DOI Project #SA 063; Hurricane Sandy; Assess Road-Stream crossings for Climate Resilience and Aquatic Connectivity in the Sandy-impacted Northeast.

This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to Wildlife Management Institute. This announcement is for notification purposes only. The intent of the award is to provide funding for the state survey component of Assess Road-Stream crossings for Climate Resilience and Aquatic Connectivity in the Sandy-impacted Northeast. This project will provide critical state surveys to develop a partner-driven, science-based approach for identifying and prioritizing culvert road stream crossings in the Hurricane Sandy area for increasing resilience to future floods while improving aquatic connectivity for fish passage. The resulting information and tools will be used to inform and improve decision making by towns, states and other key decision makers. 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. This project is authorized by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, Public Law 113-2.