Applications for the 2013 round of AOC Land Acquisition Grants are due to
the Office of Coastal Management by 5 p.m. January 14, 2013
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View Ohio's four Areas of Concern on the Interactive Map Viewer by adding the AOC layer from the Lake Erie Watershed data (see steps below). For the Maumee AOC Click here
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The OCM is soliciting applications for the 2013 round of Great Lakes Areas of Concern Land Acquisition Grants will open Friday November 30, 2012 and close at 5 p.m. Monday Jan. 14.
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The boundaries of Ohio's Areas of Concern can be viewed in detail in the Ohio Coastal Atlas Interactive Map Viewer..
Steps:
1) Open the viewer here.
2) Click the "+" sign icon that is inside the yellow diamond at the top of the map page.
3) Select "Lake Erie Watershed Data (LEWS)" from the drop down list.
4) From the popup window, select "Areas of Concern" and then click on the "Load Service" button.
5) Close or minimize the LEWS popup window. The "Areas of Concern" will be now be at the top of the "Layers" available for viewing on the map. AOC outlines appear as a red-white dashed line.
See image of what your screen will look like here.
Special notice: In July 2010, the Maumee River Remedial Action Plan planning committee modified the original the Maumee River AOC boundary to match the 10/12 HUCs. Click here to open a map that shows the old and new boundary.
The 2013 AOC funding opportunity was developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help support the projects that will contribute to the delisting of fish and wildlife habitat–related beneficial use impairments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC).
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Areas of Concern Grants
The Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) are severely degraded geographic areas within the Great Lakes Basin. AOCs are defined by the United States-Canada Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement as "geographic areas that fail to meet the general or specific objectives of the agreement where such failure has caused or is likely to cause impairment of beneficial use of the area's ability to support aquatic life" (see list). Periodically, request for proposals are issued for regionally-competitive grants that help fund projects at locations within an AOC with the goal of removing beneficial use impairments.
An impaired beneficial use means that a change in the chemical, physical or biological integrity of the Great Lakes system has caused one or all of the following to occur in a designated AOC.
- Restrictions on fish and wildlife consumption,
- Tainting of fish and wildlife flavor,
- Degradation of fish wildlife populations,
- Fish tumors or other deformities,
- Bird or animal deformities or reproduction problems,
- Degradation of benthos (collection of organisms living on the lake/river bottom),
- Restrictions on dredging activities,
- Eutrophication or undesirable algae,
- Restrictions on drinking water consumption, or taste and odor problems,
- Beach closings,
- Degradation of aesthetics,
- Added costs to agriculture or industry,
- Degradation of phytoplankton and zooplankton populations,
- Loss of fish and wildlife habitat.
The U.S. and Canadian governments identified 43 AOCs: 26 in the United States, 17 in Canada, and five on connecting river systems shared by both countries. The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement directs the two federal governments to cooperate with state and provincial governments to develop and implement Remedial Action Plans for each Area of Concern.
The principal objective of the NOAA Great Lakes Area of Concern Land Acquisition Grants is to provide federal financial and technical assistance to land acquisition projects (fee simple interest or conservation easements) projects within the U.S. Great Lakes Areas of Concern and their associated watersheds that meet NOAA's mission to protect and restore coastal habitats and that support the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy (http://glrc.us/strategy.html) and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan. Projects should be 'ready-to-go' and likely to be completed within 18 months from the start date of the award (anticipated October 1, 2013) and be held in perpetuity.
Ohio's four AOC include portions the Maumee, Black, Cuyahoga and Ashtabula rivers.
- Maumee River Area of Concern
- Black River Area of Concern
- Cuyahoga River Area of Concern
- Ashtabula River Area of Concern
- Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
2013 Great Lakes Areas of Concern Land Acquisition Grant
Deadline
Proposals must be received by the ODNR Office of Coastal Management by 5 pm Friday January 14, 2012. OCM will review the applications and forward qualified applications to NOAA before the listed NOAA deadline.
Funding Opportunity:
The Ohio Coastal Management Program (OCMP) is soliciting applications for land acquisition grants through the Great Lakes Areas of Concern Land Acquisition Grant program. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) developed this program to provide grant funding support for land acquisition projects that will contribute to the delisting of fish and wildlife habitat–related beneficial use impairments in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOC). The OCMP will forward the applications to NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce for funding consideration.
Eligible projects must be located within a designated AOC or its associated watershed and must be endorsed by the associated Remedial Action Plan implementation group. This competition is developed to provide support for acquisition of fee simple interests in lands or conservation easements from willing sellers. Land must be held by a non-federal public entity (state, local or regional unit of government) and preserved in perpetuity for conservation purposes.
NOAA anticipates that $800,000 may be provided for this competition through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, contingent upon federal FY2013 appropriations. Match is not required, however applicants are encouraged to provide a 1:1 non-federal match for land acquisition funds requested as cost sharing is an element considered in the project scoring.
Eligible projects range between $100,000 and $800,000.
Funding Eligibility:
The following are expenses eligible for federal funding under this grant competition:
- Land/Conservation Easement Acquisition;
- Due Diligence costs such as appraisals, title work, phase I EAs;
- Administrative Expenses and/or Initial Stewardship activities (up to 5 percent of the federal share).
Applicants should anticipate a start date of October 1, 2013. Grants will be for an 18-month period, extendable an additional 18 months if warranted. Land acquisition and due diligence expenses must be incurred during the award period (or up to 90 days prior to the start of the award).
Administration and stewardship expenses must occur during the award period to be eligible for federal funding.
How to Apply:
Proposals must follow the Application Template. (download here).
To apply, submit one original-signed copy of the application and an electronic version of the application by the Ohio deadline of 5 pm, Monday January 14, 2013. The electronic version may be sent on CD along with the hard copy, or emailed to yetty.alley@dnr.state.oh.us.
Grant applications must be submitted to the ODNR Office of Coastal Management which will then forward the applications to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Grants.gov.
Mail or deliver the application to:
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Office of Coastal Management
105 West Shoreline Drive
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
Learn more:
For additional information about the Ohio application process, and to discuss potential projects, please contact the following Office of Coastal Management staff by phone at 419.626.7980 or via e-mail:
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