the following types of activities: restoration feasibility and/or design; habitat restoration construction (i.e., on-the-ground activities); or a combination thereof.

Proposals selected for funding through this solicitation will be funded through cooperative agreements. One-year or multi-year awards will be considered. Multi-year awards are awards that are funded annually, for up to three years. Funding needs for the second and/or third year (Fiscal Year 2023 and/or FY 2024) will be estimated in FY2022, with final amounts determined in future years, pending future federal appropriations and progress towards project milestones.

NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $500,000 to $5 million over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $300,000 or more than $30 million total over three years. NOAA anticipates up to $10 million will be available under this announcement in FY22. Funds will be administered by the NOAA Restoration Center. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds made available to NOAA for this purpose by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in FY22 - FY24 budgets.

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FULL ANNOUNCEMENT TEXT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Program Objective

The principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants solicitation is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to habitat restoration projects that meet NOAA's mission to restore coastal habitats and support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) (https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2019- 10/documents/glri-action-plan-3-201910-30pp.pdf) goal to protect and restore habitats to sustain healthy populations of native fish species in the eight U.S. Great Lakes states. This funding opportunity prioritizes habitat restoration projects identified in Section I.B. that aim to restore functional coastal wetland, nearshore, and/or riverine habitats that support native fish migration, reproduction, growth, and/or seasonal refuge. Proposals submitted under this solicitation will be evaluated by how well they demonstrate that the proposed habitat restoration actions will lead to significant and sustainable benefits for Great Lakes native fish species. Furthermore, successful proposals will be those that address the Program Priorities (Section I.B) and the Evaluation Criteria (Section V.A) most strongly.

B. Program Priorities

As stated above, the principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Fish Habitat Restoration Partnership Grants solicitation is to support habitat restoration projects that contribute to NOAA and the GLRI priorities by restoring habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat degradation.

Note: please see sections III.C. for information about ineligible restoration activities and IV.B for examples of relevant habitat restoration projects that have been funded under this program.

Highest priority will be given to applications that:

1. Propose habitat restoration activities that substantially contribute to GLRI goals including:

a. GLRI Focus Area 1 - Toxic Substances and Areas of Concern

Habitat restoration that contributes to implementing management actions within the following AOCs will be given the highest priority in this competition: Milwaukee Estuary, Lower Green Bay and Fox River, Cuyahoga River, Maumee River, St. Lawrence River at

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Massena, Niagara River, Torch Lake, Rouge River, Kalamazoo River, Saginaw River and Bay, St. Louis River, Detroit River, and Grand Calumet River.

b. GLRI Focus Area 4 - Habitat and Species

Through this competition we intend to address GLRI Focus Area 4 goals by prioritizing a subset of habitat restoration projects identified by the Lake Committees as Environmental Priorities to meet fish community objectives for Great Lakes fish species. Lake Committees are composed of senior officials from state, provincial, and U.S. intertribal fishery agencies, convened by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Together, they are responsible for managing the Lakes’ fisheries and developing plans and guidance to sustain healthy populations of Great Lakes commercial and recreational fish species.

The subset prioritized for this competition is listed below.

Subset of Lake Superior Committee Environmental Priorities

-Hydrologic modification of unregulated tributary flows within the basin to provide minimum flows to meet reproductive and early life-history requirements for brook trout.

Specific focal areas to address hydrological modifications that impact fish production include tributaries along the south shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin and on the Bayfield Peninsula.

-Habitat restoration in the St. Louis River and Bay area including restoration of connected coastal wetlands and floodplains and enhancement of spawning habitat for additional lake sturgeon and walleye production.

Subset of Lake Michigan Committee Environmental Priorities

-Reef restoration of degraded reef habitats, which provide critical spawning and nursery areas for multiple species of common concern across Lake Michigan including lake trout, lake whitefish, and cisco. Specific focal areas to implement reef restoration actions in Lake Michigan are in the Charlevoix/Harbor Springs, Michigan area. Reef restoration projects that focus on restoring historic conditions using natural substrates are prioritized.

-Coastal wetland reconnection/restoration, softening of shorelines, and increasing submerged aquatic vegetation, which provide critical spawning and/or nursery habitats for multiple species of common concern across Lake Michigan, including lake sturgeon, lake whitefish, yellow perch, esocids, and centrarchids. Priority locations include the western and eastern

Notice of Federal Funding Page 5 of 39 shorelines of Green Bay and the southern basin nearshore of Lake Michigan.

