[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 24, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49578-49582]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16844]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[Docket No. 990907250-5223-03; I.D. 072905B]


Revised Guidelines for NOAA's Community-based Restoration Program

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments on proposed revisions to Program 
Guidelines for the NOAA Community-based Restoration Program.

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SUMMARY: NMFS initiated a Community-based Restoration Program (Program) 
in 1996 that provides Federal financial and technical assistance to 
encourage locally led coastal and marine habitat restoration, and to 
promote stewardship and conservation values for NOAA trust resources. 
The Program is a systematic national effort to foster partnerships at 
national, regional and local levels to implement sound habitat 
restoration. Partnerships are forged between government, not-for-profit 
organizations, community groups, recreational and commercial fishing 
organizations, students and educational institutions, businesses, youth 
conservation corps and private landowners. Under the Program, partners 
may contribute funding, land, technical assistance, workforce support 
or other in-kind services; promote local participation in habitat 
restoration activities; undertake research and monitoring to evaluate 
and improve project success; and facilitate stewardship for restored 
resources at the local level. To date, the Program has funded more than 
1000 community-based habitat restoration projects in 27 states, Canada, 
and the Caribbean. NMFS is issuing revised guidelines for Program 
implementation for FY 2006 and beyond, to reflect the evolution of the 
program since its original implementation. NMFS is seeking comments 
from interested parties on the revised guidelines. One or more 
constituent meetings are also planned to solicit feedback on the 
Program and the revised Program guidelines. This is not a solicitation 
of project proposals.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by email or mail by October 11, 2005. 
To support the continued evolution of the Program, and as part of the 
Program Guidelines revision, the Restoration Center plans to solicit 
feedback through one or more constituent meetings. Meetings will be 
limited to approximately 30 participants and will include facilitated 
break-out group discussions to maximize feedback results. The first 
meeting will be held on September 13, 2005, in Washington D.C. 
Subsequent meetings will be planned to coincide with restoration-
related conferences or meetings throughout 2006 to enable constituent 
participation without travel. These meetings will be physically 
accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for more information 
regarding the September meeting, including registration and requests 
for sign language or other auxiliary aids, should be directed to Robin 
Bruckner (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

ADDRESSES: Please send your comments by email to: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#317263611f76445855545d585f5442715f5e50501f565e47"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e7a4b5b7c9a0928e83828b8e898294a789888686c9808891">[email protected]</span></a>, or by mail to: Director, NOAA Restoration 
Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 East West Highway (F/
HC3), Silver Spring, MD 20910-3282.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robin Bruckner, (301) 713-0174, or by 
e-mail at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#92c0fdf0fbfcbcd0e0e7f1f9fcf7e0d2fcfdf3f3bcf5fde4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="376558555e5919754542545c595245775958565619505841">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Proposed Guidelines for the NOAA Community-
based Restoration Program were provided at 64 FR 53339, October 1, 
1999. In that document, comments were sought on modifications to the 
Program that would allow greater flexibility to support community-based 
habitat restoration projects. Final Program Guidelines, including 
responses to comments, were provided at 65 FR 16890, March 30, 2000. 
Since the Guidelines were issued, the Program has experienced an 
increase in base funding and has subsequently implemented increased 
numbers of locally initiated, grass-roots habitat restoration projects 
through partnerships at the local, regional and national levels. The 
NOAA Restoration Center within NMFS is issuing revised guidelines, 
proposed here, that reflect the evolution of the Program, including 
measures that are in place or planned to enable the Program to 
demonstrate increased accountability for the expenditure of public 
dollars.

