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From MassLand Weekly E-News

PATRICK GIVES $7.8 MILLION FOR 21 LOCAL PARKS GRANTS

BOSTON – From a harborwalk in Barnstable to a renovated stadium and ball field in Pittsfield, the Patrick-Murray Administration today announced 21 grants for roughly $7.8 million to help communities across the Commonwealth create or improve municipal parks.

“Open spaces help define the character and improve the livability of our cities and towns, and investing into our system of parks across the entire Commonwealth will allow residents to enjoy nature and engage in recreational activities within their communities,” said Governor Patrick.

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Urban Self-Help Program grants are available for the acquisition of land, as well as construction and renovation of property for park and outdoor recreation purposes such as athletic play fields, playgrounds and game courts. Including construction grants funded last year, current standing commitments in the Urban Self Help pipeline total nearly $14 million.

“I am delighted we are able put these resources toward parks across the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Murray. “These projects are examples of how we can accomplish great things when municipalities and the state work together on common goals.”

Today’s grant announcement comes on the 30-year anniversary of the establishment of Urban Self-Help, a program that helps cities and towns acquire and develop parkland and renovate existing parks. Grants are offered on a competitive basis and pay at least half or up to 70 percent of a project’s total cost depending upon the income level and other demographics of municipalities.

The grants are issued over a two-year period, with funding typically split between planning and design costs the first year and construction the second year. Selected projects must include general public access. Additional consideration is given for projects that feature model stormwater practices, water conservation, re-use of brownfield sites and other environmentally beneficial aspects of projects. Funding projects in urban neighborhoods that lack adequate access to parks is a program priority, as is development of parks near public transit.

“In keeping with Governor Patrick’s desire to provide recreational opportunities for urban populations, we gave special consideration this year to projects that will stabilize city neighborhoods and help revitalize urban centers,” EEA Secretary Ian Bowles said. “Funding for municipal parks is a key component of the Governor’s plan to invest at least $50 million annually in land conservation over the next five years.”

Among the 21 grants announced today, ten are on along rivers and harbors in downtown areas, four involve stormwater improvements, four will renovate ball fields, nine will install new playgrounds or water spray play areas and two will be located on former brownfield sites.

Click here for full story including list of projects:
<http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/pressreleases/103007_park_grants.pdf> or here for all EEA press releases: http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/default.htm

BEAT NOTE: Pittsfield’s Wahconah Park is among the recipients with a $500,000 grant for the renovation of the stadium, ballfield, and parking area. Renovation of the site is intended to improve stormwater drainage into the adjacent Housatonic River.

 

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From MassLand Weekly E-News

EEA INVESTS $8 MILLION TO PROTECT 1,405 ACRES IN 23 TOWNS
– from EOEEA Press Release

BOSTON – Forests, wetlands, farms, rare species habitat, and the headwaters of a watershed are among landscapes that will be protected as a result of nearly $8 million in grants to 23 Massachusetts communities announced today by Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles. Today’s grants provide for the conservation of 1,405 acres of land.

“As the cost of land climbs in Massachusetts and the amount of open space dwindles, communities throughout the Bay State are looking for ways to preserve the woodlands, fields, riverbanks, trails and wildlife habitat that contribute so much to the quality of life here,” Secretary Bowles said. “The grants I’m announcing today represent partnerships between communities and the Commonwealth to safeguard these vital natural resources for future generations.”

Since 1961, EEA’s Self-Help Program has helped cities and towns acquire land for conservation and outdoor recreation such as hiking, wildlife watching, fishing, hunting, and cross-country skiing. To qualify for grants, communities must supply local matching funds, and the protected open space must be open to the public. Municipalities may use grant funds to purchase land or partial interests (such as conservation restrictions), as well as for associated acquisition costs such as appraisal reports and closing fees.

This year’s $7.95 million grant round includes approximately $6.2 million in state funding and $1.7 million from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund, which EEA’s Division of Conservation Services administers for the Commonwealth.

