⿿Planting of Cypress Bayou Pond for Habitat Enhancement, Water Quality Improvement and Protection of Threatened and Endangered Species⿝. | F18AS00292

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00292

The grant opportunity titled "Planting of Cypress Bayou Pond for Habitat Enhancement, Water Quality Improvement and Protection of Threatened and Endangered Species" (Funding Opportunity Number F18AS00292) is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior) discretionary funding action that will be issued as a cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.630. The key point is that this is not a standard competitive grant solicitation. It is a notice of intent to make a single-source award, meaning there is no full public announcement package and no open competition described in the posting. The Service indicates it expects to make one award, with an award ceiling listed as 1, and the original posting window ran from August 7, 2018 to August 13, 2018.

The intended recipient is St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. The funding is specifically tied to implementing vegetative planting at the Cypress Bayou stormwater retention pond and then carrying out a three-year monitoring effort focused on both habitat conditions and water quality. The overall purpose is implied by the title and scope: improve aquatic and wetland habitat, enhance stormwater pond function in a way that benefits water quality, and support the protection of threatened and endangered species that may rely on improved habitat conditions or benefit from better water quality and ecological function in the area.

Because the award is structured as a cooperative agreement, the project is expected to involve substantial involvement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rather than operating as a hands-off reimbursement grant. Before any planting begins, the Service and St. Tammany Parish will jointly develop two key guiding documents: a Quality Assessment Project Plan (often used to define how environmental data will be collected, managed, and evaluated to ensure it is reliable and usable) and a planting plan (to define what will be planted, where, when, and how it will be installed and maintained). These plans function as the project blueprint and are intended to ensure the habitat work is implemented consistently and the monitoring produces credible, comparable results over time.

A notable implementation detail is that St. Tammany Parish will enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Southeastern Louisiana University. Under that arrangement, the university will perform water quality monitoring both before planting occurs (to establish baseline conditions) and after planting, on a quarterly schedule. The quarterly post-planting monitoring will continue through the three-year monitoring period described in the notice. In practice, this means the project is designed not only to install vegetation but also to document whether the planting effort measurably improves ecological conditions and water quality in the pond over time.

In terms of who can apply, the listing shows "Unrestricted" eligibility in a general sense, but that statement is effectively overridden by the single-source nature of the notice. The practical effect is that this particular funding action is intended for a specific recipient and is not presented as an open call for proposals. The activity areas tagged to the opportunity include education, environment, natural resources, and science and technology/research and development, reflecting the mix of on-the-ground habitat work and structured environmental monitoring and assessment.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, environment, natural resources, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "â¿¿Planting of Cypress Bayou Pond for Habitat Enhancement, Water Quality Improvement and Protection of Threatened and Endangered Species⿝." and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.630.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 07, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 13, 2018 THIS IS A NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE ANNOUNCEMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NOTICE.. (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 $1.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for F18AS00292

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