-Tributary connectivity/fish passage restoration is critical for providing access of adult species of common concern, including lake sturgeon and lake whitefish, to reproductive and nursery habitat across the Lake Michigan Basin. Consideration of sea lamprey control remains paramount for all tributary connectivity/fish passage restoration projects. Specific locations where connectivity is limiting production of priority species includes: the Peshtigo River and the Oconto River.

-In-stream habitat restoration is critical for providing suitable reproductive habitat for multiple species of common concern, particularly lake sturgeon. Specific focal areas for in-stream habitat restoration include locations in the Grand River, Michigan, particularly below the Sixth Street Dam.

Subset of Lake Huron Committee Environmental Priorities

-Reef restoration of degraded reef habitats, including mitigating impacts of sedimentation on reefs, which provide critical spawning and nursery areas for multiple species of common concern across Lake Huron, are necessary for the achievement and maintenance of self-sustaining populations of lake whitefish, cisco, lake trout, and walleye. Reef restoration projects that focus on restoring historic conditions using natural substrates are prioritized.

Specific focal areas to implement reef restoration actions in Lake Huron include:

--The Thunder Bay Reefs, MI --The Saginaw Bay Reefs, MI --The Northern Main Basin region, MI --Implementation of actions to address spawning habitat augmentation, sedimentation, and connected nursery habitat restoration is critical to restore functional habitat and enhance fish production.

-Coastal wetland habitat restoration/reconnection, which will provide critical spawning and nursery habitats for multiple species of common concern across Lake Huron, including esocids and walleye. Specific focal areas for coastal wetland reconnection and restoration include locations in Saginaw Bay.

-In-stream habitat restoration and enhancement that is critical for providing suitable reproductive habitat for multiple species of common concern, particularly lake sturgeon and walleye.

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Subset of Lake Erie Committee Environmental Priorities

-Regional nutrient reduction strategies to reduce phosphorus loading and achieve mesotrophic conditions in the western, central, and nearshore waters of the eastern basins and embayments. The Maumee River watershed is a focal area for nutrient reduction strategies. Projects that improve water quality through the creation or enhancement of fish habitat, such as coastal wetland restoration and floodplain reconnection, are eligible. See section III.C. for examples of ineligible activities.

-Increase connectivity of select tributaries where connectivity is limiting production of fish community objective species including: Black River, MI – Wingford Dam and Huron River, MI – Flat Rock Dam/Huroc Dam.

-Increase shoreline/nearshore complexity through softening of shorelines, rehabilitation of connected coastal wetlands, and increases in submerged aquatic vegetation. Specific locations where shoreline alterations (hardening, diking, etc.) are limiting production of fish community objective species include:

--Sandusky Bay --Huron-Erie Corridor --Grand River, OH --St. Clair River Delta

Subset of Lake Ontario Committee Fish Habitat Priorities

-Enhance or restore effective upstream passage for adult Atlantic Salmon to allow access to spawning and juvenile rearing habitat.

-Restore nearshore open coast, cold-water spawning and nursery habitat for Lake Trout, Whitefish and Cisco.

-Restore degraded stream habitat to improve reproductive capacity in streams that are managed for wild fish production. Priority activities include:

--Install riverbank stabilization/fish habitat improvement structures and instream flow enhancement features for Atlantic Salmon on the Salmon River (system-wide) including Trout and Orwell brooks.

--Add spawning substrate (gravel) for Walleye and Lake Sturgeon downstream of Dexter Dam on the Black River.

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-Restore the ecological function of coastal wetlands to enhance Northern Pike, Muskellunge and other members of the wetland-dependent fish community. Priority actions include:

--Complete level ditching and potholing to increase fish spawning and nursery habitat in coastal wetlands, including Lakeview Wildlife Management Area, Port Bay, and Sodus Bay.

--Promote restoration and rehabilitation of lost coastal wetlands.

2. Exhibit a capacity to manage concurrent habitat restoration projects over multiple years, and an ability to manage federal funds, maintain financial and administrative records, and fulfill reporting requirements. The applicant should demonstrate a willingness to coordinate with NOAA to conduct technically sound restoration projects to address program priorities.