This year’s funding for the Self Help and Urban Self Help programs (combined $14 million) represent the largest expenditure in the history of the programs. The state’s funding is matched by $6.3 million in funding raised by cities and town, land trusts and private fundraising. The grants include six in the Connecticut River Valley and the Berkshires, six in Central Massachusetts, five in MetroWest and Northeastern Massachusetts, five in Southeastern Massachusetts and three on Cape Cod. Collectively, 13 projects protect rare species habitat, six protect land next to 1000-plus acre forest blocks, 11 protect key water resources, eight protect working farms, four protect regional trails and greenways, three protect unique archaeological sites, and two include the development of environmental education centers as part of the project. Four towns are receiving a grant for the first time.

Click here for full story including list of projects:
<http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/pressreleases/110207_sh_landgrants.pdf> or here for all EEA press releases: http://www.mass.gov/envir/press/default.htm

 

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LOCAL FOOD
from Mike Ward

Never mind the delicious and healthy produce.  Never mind the benefits of preserving our beautiful agrarian landscapes.  Have you thought about the economic benefits of keeping our food dollars local?  With all the debate centered on arts vs. industry, agriculture seems to be a forgotten form of economic development in Pittsfield.  But take a minute to calculate how much money you spend on food in a year and then multiply that by the number of residents in Pittsfield.  The potential dividend of keeping even a small percentage of that food money local is compelling.  How do we do it?  Shop the Farmers Market or join a CSA Farm. How about requiring that our public schools cafeteria vendors use a certain amount of local produce or milk?

 

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From American Rivers:

Last Friday, President Bush vetoed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) arguing that the bill is fiscally irresponsible and outside of the scope of the mission of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). The bill was the first WRDA to pass Congress since 2000 and contains more than 900 projects and programs for hurricane protection, flood control, ecosystem restoration and navigation. The $23.2 billion bill was the result of the conference of the $15 billion House and $14 billion Senate bills. In order to override the veto, the House and Senate will both need a two-thirds majority vote, which both are expected to have. The House is expected to vote to reverse the President’s veto on Tuesday this week, and the Senate is expected to vote on Wednesday.

WRDA contains a number of critical reform provisions to the Corps. If enacted the Corps will be required to rewrite the Principles and Guidelines that dictate how the Corps designs projects and calculates the cost-benefit of projects. The legislation also increases mitigation of environmental damage caused by Corps projects. The final bill also includes a compromise on an independent peer review requirement for Corps projects that cost over $45 million. These reforms are a vital first step in ensuring that the Corps of Engineers operates in a more fiscally and environmentally responsible manner. Conservationists will continue to work for reforms such as requiring the Corps to prioritize the billions of dollars worth of projects in their backlog to ensure that the most needed projects are completed first.

Last week, the House passed a bill that would impose royalties on the hardrock mining industry by reforming an 1872 hardrock mining law. H.R. 2262, the Hardrock Mining Reclamation Act of 2007, sponsored by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), passed the House by a vote of 244-166. The bill will impose an 8 percent royalty on new minerals claims on public lands, and a 4 percent royalty on existing claims on public lands. About $30 million to $70 million from the royalties will be used to clean up abandoned mines on federal lands. There are estimated to be approximately 38,500 abandoned mine sites on National Forest lands and 65,000 on Bureau of Land Management lands. Roughly 10 percent of those mines are believed to be releasing toxic heavy metals, acidity and radioactivity into waterways.

Also last week, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a hearing on H.R. 415, sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).  The bill would add segments of the Taunton River in Massachusetts to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Companion legislation, S. 868, has been introduced by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA).

 

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From the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Riverways Program

The Increasing Importance of River Restoration in Response to Climate Change

By Tim Purinton and Russ Cohen, Mass. Riverways Program

[The following article is adapted from “River Restoration and Dam Removal: Adapting to Climate Change”, which appeared in the September/October 2007 newsletter of the Mass. Association of Conservation Commissions.]

Conservation Commissions, along with land trusts, watershed associations and other resource protection advocates, have always been on the front line when it comes to protecting rivers and streams from the steady encroachment of development and land use change. The ongoing struggle of keeping up with landscape alterations is made even more difficult today by the sobering global warming forecasts for the region.

