FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR COMMUNITY-BASED SALMON RESTORATION

“The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) are pleased to announce another round of funding for the Nisqually Community Salmon Fund. The Nisqually Community Salmon Fund awards grants of up to $75,000 for smaller-scale, community-based restoration projects that reflect the goals of local salmon recovery strategies.

The goals of the Nisqually Community Salmon Fund are to:
Fund habitat protection and restoration projects that have a substantial benefit to watershed health and are consistent with local salmon recovery plans.
Encourage landowners, business owners, and community groups to become engaged in salmon habitat conservation and stewardship.
Stimulate creativity and leadership among various constituencies to address conservation needs, especially farmers, rural forest landowners, suburban homeowners, businesses, and industries.

Eligible costs under the Nisqually Community Salmon Fund are:
Restoration of habitat within and along salmon-bearing rivers, streams, and the marine nearshore.
Project design and development that is anticipated to lead to an on-the-ground restoration project within 18 months.
Creative partnerships for salmon recovery that address the eventual implementation of restoration work. (Examples of eligible projects under this category include: coordinating a farmers group interested in riparian restoration, organizing salmon workshops with streamside businesses, or doing targeted outreach to neighborhood groups to explore local restoration options. The goal of these activities is to engage new communities in salmon recovery and enlist prospective landowners willing to participate in on-the-ground restoration work.)
Maintenance of previously awarded Community Salmon Fund projects. Grantees of projects funded under previous CSF rounds are encouraged to apply for funds to conduct on-site maintenance of CSF-funded project activities and deliverables.

Applications for the Nisqually Community Salmon Fund are due November 12th, 2008. Applicants will be notified of the results by January 12th, 2009. Please note: Funded projects must be completed by September 30th, 2010.

For more information about the Community Salmon Fund application process, contact Brian Ferrasci-OMalley with Evergreen Funding Consultants (bferrasci-omalley@evergreenfc.com) at (206) 691-0700. For information about local salmon recovery priorities, please contact Jeanette Dorner (jdorner@nwifc.org), Nisqually Lead Entity Coordinator at (360) 438-8687. This document and links to the application form are available at http://www.nfwf.org/csf/srfb/nisqually.”