3. Demonstrate willingness and ability to work with stakeholders and communities.

Applicants should propose projects that were developed through inclusive processes and demonstrate appropriate and diverse stakeholder support. Applicants should also plan to disseminate information about project plans, benefits and results with relevant stakeholders and local communities.

NOAA makes a commitment to diversity and inclusion by encouraging program applicants to consider diversity and inclusion through proactive community engagement in the identification, design or implementation of proposed projects.

C. Program Authority

The Secretary of Commerce is authorized under the following statutes to provide grants and cooperative agreements for habitat restoration and conservation: Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.

Under 33 U.S.C. § 893a(a), the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is authorized to conduct and support formal and informal educational activities at all levels to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean and coastal science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders, including underrepresented groups in ocean science careers. In conducting those activities, the Administrator shall build upon the educational programs and activities of the agency with consideration given to the goal of promoting the participation of minorities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

II. Award Information

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A. Funding Availability

NOAA anticipates typical federal funding for awards will range from $500,000 to $5 million over one to three years. NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $300,000 or more than $30 million total over three years. NOAA anticipates up to $10 million will be available under this Announcement in FY22. Awards are dependent upon the amount of funds made available to NOAA for this purpose by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in FY22 - FY24 budgets.

Funds will be administered by the NOAA Restoration Center. One-year or multi-year awards up to three funding years will be considered. A multi-year award releases funds incrementally through Fiscal Year 2024 without further competition. The exact amount of funds that may be provided in the first year of the award will be determined in pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Any funds provided to successful applicants for subsequent-year funding requests will be determined by progress towards stated milestones and availability of funding at the discretion of the NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation and the NOAA Grants Management Division (GMD). NOAA expects, but is not obligated, to provide additional funding to multi-year awards in subsequent years.

Both federal and match pre-award costs, incurred up to 90 days prior to the award start date, may be requested and will be considered during pre-award negotiations between the applicant and NOAA. Incurring pre-award costs before NOAA GMD offers a grant is at the applicant's own risk.

NOAA or the Department of Commerce are not responsible for direct costs of application preparation if programs fail to receive funding or are cancelled because of other agency priorities. Publication of this announcement does not oblige NOAA to award any specific project or to obligate any available funds. There is no guarantee that sufficient funds will be available to make awards for all top-ranked applications. The number of awards to be made as a result of this solicitation will depend on the number of eligible applications received, the amount of funds requested for habitat restoration, the merit and ranking of the applications, and the amount of federal appropriations made available in FY22 and subsequent fiscal years. NOAA reserves the right to fund some and not all the proposed projects based on program priorities and funding availability.

B. Project/Award Period

Applications should cover a period of performance between 12 and 36 months, but may select a project where the period of performance extends up to 48 months. The earliest

Notice of Federal Funding Page 9 of 39 anticipated start date for awards will be October 1, 2022. Award periods may be extended, at the discretion of NOAA and based on project needs, up to the extent legally allowable, typically 5 years.

C. Type of Funding Instrument

Selected applications will be funded through cooperative agreements, as defined in 2 C.F.R. Sec 200.1, meaning that NOAA expects to be substantially involved in many aspects of the awards. Substantial involvement may include, but is not limited to, collaboration on the scope of work, providing assistance with technical aspects of the habitat restoration project, review and comment on design plans, and review of procurement materials to the extent authorized by 2 C.F.R. Sec. 200.323.

III. Eligibility Information

A. Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are institutions of higher education, non-profits, commercial (for profit) organizations, U.S. territories, and state, local and Native American tribal governments. Applications from federal agencies or employees of federal agencies will not be considered. Federal agencies are strongly encouraged to work with states, non-governmental organizations, municipal and county governments, and others that are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants may be located anywhere but must propose work within the Great Lakes basin and within one of the eight U.S. Great Lakes states (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota).

B. Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

There is no statutory matching requirement for this funding. NOAA typically leverages its federal funding with matching contributions from a broad range of sources in the public and private sectors to implement coastal habitat restoration. To this end, applicants should note that cost sharing is an element considered in Evaluation Criterion #4 "Project Costs" (Section V.A.4).