According to the Cambridge, MA-based Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)’s report Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast, Massachusetts’ air temperatures are on the rise and may increase up to fourteen degrees Fahrenheit in the summer months by century’s end. Rainfall is also forecasted to increase, as is the frequency and severity of heavy rainfall-induced flooding and hot and dry weather-induced drought events.  In other words, there’s a prediction of wetter wet periods and drier dry periods in the future that contrasts with historic weather patterns for the region of more-or-less even amounts of precipitation (about 3.5 inches) each month.  Thus, the higher high flows and lower low flows in our rivers and streams caused by development and the proliferation of impervious surfaces, which already place our riverine organisms and ecosystems under significant stress, is predicted to be further exacerbated by the adverse impact of global warming-induced climate change.  [Check out Water, Energy, and Climate Change, a recent EPA Watershed Academy webcast for a further discussion of these impacts, and suggested responses to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change on rivers.]  

Click here to read the full article

 

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From Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative

We’re Carboholics. Make Us Stop
David Crane Editorial – The Washington Post

I am a carboholic. As Americans, we are all carboholics, but I am more so than most. The company I run, NRG Energy, emits more than 64 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere each year — more than the total man-made greenhouse gas emissions of Norway.

And we are only the 10th-largest American power generation company. Imagine the CO2 emissions of Nos. 1 through 9. Why do we do it? Why does America’s power industry emit such a stunning amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere in this age of climate change?

We do so because CO2 emissions are free. And in a world where CO2 has no price, removing CO2 before or after the combustion process is vastly more expensive and problematic than just venting it into the atmosphere. Congress needs to act now to change our ways. Lawmakers should regulate CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions by introducing a federal cap-and-trade system, which would put a cap and a market price on CO2 emissionsIf Congress acts now, the power industry will respond. We will do what America does best; we will react to CO2 price signals by innovating and commercializing technologies that avoid, prevent and remove CO2 from the atmosphere.

I emphasize the word “now.” We are not running out of time; we have run out of time. Decisions we make today in the U.S. power industry will have a significant impact on the size of the problem we bequeath to our children.

Without a price on CO2, our industry will build a veritable tidal wave of traditional coal-fired power-generation facilities. Traditional coal plants are, and will be for some time to come, the least expensive and most reliable way to generate electricity on a large scale in the United States, China, India and much of the rest of the world — that is, so long as the CO2 emissions associated with burning coal in these countries remain free.

We absolutely need to use coal for power-generation purposes. We probably even need to build a few more traditional coal plants in fast-growing parts of the country where there is no practical alternative. But we need to move as quickly as possible toward implementing the low-emissions ways of combusting coal that are under development or, in the case of “coal gasification” technology, are ready for commercial deployment.

A federal cap-and-trade system would push the power and coal industries toward deployment of CO2 capture and sequestration technology, which is essential to reducing our domestic emissions and, ultimately, to weaning China and the rest of the fast-growing (and emitting) developing world off traditional coal technology. Effective incentives for these new technologies could easily and readily be included in a cap-and-trade regimen. Lawmakers need to provide both the carrot and the stick to get the CO2 out of coal.

Energy legislation under consideration in Congress focuses almost exclusively on renewables and conservation; both are worthy initiatives that deserve our support. But in a world where a CO2-emitting traditional coal plant is built every week, renewables and conservation are a sideshow at best.

The vast amount of CO2 being emitted worldwide by coal-fired power plants is the heart of the global warming issue. Progress against those emissions depends on three critical initiatives: replacing traditional coal with “clean coal” plants, displacing additional traditional coal plants with new zero-carbon-emissions nuclear plants and implementing a federal cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gases.

Global warming should be at the top of Congress’s agenda — because action by this Congress will turn the tide of climate change around the world.

Never before have we faced the prospect of fundamentally damaging our global ecosystem by the day-to-day activities of each and every one of us. A cap-and-trade system is the place to start. America must act now to protect our future.

David Crane is chief executive of Princeton, N.J.-based NRG Energy Inc., a wholesale power generator. NRG, which owns power plants capable of serving 19 million households, recently filed for a license to build two nuclear reactors in South Texas.

http://www.washingtonpost.com

 

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From Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative

Victory! Massachusetts Coalition for Pesticide Reduction

This summer, we asked you to contact the Massachusetts Highway Department to urge them to not carry out their plan to spray toxic pesticides along roadways in 50 cities across the Commonwealth.

