MUNICIPALITIES AND NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS

Applications will be accepted through Friday, June 29, 2007 for Aquatic Invasive Species Eradication Grants from municipalities and not-for-profit corporations. Acceptable projects are proposals to kill and/or permanently remove plants or animals that meet the definition of aquatic invasive species or aquatic nuisance species from water bodies or wetlands in New York State. Projects that kill or remove only a portion of the total population of a target species are eligible for consideration even though removal of only a portion of the target species population is something less than eradication. Projects that do not result in the death or removal of a target species as the main objective would not be eligible for funding assistance. Likewise, projects that are perceived as routine maintenance (e.g., knockdown or mowing of annual aquatic plants without attempting to eliminate them) are not likely to receive funding assistance. Successful grant applicants must match State assistance grant funding on a 1:1 basis (one state dollar for every applicant dollar); i.e., New York State may reimburse up to 50% of the approved project's total cost. No individual grant will be awarded for less than the minimum amount of $7,500 or exceed the maximum amount of $100,000. A total of up to $2 million is available to the Department for eradication grants funded through the State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) from combined SFY 2006/2007 and SFY 2007/2008 appropriations. The $2 million will be shared between this Aquatic program, and a new 2007 Terrestrial Invasive Species Eradication program, which is currently being initiated by the Department.

Other information on the program, including PDF versions of the “Information for Applicants” document, can be obtained from the NYSDEC website at: http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/habitat/erad.html

For an application, contact: Timothy Sinnott at the above address or call (518) 402-8970 or e-mail: [email protected]