Illinois Administrative Code › Title 17 - CONSERVATION › Part 1523 - PARTNERS FOR CONSERVATION - ECOSYSTEMS PROGRAM › Section 1523.110 - Review of Ecosystem Project Grant Applications

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
a) Applications meeting the requirements set
			 forth in Section
			 1523.100
			 will be provided to the appropriate Ecosystem Partnership for the LPC to
			 review, score and provide recommendations for funding according to procedures
			 outlined in the Ecosystem Partnership bylaws. The LPC shall evaluate Ecosystem
			 Project Grant applications based upon: criteria as set forth in the definition
			 of Program Guidance; and goals and objectives of the Ecosystem Partnership
			 including the Vision Plan. In the review, each LPC will provide a score to the
			 Department based upon a consistent statewide numeric standard procedure
			 provided by the Department.
b)
			 Department staff will also make recommendations for funding to the Director
			 based on a review process and the collective evaluation of the following:
1) The ratio of matching dollars and value of
			 in-kind services to the requested Conservation 2000 dollars.
2) The project's Natural Resource Evaluation.
			 The Natural Resource Evaluation is designed to assess the relative natural
			 resource benefit of a project using the criteria set forth in the definition of
			 Program Guidance within each of the 6 Ecosystem Project categories: Habitat,
			 Research, Outreach/Education, Resource Economics, Planning and Land
			 Acquisition/Easement.
A) The Natural Resource
			 Evaluation for Habitat and Land Acquisition/Easement projects will take into
			 consideration:
i) Appropriateness of the
			 project as reflected by the project's relationship to existing plans,
			 Department policies and objectives, and current scientific
			 understanding.
ii) The duration of
			 the habitat protection or improvement practice, and potential cumulative
			 benefits in relation to previously funded practices.
iii) The ecological ramifications of a
			 project. For example, use of exotic species detracts from the ecological
			 benefits of a project; use of native species enhances the ecological benefits
			 of a project; multi-species benefits increase overall ecological benefits; and
			 projects that address restoration of ecosystem functions offer the greatest
			 benefits.
iv) Relative cost
			 effectiveness.
v) Follow-up
			 monitoring of effectiveness of a project. Projects including follow-up
			 monitoring will receive greater consideration.
B) The Natural Resource Evaluation for
			 Research projects will take into consideration:
i) The degree to which the proposed research
			 helps formulate or advance partnership goals and any existing watershed
			 management goals or plans.
ii)
			 Validity of the research design and methodology.
iii) Expertise of the
			 investigators.
iv) Appropriateness
			 of the budget, given the scope and time line for the project.
v) Availability of the research results. The
			 results of the investigation must be made available to the Ecosystem
			 Partnership and the Department, at a minimum, in a timely manner after
			 completion of the research.
C) The Natural Resource Evaluation for
			 Outreach/Education projects will take into consideration:
i) Relationship to a resource management plan
			 or, in the absence of a plan, the Department's educational and/or resource
			 management goals.
ii) The breadth
			 of the audience to be reached.
iii)
			 The quality of the educational materials to be produced or utilized in the
			 outreach effort.
iv) Measures
			 included to ensure technical accuracy of written materials and consistency with
			 stated Department policies.
v)
			 Efforts to assess the effectiveness of outreach efforts.
D) The Natural Resource Evaluation for
			 Resource Economics projects will take into consideration:
i) The relationship between the proposed
			 project and the Ecosystem Partnership's goals.
ii) The relationship between project cost and
			 direct economic benefits to be generated.
iii) Validity of models and statistical
			 techniques employed in forecasting economic benefits.
iv) The potential applicability of project
			 results to other Ecosystem Partnerships.
E) The Natural Resource Evaluation for
			 Planning projects will take into consideration:
i) Quality and validity of the planning
			 effort with respect to the diversity and breadth of stakeholder
			 involvement.
ii) Quality of the
			 planning effort with respect to the degree the natural resource inventory
			 information (particularly the quality, quantity and distribution of native
			 habitat information) has been inventoried and incorporated as green
			 infrastructure and a framework for planning.
iii) The relationship between the Ecosystem
			 Partnership's currently proposed planning effort and its past planning efforts
			 and past performance. (What was the success of past planning? Is this planning
			 effort building upon earlier planning; i.e., Vision Plan?)
iv) The potential applicability to other
			 Ecosystem Partnerships as a planning process.
3) The project's Ecosystem Partnership
			 Performance Evaluation. The Ecosystem Partnership Performance Evaluation is
			 based upon the relationship of the proposed project to the Ecosystem
			 Partnership's:
A) Stated goals and any
			 published watershed plan endorsed by the Ecosystem Partnership.
B) Planning efforts that meet the standards
			 of Section
			 1523.60.
C) Use of volunteers (whose efforts have not
			 been included as in-kind match) in implementation.
D) Participation of multiple partners with a
			 high level of coordination between partners.
E) Past grant performance, if the applicant
			 has previously received funding under this program.
F) Potential for educational interpretation
			 of amenities to be developed as part of the project.
G) Consistency of the application with the
			 Program Guidance.
H) Ability to
			 integrate research and data collection efforts with statewide data collection,
			 management storage and retrieval systems.
4) Results of the Department's Comprehensive
			 Environmental Review Process (CERP). The CERP assesses the potential for
			 negative natural resource impacts and project conformance with other natural
			 resource regulatory statutes.
5)
			 Other factors, such as the criteria set forth in the definition of Program
			 Guidance, special funding, relationship to Departmental initiatives and plans
			 including the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, potential value
			 to other Ecosystem Partnerships, etc., will be considered, when applicable, to
			 the selection of projects.