We recently learned that Masshighway has canceled their plans to spray for this year.

This is a victory for public health and the environment across the state, but the fight is not over yet. Masshighway will be drafting its Five Year Vegetation Management Plan this fall, and we need to convince them to replace toxic weed control techniques with safe alternatives.

For years, Masshighway used only non-toxic, mechanical methods of controlling weeds growing along state roadsides, and it worked. There is no need to expose communities to harmful chemicals when a lawn mower or hedge trimmer is effective, and this year we are asking Masshighway to phase out pesticide spraying for good.

Please contact Secretary Bernard Cohen at the Executive Office of Transportation to thank him for canceling his plans to spray pesticides and herbicides along our roads, and urge him to leave these harmful chemicals out of all future weed control plans. Then send me an email so that we can keep track of our efforts.

You can reach Secretary Cohen’s office at: 617-973-7000.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CALL OR WRITE: Thank you, Secretary Cohen, for canceling your plans to spray harmful pesticides along state highways this summer. These chemicals, like road salt and oil, can wash off roads contaminating water supplies and threatening public health.

I urge you, and your department to remove spraying from Masshighway’s Five Year Vegetation Management Plan and halt highway spraying for good, going back to the time-tested and non-toxic mechanical removal techniques that your department used for years.

 

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From Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative

GET READY FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOND BILL!

ELM, the Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition and the other members of the Commonwealth Conservation Council (CCC) are working with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA) on what will be the most important environmental legislation of the next five years, the Environmental Bond. The bond funds programs and policy initiatives ranging from land protection, aquatic and wetland restoration, rare species recovery, and MassGIS, to renewable energy initiatives. We currently expect the Patrick administration to file the Environmental Bond in early January or possibly in December. CCC is working to rebuild the very successful 2002 Coalition for the Environmental Bond, which brought together land trusts, hunters and anglers, water activists, farmers, foresters, gardeners, parks advocates, mayors and boards of selectmen, conservation commissioners and business people.

Our goal is to move the bond bill through the legislature by the close of the session in July 2008, as many accounts, including those that provide land protection funds, are almost through their prior bond authorization. WE NEED YOUR HELP! It’s early – the bond hasn’t even been filed yet, so we don’t know the specifics – but we need to start building the Environmental Bond Coalition NOW! Please let me know if your organization, club, or business would be interested in joining this effort. Of course, you can opt out if you don’t like what’s actually in the Bond! For more information or to receive the Environmental Bond E-News, contact: Bernie McHugh, bmchugh@massland.org

 

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From Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative

Raining on the Drought Parade
By Kate Bowditch, CRWA November 5, 2007

THE RECENT announcement by the US Environmental Protection Agency that dramatic action is needed to stop toxic algae blooms and bring water quality in the Charles River up to standards comes at a key moment for Massachusetts.

The nutrient overloads that are causing the explosive growth of blue-green algae and threatening recreation on the Charles are a symptom of a much larger problem, with even more serious potential consequences. The way we manage water is unsustainable, and if we don’t adapt, we may soon be facing not only pollution problems but water shortages and more floods.

As drought, floods, and global warming threaten the viability of urban centers across the southern and western parts of the country, the water-rich Northeast states have enormous potential to grow. The choices the state makes today will determine whether we protect and enhance our wealth of water resources, or whether we follow conventional patterns of growth and infrastructure development and destroy the natural aquatic systems that support us.

Fortunately, innovations in technology, infrastructure, and urban design make it possible to redesign our water resource systems to make them sustainable. Even in our dense urban centers, we can design and build in ways that will protect water resources, cool and clean the air, and improve the pedestrian environment. At the heart of this approach lies one critical idea: make the city function like a natural watershed.

In an undeveloped landscape, most of the rain that falls on the land is absorbed by plants and soils, so lakes and rivers are filled by water that seeps slowly back out of the ground throughout the year. In the city, buildings, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots cover most of the ground so rainfall washes off into gutters, picking up pollution before it is washed out to rivers through underground pipes that flow throughout the city. The result is excessive water pollution, flooding, and loss of natural recharge to the ground. New designs are breaking these conventional urban patterns, creating “green” cities that can absorb rainfall and filter it into the ground, building up ground water and reducing floods and pollution.