Background

    Habitat loss and degradation threaten the long-term sustainability 
of the nation's fishery resources. Over 75 percent of commercial 
fisheries and 80 to 90 percent of recreational marine and diadromous 
fishes depend on estuarine or coastal habitats for all or part of their 
life cycles. Protecting existing, undamaged habitat is a priority and 
should be combined with coastal habitat restoration to enhance the 
functionality of degraded habitat. Restored coastal habitat will help 
rebuild fisheries stocks and recover threatened and endangered species. 
Restoring marine and coastal habitats will help ensure that valuable 
natural resources will be available to future generations of Americans.
    The purpose of this document is to replace the Program Guidelines 
that were published in 2000, and outline the goals, objectives, and 
structure of the Program that will guide its implementation in FY 2006 
and beyond. This notice also references changes made by NOAA to 
standardize evaluation criteria for its competitive grant programs. The 
Program will provide annual notification regarding the availability of 
funds through the NOAA Omnibus Federal Register Notice process and 
associated Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) detail, and will solicit 
project proposals once a year, or more.

Electronic Access

    Information on the Program, including partnerships and projects 
that have been funded to date, can be found on the World Wide Web at: 
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration.

Overview of Changes to the Program

    Since the Program began, Congressional appropriations have 
increased from $250,000 in 1999 to $13.6 million in 2005. To 
effectively manage this growth, to provide better service to 
constituents, and to accurately report on the Program's 
accomplishments, the Restoration Center has changed some of its 
practices and implemented a number of tools to increase efficiency and 
accountability.
    In 2001 a Restoration Center database was launched to track habitat 
acres created, established, rehabilitated, enhanced or protected; 
stream miles made accessible to diadromous fish; volunteer or community 
participation hours; restoration techniques used; habitat types and 
species benefited; and other parameters for Restoration Center 
supported projects. The database has

[[Page 49579]]

increased NOAA staff efficiency and allows the Restoration Center to 
respond quickly and accurately to Congressional and Administrative 
inquiries, such as those on Program performance measures, through 
reporting features that can calculate the acreage or stream miles 
restored by all projects completed in any particular year, for example. 
Recent enhancements to the database include additional fields related 
to environmental compliance, display and collection of project 
locations through a Geographic Information System (GIS) based mapping 
application, and revised parameters to facilitate data-sharing with the 
National Estuaries Restoration Inventory.
    To evaluate the progress of the work proposed under Program awards, 
to determine whether projects were successfully completed, and to 
facilitate population of the database with project-specific 
information, the Restoration Center sought and received approval in 
2004 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collect detailed 
project information from grantees. This information, such as 
restoration techniques used, species benefited, geographic coordinates 
of project sites, and monitoring and outreach information, is now 
required as part of semi-annual progress reporting. Before April 2006, 
the Restoration Center plans to seek renewed approval from OMB, under 
the Paperwork Reduction Act, to continue collecting this information.
    In coordination with the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 
(Public Law 106-457), the Restoration Center has also begun requiring 
science-based monitoring of restoration projects, where appropriate, in 
an effort to improve on-the-ground restoration efforts and increase 
Program effectiveness. Applicants requesting funding to implement on-
the-ground habitat restoration projects that will result in structural 
or functional habitat changes must have clearly identified goals (broad 
in scope) and specific, measurable objectives. Evaluating these 
objectives requires monitoring, during the project period, of at least 
one structural and one functional parameter, as supported by Title I of 
the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-457), to 
ensure a basic assessment of project success. A fact sheet with 
examples of structural and functional monitoring parameters is 
available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration, and assistance in refining the objectives and/or selecting 
appropriate parameters is available from Program staff.
    The Program anticipates that a limited portion of annually 
available funds may be used to support high quality, quantitative 
monitoring projects to advance the science and technology of coastal 
and marine habitat restoration to support the Restoration Center's 
Research Program area. Independent applications emphasizing science-
based monitoring of previously completed Community-based Restoration 
Program projects may be accepted, however, applications for research or 
monitoring of projects not funded by the Program will not be considered 
under annual funding solicitations unless funding for the Program 
increases significantly.
    In conjunction with science-based monitoring of projects, the 
Program will begin assessing and monitoring the human dimensions 
(demographic, economic, psychological, cultural, and ethical aspects) 
of habitat restoration. Fostering a community's and an individual's 
stewardship ethic is an important component of the Program. It is 
assumed with some certainty that participating in on-the-ground 
restoration projects cultivates and promotes environmental stewardship; 
however, the Program expects to begin quantifying this assumption over 
the next several years.
    Both the Restoration Center Database and implementation of minimum 
monitoring requirements support NOAA's strategic plan and allow better 
project tracking and evaluation of performance measures. Revision of 
habitat-related and other relevant performance measures in coordination 
with all major NOAA programs involved with habitat restoration is 
ongoing through NOAA's Habitat Program.

