The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Chesapeake Bay Trust, in cooperation with the Chesapeake Bay Program, announced they are accepting applications for the Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watersheds Grant Program.

Proposals are due November 18. A workshop for potential grantees is October 18

The overall goal for the Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watersheds Grant Program is to expand the collective knowledge on the most innovative, sustainable and cost-effective strategies – including market-based approaches – for reducing excess nutrient loads within specific tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will award 8-12 grants of up to $1 million on a competitive basis to selected projects that target and reflect the diverse conditions (e.g., urban, rural, suburban) and sources of nutrients (e.g., agricultural, stormwater, other nonpoint sources) that exist throughout the Chesapeake watershed.

Specifically, the program seeks to:

· Support implementation of water quality trading demonstrations and other market-based strategies to reduce nutrient loads to the Bay;

· Promote the development of innovative, cost-effective approaches to facilitate adoption of Best Management Practices (BMPs) or those that identify and implement strategies to overcome existing barriers to adoption of BMPs;

· Demonstrate and ground-truth new BMPs or innovative technologies that support their inclusion on the list of practices approved for use within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model;

· Foster implementation and evaluation of the most effective BMPs or nutrient reduction measures contained in state Tributary Strategies within small watersheds.

A workshop for potential grantees is scheduled for October 18 in Washington, D.C. from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., at the Hall of the States building, 444 North Capitol Street, NW, Washington, DC.

Due to the security screening at the Hall of the States, the foundation requests that you please RSVP by sending an e-mail to chesapeake@nfwf.org and plan to arrive at the workshop at least 15 minutes early and bring a photo ID. If you have additional questions, contact Tom Kelsch at the foundation at 202-857-0166.

For more information on the program, visit the Chesapeake Bay Targeted Watersheds Grant Program webpage.

9/30/2005