Federal sources cannot be considered as matching funds, but should be described in the budget justification to demonstrate additional leverage. Match to NOAA funds can come from a variety of non-federal public and private sources and can include third party in-kind goods and services and volunteer labor. Refer to 2 C.F.R. 200.306 for cost sharing or matching policies. Applicants are permitted to combine contributions from non-federal partners, as long as such contributions are not used to match any other federal funds and are available within the project period stated in the application. Applicants with approved

Notice of Federal Funding Page 10 of 39 indirect cost rates planning to provide cost sharing may find it convenient to propose a portion or all of their indirect costs as match, since the valuation of such costs has already been federally approved and documentation is readily available. Refer to Section IV.F "Funding Restrictions" for information on indirect costs. Refer to Section II.A. “Funding Availability” for information on pre-award costs.

Applicants whose proposals are selected for funding will be bound by the percentage of match reflected in the award document signed by NOAA's Grants Management Division, unless amended based on extenuating circumstances. NOAA is under no obligation to amend the matching contributions once agreed to by the recipient. Successful applicants should be prepared to carefully document matching contributions, including the overall number of volunteers and third party in-kind participation hours devoted to habitat restoration projects.

Letters of commitment for any secured resources that will be used as match for an award under this solicitation should be submitted as an attachment to the application in the Supplemental Materials (see Section IV.B).

C. Other Criteria that Affect Eligibility

As mentioned above, projects must be within the U.S. Great Lakes basin (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota). Projects outside of the U.S. Great Lakes basin will not be considered and will be disqualified. Section III.A presents information distinguishing eligible versus ineligible organization types.

NOAA will not accept proposals with a federal funding request of less than $300,000 or more than $30 million over three years (see Section II.A).

All applications MUST contain ALL required forms signed via the www.Grants.gov application process, (SF-424, SF-424b, CD-511). Failure to submit signed forms shall result in disqualification from this competition. See Section IV.G. for more details.

The following information describes ineligible project activities:

1. Ineligible activities related to water quality improvements include, but are not limited to, proposals addressing hard infrastructure only for water quality improvement, wastewater treatment plant upgrades, elimination of combined sewer outfalls, replacement of failing septic systems and implementation of agricultural animal waste management plans.

However, projects that improve water quality through the creation or enhancement of fish habitat, such as coastal wetlands, are eligible.

2. Proposals that focus only on marine debris prevention and removal are not eligible.

3. Proposals that focus on acquisition of real property are not eligible.

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4. Proposals that focus on beach renourishment solely for recreational purposes are not eligible.

5. Projects seeking funds only for invasive species removal and management will also not be considered under this solicitation. However, NOAA may fund invasive species removal as a component of an overall habitat restoration project proposal.

6. Reef restoration projects that propose the use of molluscicides only are not eligible.

7. Activities that alleviate the liability associated with legally required mitigation for the adverse environmental impacts of an activity regulated or otherwise governed by local, state, or federal law are not eligible for federal funding.

8. Activities that alleviate the liability associated with legally required compensatory restoration for natural resource damages under federal, state, or local law are not eligible for federal funding.

9. Activities that are required by a separate consent decree, court order, statute, or regulation are not eligible. Applicants planning to combine grant or matching funds with mitigation should review the Compensatory Mitigation for Losses of Aquatic Resources; Final Rule at 73 Fed. Reg. 19594 (April 10, 2008). NOAA plans to follow the approach adopted by some other Federal agencies on Page 19636 that describes scenarios where mitigation credits may or may not be obtained in association with federal financial incentives.

10. Proposals that focus only on pre- or post-restoration effectiveness monitoring are not eligible. To find out more about RC’s effectiveness monitoring and regional contacts with whom to discuss ideas, visit https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/monitoring-and-evaluation-restoration-projects.

IV. Application and Submission Information

A. Address to Request Application Package

Complete application packages, including required federal forms and instructions, can be found on www.Grants.gov. If a prospective applicant is having difficulty downloading the application forms from www.Grants.gov, contact www.Grants.gov Customer Support at 1- 800-518-4726 or support@Grants.gov. Instructions for these forms are available at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms/sf-424-family.html. Information about the recommended format for applications is contained in Section IV.B.

B. Content and Form of Application

A complete, standard NOAA financial assistance application package should be submitted, as described below. See section IV.A. for submission information.