Program Goals and Objectives

    The goals and objectives that have defined the Program to date have 
not changed. These include:
    <bullet> Producing on-the-ground habitat restoration within a 
relatively short time period;
    <bullet> Using a competitive, technical review process, whenever 
possible, to maximize opportunities for public access to Program 
resources;
    <bullet> Partnering with national and regional organizations, as 
well as local groups, to undertake habitat restoration;
    <bullet> Offering NOAA technical expertise in addition to financial 
assistance for project design, implementation, and environmental 
compliance;
    <bullet> Leveraging NOAA's financial contribution by collaborating 
with other governmental agencies, industry and businesses, non-
governmental and not-for-profit organizations, and academia;
    <bullet> Ensuring projects are monitored to evaluate success and 
direct corrective actions; and
    <bullet> Encouraging long-term stewardship and catalyzing future 
habitat restoration projects.
    In general, the Program's objective is to establish or supplement 
partnerships to implement coastal and marine habitat restoration 
projects that benefit NOAA trust resources. Partnerships with citizen 
groups, public and not-for-profit organizations, industry, corporations 
and businesses, youth conservation corps, students, landowners, and 
local government, and state and Federal agencies are supported through 
the provision of Federal financial and technical assistance at 
national, regional and local levels. Partners help identify and secure 
additional funding, land, technical assistance, workforce support or 
other in-kind services to enable citizens to improve locally important 
habitats that sustain living marine and coastal resources. Projects are 
most often implemented in coastal and nearshore marine and estuarine 
environments and in riverine environments that support diadromous fish; 
expansion of the Program to the Great Lakes is being considered, and 
will be dependent on the NOAA Habitat Program's goals and Congressional 
appropriations made for this purpose. It is anticipated that any 
projects supported in the Great Lakes region will fall under these 
Program Guidelines.
    The Program places emphasis on habitat restoration projects with 
strong community support and recognizes the significant role that 
communities can play in habitat restoration and protection. Projects 
that incorporate citizens' ``hands-on'' involvement in project 
implementation, monitoring, or outreach and education are preferred. 
The role of NOAA in the Program is to strengthen the development and 
implementation of sound restoration projects. NOAA staff will continue 
to provide guidance and technical expertise on permitting, 
environmental compliance, engineering and design, and similar aspects 
required for project implementation.
    Successful applicants will be those whose projects demonstrate 
collaboration among entities such as nonprofit organizations, citizen 
groups, industry, youth conservation corps, students, landowners, 
academics, local government, and state, and federal agencies to 
implement habitat restoration projects. Projects should be able to 
report a net gain in habitat acres restored or stream miles re-
established for diadromous fish passage, and should document volunteer 
involvement and a

[[Page 49580]]

maximization of project partnerships. Eligibility requirements will be 
detailed in annual solicitations.
    The NOAA Restoration Center uses cooperative agreements focused at 
two distinct levels of partnership as the primary funding mechanism to 
accomplish habitat restoration. Direct project funding is announced 
annually in NOAA's Omnibus Federal Register Notice. This opportunity 
focuses on partnerships at the local level, and project awards 
currently provide up to $250,000 to support individual habitat 
restoration projects, or a suite of well developed restoration 
projects, for up to 24 months. National and Regional Habitat 
Restoration Partnership funding is announced every 3 years through the 
NOAA Omnibus Federal Register Notice. Partnership awards are up to 36 
months in duration, are usually larger than project awards, and 
specific projects are often not identified at the time of application. 
Partnership applications outline the concept and focus of habitat 
restoration activities and detail the mechanism under which individual 
projects will be identified and subsequently funded as subawards 
through the partner organization. Partner organizations assume the 
administrative responsibilities for subawards, such as letting 
contracts and managing progress and financial reports. This allows NOAA 
staff to focus on assisting with project implementation. The next 
solicitation for national and regional habitat restoration partnerships 
is expected to be published in June 2006, for 2007-2010 funding.

