The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Eastern States (ES) Aquatic Resources Program protects and restores riparian and wetland areas, aquatic habitats, and water resources to provide functioning ecosystems for a combination of balanced and diverse uses including fish and wildlife, and for the long-term needs of future generations. Policy guidance for the Program ensures that public land management based on multiple use and sustained yield provides healthy and productive riparian, wetland, and aquatic habitat, achieves land health standards, and considers society’s long-term needs for healthy watersheds. The issues the Program addresses are diverse and include restoration, habitat fragmentation and degradation, drought resiliency, water availability, and aquatic invasive species. Program staff provide professional expertise and policy guidance to BLM managers, Federal, State, Tribal, and local governments, and non-governmental partners on these issues, and implement the best management practices to minimize or avoid impacts to water resources, riparian and wetland areas, and aquatic habitats on public lands. This program supports projects funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Section 40804 (b) Ecosystem Restoration. This program also supports projects funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Sections 50221 Resilience, 50222 Ecosystems Restoration and 50303 DOI.
The BLM (ES) Aquatic Resources Program continues to advance the Department of the Interior's priorities to address the climate crisis, restore balance on public lands and waters, advance environmental justice, and invest in a clean energy future. Specific BLM (ES) Aquatic Resources Program focuses to implement the Department priorities include, but are not limited to those actions that: protect biodiversity; restore aquatic resources; increase resistance, resilience, and adaptability to climate change and help leverage natural climate solutions; contribute to conserving at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by the year 2030; engage communities of color, low income families, and rural and indigenous communities to enhance economic opportunities related to aquatics; and use the best science and data available to make decisions.
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2024
Maximum Award $200,000
Minimum Award $25,000