Each proposal must include the following Federal application forms:

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- Standard Form (SF)-424: Application for Federal Assistance. The SF-424 form family may be downloaded from https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/forms.html.

- SF-424A: Budget Information for Non-construction Programs. (An SF-424A for each year of requested funding will be required prior to an award offer, but is not required as part of the initial application.)

- SF-424B: Assurances for Non-construction Programs

- CD-511: Certification Regarding Lobbying

- SF-LLL (if applicable): Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

In addition to the Federal application forms, NOAA recommends the following components as part of a complete application package. Page limits assume an 11- or 12-point font and 1-inch margins. Components should be organized into a maximum of four (4) PDF files outlined below:

- Project Summary, Project Narrative, and Data Management Plan (22 page limit)

- Budget Justification (6 page limit)

- Project design related documents (including feasibility studies, as applicable) (no page limit)

- Supplemental Materials (15 page limit)

Proposals that include multiple restoration sites should fully describe the proposed restoration activities at each site. If all project(s) details cannot be described within the recommended page limits, applicants should consider submitting more than one application.

Project summary (2 page limit):

We recommend you provide a summary with the following components:

-Applicant Organization

-Project Title

-Site Location: Include the geographic coordinates and the nearest town or watershed. If multiple sites are proposed, please include the geographic coordinates for all sites.

- Brief Project Description, as follows:

Relevance to Program Priorities: Describe how the proposed projects will deliver meaningful

Notice of Federal Funding Page 13 of 39 results that are relevant to GLRI Action Plan III Focus Area 1 and/or 4 goals to restore habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat degradation.

Habitat Issue(s) Addressed: Briefly describe the habitat issue limiting the recovery or sustainability of the target species, the state of the species' habitat/populations within the watershed/affected area, and how the proposed restoration actions will directly improve the habitat limiting issue, thereby benefiting the species.

Sustainability of Restoration Approach: Describe the proposed techniques and how the approach will result in sustainable and lasting benefits for the native Great Lakes fish species that are the focus of the proposal.

Timeline: Provide a timeline of all project activities to be supported with federal and/or non-federal matching funds, including an indication of when activities will begin.

Permits and Approvals: Identify and list all consultations, permits, and regulatory approvals necessary for the proposed project(s) and their status (e.g., not applied for, pending, or secured).

Landowner(s): Include name and address (if privately owned) or public agency contact for each proposed project.

Funding Request: Note the total requested NOAA funds and the amount anticipated for non-federal matching funds by year. Please state whether the match has been secured or is pending. Also note total project costs, and any funds beyond the requested NOAA funds and non-federal match that will contribute to the overall project costs.

Project Narrative (18 page limit):

Provide sufficient background and contextual information for reviewers to independently assess the significance of the proposed project(s). The application should generally follow the organization of the Evaluation Criteria (see Section V.A) to receive a consistent review against competing applications. The information provided below is intended to help applicants address the evaluation criteria.

Relevance to Program Priorities: Describe how the proposed projects will deliver meaningful results that are relevant to GLRI Action Plan III Focus Area 1 and/or 4 goals to restore habitat for native Great Lakes fish species whose populations have been impacted by habitat

Notice of Federal Funding Page 14 of 39 degradation. As described in Section I.B, through this solicitation we intend to address GLRI Focus Area 1 and 4 goals by prioritizing habitat restoration projects in a subset of priority Areas of Concern and/or projects identified by the Lake Committees to meet fish community objectives for native Great Lakes species. The narrative should explicitly describe how the proposed project(s) addresses the Priorities. For full points, a letter of endorsement from the relevant Lake Committee or AOC Public Advisory Council (PAC), as appropriate, should be submitted for all proposed projects.

Habitat Issue(s) Addressed: The narrative should succinctly describe the historic and current condition of the restoration site(s) and the habitat-based issue(s) that is the primary focus of the proposal. Describe any processes that have resulted in degradation of the habitat and how these processes have been abated to allow for successful restoration. Identify one or more species targeted by the proposed habitat restoration, their historic and current status or population estimates, and the project(s)’ expected benefits on the target species and ecosystems. The narrative should describe the project’s context within the ecosystem, including how it complements other nearby restoration efforts, as appropriate.

