DOI Project #SA024; Decision Support for Hurricane Sandy Restoration and Future Conservation to Increase Resiliency of Tidal Wetland Habitats and Species in the Face of Storms and Sea Level Rise.

This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, A State University Within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Established Under Chapter 75 as Amended and Chapter 142 of the Acts of 1991 (UMass). The Department of the Interior Project is #24, Decision Support for Hurricane Sandy Restoration and Future Conservation to Increase Resiliency of Tidal Wetland Habitats and Species in the Face of Storms and Sea Level Rise. That project included goals to: (1) develop models for understanding future impacts of sea level rise and storms on tidal marshes along with other stressors such as urban growth to address critical management decisions for increasing resiliency through marsh restoration, management and protection at regional and local scales and (2) Incorporate models for sea-level rise and storms into the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) modeling framework "Designing Sustainable Landscapes" throughout the Northeast Region in combination with other predicted effects of climate change, urban growth, conservation and management on tidal wetlands and adjacent uplands to understand combined habitat and species impacts and thereby guide decision making across a number of goals. The intent of the award is to further the work of the North Atlantic LCC Designing Sustainable Landscapes project in coastal ecosystems and extend the work of the regional sea level rise model; specifically to more fully address coastal "resilience" through both ecological integrity and species habitat capability. This award is issued to provide financial assistance to collaboratively-developed priority projects in Hurricane Sandy disaster areas that will increase the resiliency of tidal marshes, tidal marsh species and coastal communities. The project will improve understanding of how to best protect, manage and restore tidal marshes, tidal marsh dependent species and adjacent lands and communities to increase resiliency and persistence in the face of sea level rise and storms. This announcement is for notification purposes only. This project is authorized by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, Public Law 113-2. 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.