Bloede Dam; Monitoring and Assessment of the Dam Removal; Hurricane Sandy

1. This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to the American Rivers, Inc. This announcement is for notification purposes only. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is interested in the collection of data to evaluate fish passage efficiency at the Bloede Dam Removal project funded through the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Act and expected to be completed in 2018. This award is authorized by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, Public Law 113-2 (Service CFDA 15.677). The primary focus of evaluation for this funding opportunity is the Bloede Dam removal site on the Patuxent River in Maryland. The grantee will collect data to evaluate parameters associated with the project goal of improving passage for migratory and resident fish and to comply with permit requirements. The grantee will support the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other project partners by surveying sites above and below the Bloede Dam site to collect fish during the spawning period to evaluate passage of migratory fish through the site. Sampling will target Alewife, American Shad, Blueback Herring and Hickory Shad by weekly electrofishing during the spawning period. In addition, the grantee will conduct physical monitoring of the site including photo monitoring, preparation of sediment facies maps, and calculation of net channel change over time after dam removal. Monitoring of fish and physical features post dam removal will occur over a 5 year period following the removal of Bloede Dam from 2018 to 2023. Annual and final reports will be submitted detailing the results of the surveys. This project meets Department of Interior financial assistance priorities of partnering. Successful applications will adequately address the priorities of the secretary of the Department of Interior: 1) Create a conservation stewardship legacy second only to Teddy Roosevelt, 3) Restore trust and be a good neighbor and 10) Achieve our goals and lead our team forward.