Applicants should include the number of acres to be restored and/or stream miles to be made accessible to fish through the proposed activities and any other anticipated long-term ecological benefits, so that reviewers can understand the scale and meaning of your proposed project in the context of the watershed. Please indicate how the anticipated benefits and quantitative performance measures have been determined (e.g., ground-truthing, desktop assessment).

Community Benefits: The intention of this funding is to restore ecosystem functions with holistic benefits, leading to resilience in a changing climate. Applications should describe how the proposed projects will carry out restoration activities that will yield multiple benefits and describe the significance of the anticipated ecological, social and economic benefits (e.g., increased flood retention, enhanced water quality through hydrological improvements, nature-based solutions to erosion, increased recreational opportunities, commercial and recreational fisheries benefits, increased tourism, etc.).

Technical/Scientific Merit: As noted above, this funding opportunity prioritizes habitat restoration projects identified in Section I.B. Proposals should describe in detail the actions to be undertaken. Proposals that include multiple restoration sites should fully describe the proposed restoration activity at each site within the project narrative section. Applicants should clearly identify the project phase(s) proposed (e.g., feasibility study, engineering, implementation) and proposed restoration techniques. Suggested details to include in your proposal, by restoration activity:

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--Hydrologic restoration (modification) reverses the negative impacts to habitat function created by restricting or changing surface water flow. Examples include restoring water elevations and flow through fill removal, culvert removal/replacement to allow natural flooding of wetlands, complete removal of levees and dikes or other impediments to historic/natural flow or hydrology, floodplain reconnection, or creation/restoration of off-channel habitats. Priority will be given to projects that restore habitat that previously existed.

Applicants proposing to install structures such as fish passage devices or water control structures should include discussion of an operation and management plan that specifies the entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of the structure(s) and how they will be operated and maintained throughout the life of the structure(s) to ensure lasting habitat benefits. Applicants should also describe measures that will be put in place to prevent filling of the flood storage area upstream of new or modified water control structures.

--Fish passage projects remove barriers that prevent native Great Lakes fish from accessing spawning habitats and create or improve habitat to support the growth of juvenile fish.

Priority will be given to fish passage/barrier removal projects that directly benefit native Great Lakes migratory fisheries by providing free and open passage from spawning grounds to the open lake environment. These projects include, but are not limited to, dam removals and/or culvert removals and replacement with bottomless arch culverts or bridges, fish ladders, by-pass channels, and/or nature-like fishways. Fish passage project applications should describe the significance of the project to historical fish populations in the river, identify the river length that will be restored, the distance to the next upstream blockage, any downstream blockages or seasonal impediments to fish passage, and whether the target barrier is a partial or complete barrier. Applications should state how the project will meet fish passage guidelines for the area, and identify and provide documentation of support for the project from the landowner/dam owner. Applications should highlight any synergies with other fish passage efforts in the watershed, including fish passage improvements at hydropower dams. Fish passage projects proposing to install fish passage devices or movable control structures should submit a summary management plan that specifies the entity responsible for the operation and maintenance of the structure(s) and how they will be operated and maintained throughout the life of the structure(s) to ensure lasting habitat benefits. All types of fish passage projects should address issues and potential control strategies regarding aquatic invasive species (e.g., sea lamprey). If a project is proposing fish passage, include appropriate documentation demonstrating consultation with and support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Sea Lamprey Control Program.

--Shoreline/nearshore restoration may include removing fill and debris, removing hardened structures, stabilizing the shoreline with natural materials and vegetation, installing

Notice of Federal Funding Page 16 of 39 nearshore rock reefs, and/or restoring spawning beds. Applications should describe the significance of the fish habitat in the area including desired function (e.g., shallow water nursery habitat), historic conditions and materials to be used. Proposals should highlight synergies with other fish habitat efforts in the watershed. NOAA prioritizes reef restoration projects that restore historic conditions and/or complement previous or planned habitat restoration efforts and that use natural substrates (e.g., gravel, cobble, woody debris, plant material). Reef restoration projects that propose the use of molluscicides only are not eligible.

As noted above, proposals that include multiple restoration sites should fully describe the proposed restoration activities at each site within the project narrative section. If all aspects of a multi-year and/or multi-project award cannot be described within the recommended page limits, applicants should consider submitting more than one application.

