Author: Joe Costa

NEP FY23 Mini-grant Request for Proposals Posted

Posted on by Joe Costa

The Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program announced the availability of $211,605 in grant funds for the FY23 Buzzards Bay Watershed Municipal Mini-grant Program. The announcement has been posted on the COMMBUYS website. We are seeking proposals from municipalities for projects that help meet the NEP’s goals to protect and restore water quality and living resources in Buzzards Bay and its surrounding watershed and implement a recommendation or recommendations in the Buzzards Bay Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. Eligible municipalities may submit any number of applications per grant category, and they may receive more than one grant; however, no single grant award may exceed $70,000, and no municipality may be awarded more than $140,000 cumulatively.

All projects must be located within the Buzzards Bay watershed. Municipalities with projects located in one or more Environmental Justice (EJ) Populations, as defined in the EEA EJ Policy, are strongly encouraged to apply under this grant opportunity provided they meet the eligibility criteria under this section.

Proposals must be submitted electronically and are due Tuesday, September 27, 2022, by 4:00 PM.  Applicants must provide a non-federal match that will equal or exceed 33 percent of requested grant funds (i.e., 25 percent of total project costs). Contracts are expected to begin November 1, 2022, and last for approximately one year.

For more information, go to our NEP funding page.

Fourth summer field season of salt marsh studies has begun

Posted on by Joe Costa

In 2019, the Buzzards Bay NEP, Buzzards Bay Coalition, the Woodwell Climate Research Center joined in a partnership and collaboration in several salt marsh studies in Buzzards Bay, including assessing long-term patterns of loss, evaluating potential causes of loss and vulnerable marshes, and identifying potential strategies to slow or mitigate those losses. In June, this salt marsh study partnership began its fourth field season. In these efforts, the Buzzards Bay NEP is providing GIS mapping support, conducting GPS surveys, providing training on the use of elevation survey equipment, installing benchmarks, and managing GIS data. In the images below, Buzzards Bay NEP Executive Director Dr. Joe Costa, and Buzzards Bay Coalition Science Director, Dr. Rachel Jakuba, help train this season’s interns working for the Coalition at a study site on Wings Neck in Pocasset in the Town of Bourne. For more information, see our previous Salt Marsh Study post and the Buzzards Bay Coalitions page: Coalition commits to monitoring long-term salt marsh health – Buzzards Bay Coalition.

Dr. Rachel Jakuba (right), overseeing the training of Buzzards Bay Coalition interns Melissa, Cameron, and Erika. Photo by Joe Costa.
Dr. Joe Costa reflects on the situation after explaining the use and application of the Buzzards Bay NEP’s Leica Sprinter Barcode Leveler.

Collaborative Completes IDDE training

Posted on by Joe Costa

In February 2022, the Stormwater Collaborative, through the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and in partnership with the Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (NEP), received a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection MS4 grant of $71,000 to conduct Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) investigations in eight towns using the Stormwater Collaborative’s IDDE trailer funded in an earlier grant. Since 2021, an additional 200 catchments have been evaluated, and over 150 stormwater outfalls have been inventoried and over 100 stormwater samples have been collected.  We have posted an interactive map of the Buzzards Bay Stormwater Collaborative mapping and monitoring efforts, with links including photos and water quality reports for selected discharges. The DEP grant also funded a series of hands-on IDDE workshops in April and May that were conducted by MMA and Buzzards Bay NEP staff. The five all-day workshops attracted 52 participants from 20 municipalities.