Trinity River Restoration Program Watershed Grant Program Administration

Description

A single award will be made under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) so eligible entities should apply for the full funding amount. Administration of Program funds will be directed towards habitat restoration activities within tributaries of the Trinity River between Lewiston Dam and Weitchpec, including the South Fork Trinity River and its tributaries. The objective of this NOFO is to invite applicants (State and local governments, nonprofit organizations and institutions, and Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments) to submit proposals indicating their ability and experience with administering a large, multi-faceted, multi-year grant program focusing on construction and non-construction related restoration activities with numerous local and regional sub-recipients. Note that all subrecipients of restoration grants must meet the same qualification requirements (State and local governments, nonprofit organizations and institutions, and Federally recognized Indian Tribal Governments) as the awardee. The principal objective of this solicitation is to have the Program Administrator/Recipient administer Reclamation funds used to support projects to improve habitat for SONCC coho salmon and other anadromous fish in tributaries of the Trinity River between Lewiston Dam and the confluence with the Klamath River at Weitchpec, inclusive of the South Fork Trinity River and its tributaries. Projects on the mainstem Trinity River, or its tributaries above Lewiston Dam, are ineligible. The Program Administrator/Recipient will use the Request for Proposal (RFP) process to initiate a pre-proposal phase whereby Reclamation and the TRRP Agencies in coordination with the Program Administrator/Recipient will select pre-proposals for formal proposal submission. The Program Administrator/Recipient is responsible for coordinating primarily with Reclamation and then as needed with the TRRP Agencies (as described on page 1 of this announcement) to formally select full proposals that rank projects based on established ratings focusing on those that provide fine sediment reduction or habitat improvements and have the greatest impact on promoting the survival and recovery of anadromous fish. The Program Administrator/Recipient will fund projects that comply with: Reclamation’s authority under the CVPIA; Project types specifically identified by watershed in the SONCC coho recovery plan; Priority projects identified in the Klamath Basin Integrated Fisheries Restoration and Monitoring Plan’s prioritization tool; The overall goals and objective of the Program as outlined above in Section A.1. The Program Administrator/Recipient will monitor all activities (construction and non-construction) conducted by others receiving funds under this grant opportunity. For projects that include construction elements, the Program Administrator/Recipient will ensure that sub-recipient has a Project Manager, responsible for ensuring the project is implemented per the stamped engineering and/or professional grade construction plans and that all applicable environmental compliance requirements are upheld. For both construction and non-construction projects, the Program Administrator/Recipient will ensure overall compliance with Federal and state environmental regulations, permitting, and reporting on permits by having on staff or hiring an Environmental Compliance Manager as a consultant (previously mentioned in section B.3) who is professionally trained and well versed in the Federal requirements that Reclamation is responsible for including, but not limited to the ESA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), etc. Note: Reclamation has recently received a 2020 Biological Opinion from NMFS and 2020 Letter of Concurrence from USFWS providing programmatic ESA coverage of Trinity River tributary restoration projects. ESA compliance needs should largely be informal. The Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager will serve as the main point of contact for Reclamation staff reviewing and adopting environmental documents drafted by the sub-recipients. This Environmental Compliance Manager will participate in the overall sub-project selection process to reduce the need for Reclamation to participate in additional calls/etc. Additionally, the Environmental Compliance Manager will be responsible for ensuring that all sub-project applicants include environmental compliance budgets in pre-and full proposals (typically 10 percent of total project costs), that the sub-recipient have on staff or hire an environmental compliance consultant that is well versed in developing documents that meet Federal environmental compliance requirements (e.g., environmental assessments (EA), categorical exclusion checklists (CEC), and possibly Environmental Impact Statements (EIS(s)), etc.). At a minimum the Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager will have the following criteria. (Note: the sub-recipient’s environmental compliance staff or hired consultant should have similar qualifications, but it is not required as the Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager will be assisting to ensure all documentation meet Reclamation’s standard prior to Reclamation reviews and adoption): A minimum of 5 years of NEPA document preparation and project management experience in environmental consulting. Experience should include simple to complex, multi-disciplinary projects; leading meetings with clients and agencies; directing project teams including subcontractors; preparing or directing staff in the preparation of technical studies and NEPA documents (e.g. EA and Finding of No Significant Impacts (FONSI)); and setting and adhering to project budgets and delivery schedules. Ability to write concise, descriptive, and complete descriptions of all the elements of both construction and non-construction projects. Ability to create or direct the creation of project location maps containing, township, range, section, North arrow, proposed action boundaries, a complete map legend, etc. A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in environmental planning, environmental science, biology, environmental science, natural resource management, planning, geology or other science-related field. A working knowledge of and experience with developing, complying, and/or assisting a Federal agency develop compliance documents or Federal and California environmental regulations including NEPA, California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the CWA, the ESA, the NHPA, etc. A working understanding of Federal agency internal processes and procedures including, but not limited to Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, NMFS, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and/or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Excellent verbal and written communication skills; interpersonal skills; attention to detail; and organization, schedule, and budget management skills. Further, to reduce Reclamation’s need to review initial adequacy of environmental compliance documentation on any sub-grantee projects, the Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager will ensure that sub-grantee’s environmental compliance documents (to be completed by the sub-grantee’s staff or environmental compliance consultant) are complete, near final, and ready for Reclamation’s final review and acceptance consistent with the compliance requirements identified in the RFP process and as directed by Reclamation during post award of sub-project meetings. Any details that Reclamation identifies as outstanding for a particular sub-grantee project will be coordinated through the Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager who, as stated above will manage, coordinate, and assist all sub-recipients in environmental compliance documentation and consultant needs. It is the sole responsibility of the Program Administrator/Recipient’s Environmental Compliance Manager to ensure sub-recipients have budgeted for and hired qualified staff or consultants to develop environmental compliance documents (specifically regarding NEPA analysis and cultural resource surveys and reports under NHPA and CWA). The Program Administrator/Recipient will also be responsible for all sub-receipts accurately and completely answers a series of questions or provide additional information to Reclamation about the potential environmental impacts of a proposed sub-project. Reclamation will also require from the Program Administrator/Recipient bi-weekly status of environmental compliance of all projects, upcoming program and sub-project deadlines, perceived issues or concerns, and summary of correspondence with the sub-grantees, expenditures for each program, changes to any points of contacts with sub-grantees, action items, and any other information deemed necessary by Reclamation. Period of performance for the agreement is five years from the date of award with the anticipated end date of September 30, 2026. The Program Administrator/Recipient is required to have experience with administering projects using Federal and private funds with experience administering projects that focus on the problems facing SONCC coho salmon and other Pacific anadromous fish species. Some of the problems facing these species include impeded access to their historical habitat; loss of summer and winter rearing habitat, seasonal water quality impairment (temperature and flow in particular), water quality and flow-related effects on the incidence of disease in certain populations, excessive fine sediment recruitment due to poor land management, and reduced transport of sediment and large woody debris to important habitat. The successful applicant to this funding opportunity is responsible for: Ann

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