For feasibility or design projects, applicants should: describe the overall habitat restoration need and goals of the feasibility and design activities; provide justification for potential design alternatives, if known (e.g., technique is appropriate and proven as demonstrated by similar successful projects, approach is comprehensive); discuss expected outcomes; list members of the planning team including NOAA staff and provide the decision framework;

and discuss how support for the proposed activity would catalyze subsequent on-the-ground restoration.

Timeline and Milestones: The project narrative should include a timeline with key milestones identified and detail how the project(s) will be completed within the specified time period. This includes identifying all consultation and permitting requirements and their status (e.g., not applied for, pending, secured), and incorporating the likely award start date (not to precede October 1, 2022) and species-specific work windows. For projects with NEPA documents completed or under development, please indicate the status and level of NEPA review (CE, EA, or EIS), lead Federal agency, contact information for the lead agency point person, and where public copies of the document(s) are available. Applications for multi-year awards should identify annual/interim milestones that correspond to funding increments. As described in Section II.A, NOAA will consider progress towards identified milestones when making funding decisions for multi-year awards in subsequent years.

Project Assessment: Proposals requesting funding for restoration implementation / construction activities should include a discrete monitoring plan, either within the body of the narrative, or as part of the Supplemental Materials. Applicants should be willing to work with NOAA to adjust the plan, if necessary, to ensure that the proposed parameters are adequate and meaningful and meet the requirements below. All monitoring plans should

Notice of Federal Funding Page 17 of 39 propose sufficient, cost-effective monitoring metrics to show that the project(s) was carried out as designed and provided a basic level of effectiveness. Monitoring plans should: 1) include parameters that evaluate short-term structural changes at the project site(s) (e.g. as-built surveys), and may also include a basic measure of effectiveness (e.g. presence/absence of target species); 2) propose pre-implementation data collection, when applicable; 3) include parameters with quantitative or clearly defined targets; and 4) include parameters with targets that can be evaluated within approximately one year after project implementation. Proposals that include one of the RC’s primary restoration methods (fish passage barrier removal, hydrologic restoration) must incorporate the monitoring parameters found in the NOAA RC Implementation Monitoring (Tier 1) Guidance available at https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/resources-noaa-restoration-center-applicants#restoration-monitoring-and-data-management. Proposals requesting funding for feasibility and planning projects should describe how pre-restoration monitoring meets the requirements listed above. Please mention any additional planned monitoring to address permitting requirements. Please also describe any planned monitoring intended to contribute to on-going data collection efforts, and plans to fund this additional monitoring.

NOAA strongly encourages match funding for monitoring beyond the basic monitoring, as described above.

Sustainability: To protect the Federal investment, the narrative should describe the proposed techniques and how the approach will result in sustainable and lasting benefits for native Great Lakes fish species that are the target of the proposal. Please also describe the future management beyond the award period, including mechanisms to protect, maintain, or sustain the restoration site(s) so that project benefits are realized into the future. Because climate change is anticipated to have significant effects on the Great Lakes, applicants should describe how the proposed restoration design, methodology, and techniques provide for resilience to extreme weather events or adaptation to potential climate change impacts at the project site. A copy of (or description of) the landowner agreement may contribute to this element.

Qualifications of Applicant:

This section should fully describe the partner’s ability to develop, carry out and/or manage multiple habitat restoration projects simultaneously, for the benefit of native Great Lakes fish species. Please include a description of: past relevant experience of the applicant organization, project staff and/or partners, including experience with habitat restoration design, construction, monitoring, and environmental compliance; the ability of the applicant to work with diverse partners and to manage multiple projects (as relevant); and the ability of the applicant to effectively manage large federal awards. Include brief resumes or curriculum vitae (CV) for up to three (3) key personnel, as described under the Supplemental

Notice of Federal Funding Page 18 of 39

Information section below.

Outreach and Education:

The project narrative should demonstrate that the partnership and proposed projects have the support of relevant stakeholders, and should include an effective outreach strategy to encourage long-term stewardship for restored resources and to generate a community conservation ethic. Letters of support should be included in the Supplemental Information section.