Eligible Restoration Activities

    Restoration may include, but is not limited to, improvement of 
coastal wetland tidal exchange or reestablishment of historic 
hydrology; dam or berm removal; improvement or reestablishment of fish 
passage; reef/substrate creation; establishment of riparian buffer 
zones and improvement of freshwater habitat features in watersheds that 
support diadromous fish; exclusionary fencing and planting; invasive 
species removal; planting of native coastal wetland and submerged 
aquatic vegetation; and enhancement of feeding, spawning and growth 
habitat essential to marine or diadromous fish, including degraded 
areas that historically were important habitat for living marine and 
coastal resources, and through the restoration of which would support 
these resources again.

Program Priorities

    In general, restoration project proposals will be expected to 
clearly demonstrate anticipated benefits to specific NOAA trust 
resource habitats; describe how these benefits will be achieved through 
the proposed restoration activities, and identify the range of species 
expected to benefit. NOAA trust resource habitats include but are not 
limited to, estuaries, salt marshes, seagrass beds, coral reefs, 
shellfish reefs, mangrove forests, and riparian habitat near rivers, 
streams and creeks used by diadromous fish.
    NMFS will emphasize selection of restoration projects that address 
habitats whose regional condition is compromised due to loss, 
fragmentation, presence of invasive species, or loss of functionality. 
In addition, habitat restoration projects will be favored if they are 
socially and economically important (e.g. will benefit essential fish 
habitat that supports commercial or recreational fishery resources, or 
that improves aesthetic and stewardship value of NOAA trust resource 
habitats) within their region. Within a given habitat, priority will 
also be given to project proposals that incorporate proven effective 
restoration techniques, address causes of habitat degradation/loss, and 
maximize cost-effectiveness.
    Since the inception of the Program, West Coast projects have 
focused primarily on restoration of salmonid freshwater habitats. To 
broaden the scope of funded projects in the Pacific Northwest and 
California, the Program may give priority to proposals for projects 
that benefit multiple species, including non-salmonid resources, and 
projects that emphasize restoration of marine and estuarine habitats. 
The Program expects to continue to support freshwater salmonid habitat 
restoration efforts, however projects that benefit multiple species 
including non-salmonid marine resources may receive greater funding 
consideration. In addition, any salmonid project that would occur where 
NOAA species recovery planning efforts are underway must be consistent 
with those planning efforts.
    While the primary focus of the Program is to provide funding and 
technical expertise to support on-the-ground implementation of fishery 
habitat restoration projects that involve an outreach and/or volunteer 
component tied to the restoration activities, the Program recognizes 
that accomplishing restoration is a multi-faceted effort involving 
project design, engineering services, permitting, short-term baseline 
studies, construction, oversight, monitoring, and education and 
outreach. In cases where on-the-ground funding for a project has been 
secured or is deemed likely, and/or community support for a restoration 
project is high, but pre-implementation funding to conduct feasibility 
studies or engineering and design is limiting a project's forward 
progress, the Program reserves the right to consider funding such pre-
implementation activities. Proposals emphasizing a singular component, 
such as only education or program coordination will be discouraged, as 
will applications that propose to expand an organization's day-to-day 
activities, or that primarily seek support for administration, 
salaries, overhead, and travel. Because requests for habitat 
restoration funds historically exceed funds available, funding land 
purchase agreements, conservation easements, and large equipment 
purchases such as vehicles, boats and similar items will receive low 
priority.
    Although NMFS recognizes that water quality issues may impact 
habitat restoration efforts, this Program is intended to fund projects 
that target physical and/or biological habitat restoration rather than 
those that result in direct water chemistry improvements (i.e. 
wastewater treatment plant upgrades or combined sewer outfall 
corrections). Similarly, the following restoration projects will not be 
eligible for funding: (1) Activities that constitute legally required 
mitigation for the adverse effects of an activity regulated or 
otherwise governed by local, state or Federal law; (2) activities that 
constitute restoration for natural resource damages under Federal, 
state or local law; and (3) activities that are required by a separate 
consent decree, court order, statute or regulation. Funds from this 
Program may be sought to enhance restoration activities beyond the 
scope legally required by these activities.