The Charles River Watershed Association has been studying these approaches for a decade. This year we partnered with the City of Boston to develop the region’s first pilot “Green Street” project in Dorchester’s Peabody Square. The project will use street trees, permeable sidewalks, and rain gardens to filter and recharge rainwater into the ground using vegetation that can survive in an urban setting. Similar concepts are being used in suburban settings, and are at the heart of CRWA’s vision for North Allston as Harvard builds its new campus.

The underlying goals – capture rain where it falls and use it to support vegetation and replenish ground water – mesh perfectly with the EPA’s call to reduce nutrient loading to the Charles, and with residents’ desire to live in a healthy, green environment.

Redesigning management of rainfall is one piece of the puzzle. Our water supplies and sewer systems need a new approach, too. Although communities in Massachusetts get their water through the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority from the Quabbin Reservoir, most others rely on local sources.

If these sources are not protected and replenished as we grow, the state will not be far behind Georgia and North Carolina – both of which may soon have to take extreme measures such as rationing water. If growth is accompanied by projects to keep aquifers and rivers clean and full, we will not run out of water.

With over 40 inches a year of rainfall, and perhaps more with climate change, Massachusetts has ample water and could easily support significant growth if resources are properly managed. We already invest millions in water infrastructure every year. Moving forward, these investments need to be directed toward programs that will achieve sustainable water management, creating a healthier urban environment and clean, safe rivers and harbors.

The EPA’s report on nutrient pollution in the Charles is a call to action that can’t be ignored. Whatever actions we take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we are already living with the impact of climate change on water systems: bigger storms, longer droughts, hotter summers. To protect our water wealth, the state needs to move aggressively toward a new approach to water management that treats water as a valuable resource to be used, cleaned, and returned locally so it can support our rivers, keep our wells full, and help fuel future growth.

Kate Bowditch is a surface water hydrologist and directs the Charles River Watershed Association’s engineering and science programs.

Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

 

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From Mass Wildlife News:

HABITAT IMPROVEMENT FUNDING AVAILABLE

MassWildlife’s Landowner Incentive Program (LIP) will be accepting grant applications October 26th through December
21st, 2007 from private landowners, sportsmen’s clubs, land trusts and non-profit groups interested in improving wildlife
habitat on their properties. LIP is designed to reimburse private landowners up to 75% of the cost of managing lands to
improve habitat for declining wildlife species across the Commonwealth. The focus of these grants will be on maintaining
grasslands and creation of young tree and shrubland habitats. Grant application criteria and other details will available
at that time on MassWildlife’s webpage listed below. State and municipal agencies are not eligible for this funding, but
can direct inquiries to other MassWildlife habitat programs.

Since its first round of grants in 2005, 108 applicants have received funding from MassWildlife’s LIP on properties from
Cape Cod to the Berkshires. A total of 7,100 acres of habitat improvement benefiting over 122 at-risk wildlife species
has been funded. Habitat projects range from enhancing beaches for shorebird breeding habitat protection to grassland-
bird breeding or rare turtle habitat maintenance.

The goals of the Landowner Incentive Program are:

– Identify and reclaim appropriate sites for management of declining habitats, particularly grasslands, old field and early-
successional forests, wetlands, coastal habitats and pine barrens.

– Manage and control exotic and invasive plants – Enhance wildlife habitat for species-at-risk. A species-at-risk is defined
for LIP as any fish or wildlife species that is federally or state listed as threatened or endangered, is a candidate for
listing as threatened or endangered, or is listed on the MassWildlife Official State Rare Species List.

– Provide technical and financial assistance and guidance to landowners on how to manage their property for wildlife.

For more details, check the LIP web page: http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/grants/lip/lip_home.htm

 

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The

The Massachusetts Adopt-A-Stream Program
(see http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/programs/adoptastream/index.htm and links to other related pages in the left
column) will be soliciting project ideas for river and stream protection projects as part of their Stream Team
Implementation Awards program
. This year we are soliciting projects state-wide for projects up to $10,000. Please
see the announcement below for details. The RFR will be placed on the Riverways website
(http://www.massriverways.org) on October 26th and project submissions are due on November 16th. The projects
must be completed by June 30, 2008.