Furthermore, restoration designed to incorporate the values of diverse user groups and traditional and local knowledge results in a broader suite of holistic benefits. The NOAA Restoration Center recognizes that it has a particular opportunity to support NOAA’s commitment to diversity and inclusion by taking an intentional step that encourages program applicants to consider diversity and inclusion. In order to ensure projects are meeting the holistic needs of the community, NOAA encourages robust public involvement including a diversity of participants to inform project design and facilitate outreach throughout the project. Ecologically-focused applicant organizations may wish to consider developing subrecipient partner relationships with other organizations, including those culturally-competent in the demographics of the restoration location, to facilitate diverse public involvement and the incorporation of values important to indigenous people, residents, subsistence users, non-english speakers, and groups frequently underrepresented in coastal restoration (e.g., gender, ethnicity, geographic, etc.). Applicants who are interested in partnering with conservation corps, veterans groups and/or Minority Serving Institutions to introduce people from frequently underrepresented groups to the professional field of coastal restoration should describe how they plan to implement those partnerships.

Data Management Plan (2 page limit)

Proposals submitted in response to this announcement should include a Data Management Plan. The Data Management Plan should follow the Guidance for Data Management Plans at https://media.fisheries.noaa.gov/dam-migration/data_sharing_plan_guidance_and_templates_nov2019.pdf. A typical plan should include descriptions of the types of environmental data and information expected to be created during the course of the project, the tentative date by which data will be shared, the standards to be used for data/metadata format and content, the website where data will be made available (all data must be made publicly available), approximate total volume of data to be collected, and prior experience in making such data accessible. The costs of data preparation, accessibility, or archiving may be included in the proposal budget. Accepted submission of data to the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) is

Notice of Federal Funding Page 19 of 39 one way to satisfy data sharing requirements; however, NCEI is not obligated to accept all submissions and may charge a fee, particularly for large or unusual datasets. Data Management Plans may be developed in coordination with NOAA as part of NOAA’s substantial involvement, as described in Section II.C. See also Section VI.B.of this Announcement. NOAA’s Data and Publication Sharing Directive for NOAA Grants, Cooperative Agreements, and Contracts is available at https://nosc.noaa.gov/EDMC/documents/Data_Sharing_Directive_v3.0_remediated.pdf.

Budget Justification (6 page limit)

Reviewers will evaluate project costs by reviewing your budget justification. If requesting funds for a multi-year proposal, award costs should be broken into annual/interim funding requests up to three years in duration, based on logical milestones in the implementation plan. For instance, a proposal request might include a request for a project's design costs in year one, estimated construction costs needed in year two, and estimated post-project monitoring costs in year three. Another example would be a project that requests construction costs for discrete sites in each year of a multi-year award. One, two, or three-year proposals will be accepted. Please note, the total proposed over three years sets an award maximum, and final award funding can not exceed the amount identified for all years in the original proposal.

If NOAA funding will be used to complete part of a larger project, a budget overview for the entire project should be provided to demonstrate how the NOAA request relates to the overall project budget and is needed for successful project implementation. If the project has been submitted for funding consideration elsewhere, the amount(s) requested or secured from other funding sources, and whether the funds requested/secured are federal or non-federal, should be included. The applicant should provide an estimate of all monitoring-related costs within the proposed budget. As previously noted, NOAA strongly encourages match funding for monitoring beyond the basic monitoring described in the “project assessment” section above.

The budget justification should break project costs out into the following categories:

Personnel, Fringe Benefits, Travel, Equipment, Supplies, Contractual, Other, and Indirect Charges, and these totals should also be recorded on the SF-424A. The NOAA Restoration Center and GMD staff will review budget information in recommended applications to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, reasonable, and realistic. The NOAA Restoration Center has provided guidance regarding the level of detail required to determine if costs are allowable, allocable, and reasonable in the “Supplemental Instructions” at:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/habitat-conservation/resources-noaa-restoration-

Notice of Federal Funding Page 20 of 39 center-applicants#restoration-budget-guidance.

Project Designs (no page limit)

If available, project designs should be included in the application in order for reviewers to comprehensively assess the technical merit of the proposed restoration action(s).

Construction specifications, scopes of work for services, and cost estimates may also be provided.

Supplemental Materials (15 page limit)

All supplemental attachments should be combined into one file that includes a list of the documents and associated page numbers.

- Include a map or aerial photo with nearby towns and/or roads labeled and with the site location(s) highlighted;

- Include brief resumes or curriculum vitae (CV) for up to three (3) key personnel (maximum of 1 page per person) and…