Environmental Compliance

    It is the applicant's responsibility to obtain all necessary 
Federal, state and local government permits and approvals for the 
proposed work. Applicants are expected to design their projects so that 
they minimize the potential for adverse impacts to the environment. 
NOAA must analyze the potential environmental impacts, as required by 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for applications that 
seek NOAA funding. Proposals should provide enough detail for NOAA to 
make a NEPA determination. Successful applications cannot be forwarded 
to the NOAA Grants Management Division with recommendations for funding 
until NOAA completes necessary NEPA documentation.
    Consequently, as part of an applicant's package, and under the

[[Page 49581]]

description of proposed activities, applicants will be required to 
provide detailed information on the activities to be conducted, such as 
site locations, species and habitat(s) to be affected, possible 
construction activities, and any environmental concerns that may exist 
(e.g., the use of and/or disposal of hazardous or toxic substances, 
introduction of non-indigenous species, impacts to endangered and 
threatened species, impacts to coral reef systems, etc.). For 
partnerships, where project-specific details may not be available at 
the time an award is made, partners must meet the same environmental 
compliance requirements on subsequent sub-awards.
    In addition to providing specific information that will serve as 
the basis for any required impact analyses, applicants may also be 
required to assist NOAA in drafting of an environmental assessment if 
NOAA determines an assessment is necessary and that one does not 
already exist for the activities proposed in the application. 
Applicants will also be required to cooperate with NOAA in identifying 
and implementing feasible measures to reduce or avoid any identified 
adverse environmental impacts of their proposal. The selecting official 
may decide, at the time of proposal review, to recommend funding a 
project in phases to enable an applicant to provide information needed 
for an environmental assessment, feasibility analysis or similar 
activity if a NEPA determination cannot be made for all activities in a 
particular application. The selecting official may also impose special 
award conditions that limit the use of funds for activities that have 
outstanding environmental compliance requirements. Special award 
conditions may also be imposed to ensure grantees consider and plan for 
the safety of volunteers, and provide appropriate credit for NOAA and 
other contributors, for example.