Thanks,
Rachel Calabro
Massachusetts Riverways Program
Department of Fish and Game
251 Causeway St.
Boston, MA 02114
617-626-1549
www.massriverways.org

Pre- Announcement FOR ADOPT-A-STREAM PROGRAM STREAM TEAM IMPLEMENTATION AWARDS  Request for
Proposals RIV 2008-1

 The Adopt-A-Stream Program of Riverways Program, MA Dept. of Fish and Game, will soon be soliciting project
proposals for Stream Team Implementation Awards for stream restoration, protection and advocacy work. Work under
these proposals will need to be completed by June 30, 2008.

HOW MUCH? The Adopt-A-Stream Program anticipates awarding a total of $30,000. Awards will range from $3000-
$10,000. This program is offered on a reimbursement for services basis.

 PROPOSAL DEADLINE: The Request for Proposals (RFP) will be released late October. Full proposals must be received
by Riverways Program by 2 PM on November 16, 2007. Groups are strongly encouraged to contact the Adopt-A-
Stream staff with questions before the Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued on 10/26 to confirm that project
ideas are compatible with grant goals
(See contact information below.) Once the RFR is posted on our website
(www.riverways.org), our ability to discuss potential projects with you will be limited.

OVERVIEW: The Adopt-A-Stream Program works with local residents, watershed associations, land trusts and municipal
boards to establish Stream Teams- groups of citizens, town officials, sportsmen, anglers, garden club members and civic
associations- to protect and restore local streams. Stream Teams throughout the Commonwealth work to conduct visual
surveys of the river using Adopt-A-Stream data sheets and protocols, create Action Plans and work together to
implement projects on behalf of streams.

The Stream Team Implementation Awards can be used by existing Stream Teams, municipalities, land trusts, or local
river groups including watershed associations working with Stream Teams to implement projects or to help start new
Stream Teams. In areas where Stream Teams are established, priority will be given to implementation projects.

Projects with Existing Stream Teams: Current Stream Teams can use the Stream Team Implementation Awards to
implement projects from their Action Plan or to advance proposals that clearly benefit riverine resources and are in line
with the stream teams Action Plan. The Adopt-A-Stream Program will be available to work on implementation with these
Stream Teams to provide additional technical assistance on their projects. Examples of projects are available on our
website www.massriverways.org

New Stream Teams: For groups that would like to start a new Stream Team, the Adopt-A-Stream Program will work
directly with local organizers to plan for a Shoreline Survey, conduct a training and facilitate an Action Planning meeting
leading to implementation. For more information on the Stream Team process and how Stream Teams can work in your
community, contact the office or see the Adopt-A-Stream Program website at http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/programs/adoptastream/index.htm.

 WHO IS ELIGIBILE: Proposals must be submitted through a nonprofit organization with 501c3 status or a municipality
(by the Conservation Commission, Planning Board, etc.), and must be directly related to Stream Teams or Stream Team
work. Stream Teams are encouraged to work in partnership with their watershed associations, land trusts, Conservation
Commission and other town boards.

 PROJECT IDEAS: Stream Team Implementation Awards are given for projects that further watershed and stream
health. For example, Stream Team Awards may be used to:

Increase Protection

·By coordinating between stream teams, land trusts, non-profit associations and municipalities to identify, appraise and
implement riparian land protection (particularly in headwater tributaries);

·By working with communities to develop or strengthen local bylaws;

Increase Advocacy/Constituency Building

·By organizing Stream Teams as local stewards;

·By providing public access to and/or along river and stream corridors consistent with resource protection; by mapping,
designing, building or improving greenway or blueway trails;

·By developing and coordinating efforts to address river friendly behavior..

Increase Restoration

·By coordinating with and assisting municipalities to address stormwater runoff (by assisting in stormwater mapping,
installing projects such as rain gardens to reduce stormwater impacts on rivers, etc.);

·By augmenting baseline monitoring data through surveys (habitat, stormdrain, macroinvertebrate, etc.) with Adopt-A-
Stream training;

·By developing stream restoration projects or conducting public outreach about a stream restoration project (e.g.
coordinating the site identification, design and installation or securing of woody habitat.

