DOI Project 37; Hurricane Sandy; Restoring Coastal Marshes in NJ; Reeds Beach; Cape May NWR

This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to the American Littoral Society. This announcement is for notification purposes only. This requirement falls under DOI Project Number EBFCM 37. The intent of the award is to restore saltmarsh health and resiliency at Reeds Beach in the Bidwells Creek Watershed, Middle Township Cape May County, New Jersey. The saltmarsh at Reeds Beach is a critical component of the Delaware Bay estuary system. The initial phase will be to complete the analysis of site conditions, including but not limited to saltmarsh habitat conditions, drainage, flows, and sediment characterizations, wetland assessment, and topographic surveys and modeling to evaluate the feasibility of beneficial use of dredge materials to raise the elevation of saltmarsh threatened by sea level rise. This will be followed immediately by design, permitting and the application of dredged sediment to low lying areas of the marsh. This award is issued to provide financial assistance to collaboratively-developed priority projects in Hurricane Sandy disaster areas that will restore environmental resources through collaborative efforts with local communities. The project is expected to, restore ecosystem function, enhance the resiliency of saltmarshes to sea level rise, and to provide improved fish and wildlife habitat. This project was previously vetted and approved for funding by the Department of the Interior. The appropriation for this project is the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act of 2013, Public Law 113-2. Criteria for funding was based on the project¿s ability to yield the greatest return on investment by taking advantage of existing science and regional planning tools for resiliency and by working with states, cities, communities, and partners who contribute to the goals of restoring and rebuilding national wildlife refuges and other federal public assets; and to increase resiliency and the capacity of coastal habitat and infrastructure and to withstand future storms and to minimize the damage incurred.