Funding Sources and Dispersal Mechanisms

    The Restoration Center envisions funding projects through 
cooperative agreements and grants, contracts, joint project agreements, 
and intra- and interagency transfers, as appropriate.
    A cooperative agreement is a legal instrument reflecting a 
relationship between NOAA and a recipient whenever (1) the principal 
purpose of the relationship is to provide financial assistance to the 
recipient and (2) substantial involvement is anticipated between NOAA 
and the recipient during performance of the contemplated activity. A 
grant is similar to a cooperative agreement, except that in the case of 
grants, substantial involvement between NOAA and the recipient is not 
anticipated during the performance of the contemplated activity. 
Financial assistance is the transfer of money, property, services or 
anything of value to a recipient in order to accomplish a public 
purpose of support or stimulation that is authorized by Federal 
statute.
    A contract is a procurement instrument used when the primary 
purpose is to acquire goods or services for government use. Contracts 
may be used by the Program when NOAA directly implements priority 
restoration projects.
    The Secretary of Commerce has authority to enter into joint project 
agreements with not-for-profit, research, or public organizations on 
matters of mutual interest, the cost of which is equitably apportioned. 
The principal purpose of a joint project agreement under this Program 
is to engage in a collaborative and equitably apportioned effort with a 
qualified organization on matters of mutual interest.
    For purposes of this Program, interagency agreements are written 
documents that contain specific provisions of governing authorities, 
agency responsibilities, and funding. Such agreements are entered into 
between NOAA and a reimbursing Federal agency or between another 
Federal agency and NOAA when NOAA is the funding organization. Such 
agreements will also require the inclusion of a local sponsor for the 
restoration project.
    The instrument chosen will be based on such factors as degree of 
direct NOAA involvement with the project beyond the provision of 
financial assistance, the proportion of funds invested in the project 
by NOAA and the other organizations, and the efficiency of the 
different mechanisms to achieve the Program's goals and objectives. The 
Restoration Center will determine which method is the most appropriate 
based on the specific circumstances of each project.
    NOAA reserves the right to fund individual projects directly, or 
through partnership arrangements. The Program will continue to create 
partnership arrangements at the national and regional level with 
organizations that have similar goals for improving fisheries habitat. 
Partnerships are a key element that allows the Restoration Center to 
significantly leverage the funding available for on-the-ground 
restoration. Partnerships also encourage sharing and distribution of 
technical expertise; they often improve coordination between diverse 
organizations with common goals, and they allow NOAA to reach larger 
and more diverse communities that have vested interests in fishery 
habitat restoration.
    The Restoration Center will function in a clearinghouse capacity to 
help develop and link high quality habitat restoration proposals with 
other potential funding sources whose evaluation criteria contain 
similar specifications for habitat enhancement. This will provide 
greater exposure for project ideas and increase the chances for project 
proponents to secure funding.
    Each year, the Restoration Center Director will determine the 
proportion of Program funds that will be allocated to National and 
Regional Habitat Restoration Partnerships and the proportion available 
for direct project funding. The proportion will be established annually 
and may depend upon the amount of funds available from partnership 
organizations to leverage NOAA dollars and the ability of partners to 
help NOAA fund a broad array of projects over a wide geographic 
distribution. A synopsis of the partnership and/or project funding 
opportunity will be published in NOAA's Omnibus Federal Register 
Notice, typically in June of each year. Potential applicants will be 
directed to additional information contained in any Federal Funding 
Opportunity (FFO) announced on www.grants.gov. FFO's will contain a 
Funding Opportunity Description, Award Information, Eligibility 
Information, Application and Submission Information, Application Review 
and Selection Information, Award Administration Information, 
Administrative and National Environmental Policy Act Requirements, 
Agency Contacts, and other information for potential applicants.
    The public should note that since publication of the initial 
Program Guidelines in 2000, NOAA has adopted five standard evaluation 
criteria for all its competitive grant programs, as follows: (1) 
Importance and Applicability of Proposal -This criterion ascertains 
whether there is intrinsic value in the proposed work and/or relevance 
to NOAA, Federal, regional, state or local activities; (2) Technical/
Scientific Merit This criterion assesses whether the approach is 
technically sound and/or innovative, if the methods are appropriate, 
and whether there are clear project goals and objectives; (3) Overall 
Qualifications of Applicants This criterion ascertains whether the 
applicant possesses the necessary education, experience, training,

[[Page 49582]]

facilities, and administrative resources to accomplish the project; (4) 
Project Costs - This criterion evaluates the budget to determine if it 
is realistic and commensurate with the project needs and time-frame; 
and (5) Outreach, Education, and Community Involvement - NOAA assesses 
whether the project provides a focused and effective education and 
outreach strategy regarding NOAA's mission. Information on how these 
criteria are specifically applied in the context of Community-based 
Restoration Program application evaluation are described each year in 
the FFO, and are currently available for the Program for FY 2006 on 
www.grants.gov (funding opportunity number NMFS-HCPO-2006-2000334).