PROJECT TIMELINE: Work on the projects must be completed by June 30, 2008.

Please see our website for more information on the Adopt-A-Stream Program and examples of past Stream Team
Implementation Awards http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/river/programs/adoptastream/index.htm

Stream Team Implementation Awards Proposals and Proposal Evaluation

Please note the following information is only a partial list of what is to be included and how projects will be evaluated.
More information will be included in the final version of the Request for Proposals (RFP).

Proposals will need to include:

I. Group description

II. Project description, including: goals and specific objectives, time table, need for project in watershed and evidence of
community support.

III. Budget explaining project expenses, in-kind support (including volunteer match), etc.

Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

River Benefit

  • The level of river restoration and/or protection that the project will provide

Partnerships and Community Support

  • The level of partnership-building between Stream Team members and the larger community (town officials,
    volunteers, businesses, conservation partners, civic groups, etc.)
  • The level of in-kind support and contributions through volunteers, businesses, or other local cooperation

Capacity Building

  • How the project will enhance your organization’s ability to protect river resources

Probability of Success

  • How the project will generate greater community stewardship (how knowledge/products will be put to use)
  • Project timeframe (can be completed by June 30, 2008)
  • Project sustainability (will there be a lasting impact? Will the resources, volunteers, etc. continue beyond the June
    30, 2008 completion?)
  • Do you have documented permission/support letters from partners and property owners?
  • Level of experience and/or qualifications to complete the project

Consistency and Need

  • Need for award funds (other funding sources are unavailable, unattainable and/or the project purpose/goals cannot
    be fulfilled without these funds)
  • Consistent with Shoreline Survey Action Plan

Contact information:

Rachel Calabro
617-626-1549
rachel.calabro@state.ma.us

Carrie Banks
413-268-3129
carrie.banks@state.ma.us

Gabrielle Stebbins
617-626-1571
Gabrielle.stebbins@state.ma.us

Massachusetts Watershed Coalition  ....Creating a Network of Watershed Partners.

 

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NRCS announces accelerated sign-up for farm conservation program in Massachusetts

AMHERST, MA (September 19, 2007) — Massachusetts farmers who would like technical and financial assistance in
managing their natural resources are encouraged to apply now for the federal Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP – see http://www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip.html
). The USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) has been authorized to conduct an accelerated sign-up period for EQIP while work on the
next federal Farm Bill continues.

Applications must be received by Friday, November 12, 2007. Farmers should call or visit their local USDA Service
Center as soon as possible to begin the conservation planning process and complete the necessary paperwork.

USDA service center locations are listed on-line at http://offices.usda.gov or in the phone book under Federal
Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture. General program information is available on the NRCS Massachusetts
website at

EQIP helps farmers improve production while protecting environmental quality by addressing such concerns as soil
quality, grazing land conservation, irrigation efficiency and comprehensive nutrient management. With financial and
technical assistance from NRCS, farmers will promote environmental quality on farmland, address water quality and
quantity challenges, and protect valuable fish and wildlife habitat.

“USDA is committed to providing conservation tools and resources to help Massachusetts farmers ensure that their land
remains healthy and productive,” said State Conservationist Christine S. Clarke. “NRCS field staff are available to help
farmers develop a conservation plan to address their resource concerns.”

In fiscal year 2006, NRCS funded 113 EQIP contracts with Massachusetts farmers to implement $3.86 million in
conservation practices on 7,894 acres of land.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that provides leadership
in a partnership effort to help people conserve, maintain, and improve our natural resources and environment. NRCS has
seven Massachusetts field offices in Greenfield, Hadley, Holden, Hyannis, Pittsfield, Westford, and West Wareham,
which work with local conservation districts and other partners to serve farmers and landowners throughout the
commonwealth.

Diane Baedeker Petit

Public Affairs Officer

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service

451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002

413-253-4371, fax 413-253-4375

www.ma.nrcs.usda.gov

Helping People Help the Land

 

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