EPA Requests Applications for $10 Million GLRI Grant to Monitor Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands
CHICAGO (Aug. 27, 2020) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications to monitor ecological conditions in the coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes. Approximately $10 million of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding will be made available to one applicant to implement the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program for five years. The deadline for applications is Oct. 26, 2020.
“EPA hopes to gain a better understanding of the health of Great Lakes coastal wetlands through this GLRI funding opportunity,” said Regional Administrator and Great Lakes National Program Manager Kurt Thiede. “Sampling data collected from wetlands throughout the basin will give us important insight on the trends and conditions of these ecologically rich habitats.”
The Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program is a collaboration of federal agencies, states, and U.S. and Canadian academic partners in the Great Lakes. Under the Program, major coastal wetlands throughout the Great Lakes basin are sampled for bird, amphibian, fish, macroinvertebrate and plant communities, as well as for water quality. The data helps gauge the health of Great Lakes coastal wetlands and provides information on trends and habitat conditions. Since the Program began in 2010, over 1,000 coastal wetland sites have been visited, resulting in more than 150,000 hectares of coastal wetland habitat monitored.
EPA is seeking applications to continue the monitoring of biological communities and water quality in coastal wetlands across the Great Lakes. The agency expects to provide funding for one cooperative agreement of approximately $10 million over a five-year period.
Qualified non-federal entities eligible to apply for grants include non-federal governmental entities, nonprofit organizations, and institutions. This includes state agencies; any agency or instrumentality of local government; interstate agencies; federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations; colleges and universities; non-profit organizations; and other public or non-profit private agencies, institutions, and organizations.
For more information, visit EPA’s request for applications.
###