OpportunityTitle: Great Lakes Areas of Concern Land Acquisition Grants
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: All proposals must be submitted by the designated lead agency for implementing an approved state Coastal Zone Management Program.  NOAA will not consider any proposals submitted independently of the state&apos;s CZM lead agency.  NOAA will also not consider any proposals submitted without a letter of endorsement from the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) implementation group. Only Great Lakes States are eligible to participate in the FY2014 AOC Land Acquisition competition.   The CZM Lead Agency may solicit proposals from local governments as defined at 15 CFR 24.3, or entities eligible for assistance under section 306A(e) of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 1455a(e)), defined below, provided that each agency or entity has the authority to acquire and manage land for conservation purposes.   As defined at 15 CFR 24.3, local government means a county, municipality, city, town, township, local public authority (including any public and Indian housing agency under the United States Housing Act of 1937), school district, special district, intrastate district, council of governments (whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law), any other regional or interstate government entity, or any agency or instrumentality of a local government.  Under section 306A(e) of the CZMA, an eligible entity may be a local government, an areawide agency designated under Chapter 41, Subchapter II, Section 3334 of Title 42, a regional agency, or an interstate agency.      The CZM Lead Agency may choose to prioritize/rank projects for the regional competition according to state conservation and/or AOC restoration priorities.
Description: The principal objective of these 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&apos;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. These projects should be &apos;ready-to-go&apos; and likely to be completed within 18 months from the start date of the award (anticipated October 1, 2014) and be held in perpetuity. The designated lead agency for implementing each approved coastal zone management program may solicit proposals from local governments as defined at 15 CFR 24.3, or entities eligible for assistance under section 306A(e) of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 1455a(e)), defined below, provided that each agency or entity has the authority to acquire and manage land for conservation purposes. Successful applications will be those that (1) contribute to the delisting of fish and wildlife habitat -related beneficial use impairments (BUIs) in Great Lakes Areas of Concern; (2) yield significant ecological benefits; (3) can be acquired within the award period; and (4) document community benefits such as improved opportunities for recreation, park use, open space, or other tangible community benefits
GrantorContactEmailDescription: Work
GrantorContactText: Elizabeth Mountz  &lt;br/&gt;Federal Program Officer  &lt;br/&gt;Phone: 301-563-1148