BLM-CO: BLM-CO Water Resources, Fisheries and Riparian Restoration Program | L19AS00067

Opportunity Information: Apply for L19AS00067

The BLM-CO Water Resources, Fisheries and Riparian Restoration Program (Funding Opportunity Number L19AS00067) is a Bureau of Land Management Colorado funding opportunity focused on protecting and improving water resources and aquatic ecosystems on watersheds within the jurisdiction of BLM-managed lands in Colorado. The program sits within BLM's Soil, Air, and Water efforts and is built around collaborative, on-the-ground work with local communities, landowners, stakeholders, and partner agencies. Its core purpose is to maintain and improve water quality and water availability while supporting aquatic habitat, wetlands, springs, riparian areas, and streamflow protections that benefit both people and wildlife. The BLM frames this work as critical to municipal drinking water supplies, eligible wild and scenic rivers, wilderness areas, downstream water uses, and the health of fish, amphibians, groundwater systems, riparian-dependent species, and threatened and endangered species.

Projects supported by this opportunity are intended to address practical watershed needs using a watershed-scale approach, with an emphasis on outcomes that benefit multiple water uses at once. That includes agricultural, municipal, tribal, environmental, and recreational needs. In practice, the funding is aimed at restoration and infrastructure improvements that repair degraded stream and floodplain processes, reduce erosion and sediment impacts, and improve habitat conditions for aquatic species. The opportunity explicitly supports both implementation work and watershed management and planning activities, as long as they target water supply needs, water quality concerns, or restoration priorities tied to BLM Colorado-managed watersheds.

The eligible project types listed are broad and cover many common riparian and aquatic restoration actions. Examples include increasing stream channel structure and complexity, improving hydraulic and geomorphic function, reconnecting channels to their floodplains, and restoring or improving wetlands. It also includes bank protection and stabilization when needed, erosion reduction measures, and work to improve fish passage. The program is also open to constructing or installing structures such as culverts, Zeedyks, and diversion structures, as well as upgrading water delivery systems to improve efficiency or otherwise address water supply needs. Ecological restoration elements include removing invasive species, restoring native vegetation, mitigating or preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species, restoring critical fish habitats, and managing conditions that influence water temperature or the timing and volume of flows to improve aquatic habitat at key locations.

Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, which generally means BLM expects to have substantial involvement during the project rather than acting only as a pass-through funder. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and falls under the Natural Resources activity category (CFDA 15.244). The award ceiling listed is $50,000, with an expectation of about three awards under this announcement. The original posting date is May 22, 2019, with an original closing date of July 22, 2019, indicating this specific announcement was time-bound to that application window (applicants interested today would typically check grants.gov for a current or reissued version, if available).

Eligibility is expansive and includes most common partner types involved in watershed and restoration work. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city/township governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; individuals; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses. The sponsoring agency is the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. For full requirements, evaluation criteria, and application instructions, the announcement directs applicants to download the complete package from grants.gov.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BLM-CO: BLM-CO Water Resources, Fisheries and Riparian Restoration Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.244.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 22, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 22, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for L19AS00067

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