Funding Ranges

    In 2005, the Restoration Center accepted proposals requesting 
between $30,000 and $250,000; typical restoration project awards range 
from $50,000 to $200,000. This represents an increase in upper and 
lower funding ranges for projects from earlier Program Guidelines. 
Funding at lower levels (<$15,000) is no longer cost-effective due to 
increasing operational costs necessary to ensure environmental 
compliance; funding fewer projects at higher dollar amounts has also 
led to increases in Program efficiency.
    Awards for establishing multi-year, National and Regional Habitat 
Restoration ``umbrella'' Partnerships, under which individual projects 
will be jointly reviewed and prioritized for funding, are anticipated 
to range between $100,000 and $2.0 million, with that range of funding 
anticipated to be provided to successful partnerships annually during a 
partnership's duration. Subsequent allocation of funding during the 
multi-year award period will be dependent on the satisfactory 
performance of the partner organization.
    Project and Partnership solicitations (FFO's) will contain 
information on funding ranges, the weighting of NOAA's standard 
evaluation criteria, and additional factors that may be used by the 
selecting official to recommend a slate of projects to the Grants 
Management Division to receive awards. The number of awards and funding 
ranges to be made in FY 2006 and beyond will depend on the amount of 
funds appropriated to the Program annually by Congress.

Examples of Previously Funded Projects

    The following examples are community-based restoration projects 
that have been funded with assistance from the Restoration Center. 
These examples are only illustrative and are not intended to limit the 
scope of future proposals in any way.

Fish Ladder Construction

    An impediment to fish passage was corrected through the design and 
construction of a step-pool fish ladder, which now allows native 
steelhead trout to reach their historic spawning grounds.

Invasive Plant Removal

    A coalition of volunteer groups called ``Pepper busters'' worked to 
remove exotic Brazilian pepper plants and replant native shoreline 
vegetation.

Salt Marsh Restoration

    An undersized culvert was replaced to increase the mean high water 
level in the restricted portion of a marsh and restore tidal flushing 
to 20 acres of salt marsh.

Oyster Reef Restoration

    Oyster reef habitat was increased by reconstructing historic reefs 
and seeding them with hatchery-produced seed oysters grown in floating 
cages by students.

Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Restoration

    An evaluation of the feasibility of using volunteer divers to 
restore seagrass was developed. A protocol was created to train 
volunteers in water quality monitoring and seagrass transplantation 
techniques.

Kelp Forest Restoration

    Community dive groups were trained in kelp reforestation 
activities, including the preparation, planting and maintenance of kelp 
sites, documentation of growth patterns, and changes in marine life 
attracted to the newly planted kelp areas.

Wetland Plant Nursery

    An innovative wetland nursery program was implemented in local high 
schools, where science and ecology classes build wetland nurseries on 
campus to grow salt marsh grasses for local restoration efforts.

Derelict Fishing Gear Removal

    A pilot project consisted of developing protocols and conducting 
initial removal efforts. After surveying, locating, and mapping 
derelict fishing gear, a minimum of 11 tons of lost and abandoned 
fishing gear was removed by licensed and certified divers.

Nuisance Dam Removal

    Two small stone dams blocked fish migration, and degraded water 
quality and prey habitat conditions for anadromous fish. The dams, 
while only several feet high, also presented a public safety hazard. 
This project resulted in opening stream habitat to anadromous fish, 
restoring acres of tidal wetlands, and removal of a public safety 
hazard.

Riparian Habitat Restoration

    Youth corps members were trained in the use of biorestoration and 
stabilization techniques to restore eroding riverbanks and improve 
habitat for salmon smolt and other fish species.

Diadromous Fish Habitat Restoration

    Highly functional salmonid and wildlife habitat was restored with 
the cooperation of private landowners by opening silted enclosures 
along a slough to provide refuge for juvenile salmonids during the 
winter flood flows.

    Dated: August 19, 2005.
William T. Hogarth,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries. 
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-16844 Filed 8-23-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S


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